Christ the End of the Law for Righteousness to Everyone Who Believes (Romans 9:33–10:4)

Rom. 9:33. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. Isa. 28:16; 8:14.

They stumbled because they believed not, and not believing, did not attain to the law of righteousness and remained outside the Divine, to whom the promise belongs. Marvel not at this. So it was foretold long ago. This prophecy in the Apostle is composed of two passages of holy prophet Esaias, in both of which a stone is spoken of. But in one Isa. 28:16 it is called a cornerstone, precious, and whosoever believes in it shall not be ashamed; and in another Isa. 8:14, that it is a stone: for some a refuge, and for others a stumbling-block. Both those prophetic passages were understood by all Jews to refer to the Coming One, the Promised. Wherefore they used them when reasoning about the Coming One, as it came best to each, sometimes singly, sometimes together. Holy Apostle combined both passages, the quality of the stone as given to it in chapter 28 (a cornerstone, precious), omitting it, and in its place putting the quality given to it in chapter 8 (a stone of stumbling). The Coming One is called a Stone because on Him and upon Him the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of righteousness and holiness, the Kingdom of the sons of God, was to be built. But He is called a stone of stumbling and offence, not because He was intentionally laid as a stone of stumbling and offence: in Himself He is a stone of refuge and strength; but because many were to misunderstand what He is, be offended in Him, not believe, and thereby stumble at Him. As it was foretold, so it was fulfilled in Christ the Saviour. The Evangelists remark more than once that many were offended in Him. He spoke of Himself that He came from heaven and is the Son of God; yet in appearance He was very simple and had not where to lay His head Mt 8:20. Only His look, His speech, and His works showed that He was not earthly. But not all could understand and feel this. The majority understood it not and turned from Him. As it was during His abiding among men, so it was also after, during the preaching of the Gospel. He was reckoned with transgressors and crucified; they said: how can one believe that He is something great and Divine?—and were offended. But as during His earthly sojourn many under the humble appearance clearly beheld in Him the Divine: so too during the preaching, though the preachers without reserve offered to faith only Jesus Christ and Him crucified, many understood the truth and submitted to faith. What holy Simeon the God-Receiver foretold of the Lord Saviour was and is always being fulfilled in Him, that He is “set for the fall and rising again of many” Lk 2:34. The object of faith is hidden. They understand who are given, as about His hidden parables the Lord said—or rather, whom the Father draws to the Son Jn 6:44.

Such were not ashamed, as the Prophet foretold: “whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed,” “namely, shall truly be deemed worthy of the greatest blessings which in faith they hoped to receive from Him” (Blessed Theodoret). How much strength one must have to believe when unbelief surrounds, mocking faith, and the object of faith is hidden!—Yet they believed, showing in faith the most valiant struggle. They believed and were not ashamed because from the first movement of faith they began to receive in themselves invisibly, in spirit, that which they hoped for and which nothing and no one in the world could give—neither their own efforts nor the help of all the powerful of the earth. And when they passed through the whole stage of belief and ascended to the perfection of faith, then what they received and began to carry in spirit was beyond all description. Wherefore shame and the least movement of it could have no effect in them, and not the shadow of it could appear, though confounding words reached their ears from all sides. Rather did it seem to them incomprehensible how one could shame them, when they possessed such a treasure as had no price.

Having adduced such a prophecy, the Apostle completely scattered the perplexity about why so many Jews were not received into the inheritance—and set forth the reason for it decisively, so that after there was nothing left for objectors to object or for those refuting objections to explain. The matter is clear. But, finishing this, the Apostle now touches the tender string of the Jewish heart—zeal for the Law, which in them was coloured by zeal for God—and from it wishes to forge a path to faith. He himself walked this path, he himself was zealous, no less than any of the Jews, and yet had learned by experience that zeal alone does not necessarily lead straight ahead. No, it must be enlightened, that through its impulse it be not directed wrongly.

Rom. 10:1. Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

After the words: because not by faith—the Jews could object: are we not by faith? Who among us shows greater zeal for God than we do? With the intention of explaining to them that, despite this zeal, they are all not by faith, because they have directed their zeal wrongly, and thus to utter to them a most painful reproach, the Apostle again assures them of his goodwill toward them, to soften the reproach and incline those heeding his word to peaceful submission. “My heart’s desire,” he says, “my goodwill toward you—not in word alone; my whole heart is full of it; with all my heart I desire and always pray to God that all Israel may obtain salvation. Holy Chrysostom says:”The Apostle intends to deal Israel another blow, stronger than the former, and therefore again wards off from himself every suspicion of enmity and proceeds to the matter only after many disclaimers. Look not at the words and reproofs, he says, but at this, that I say these things not with hostile disposition. It is not fitting for him who desires the salvation of the Jews to hate and turn away from them, and not only to desire, but also to pray for it. For by the word ‘heart’s desire’ the Apostle here understands strong longing. Observe that his prayer comes from the heart. He does not apply great effort and pray that the Jews should escape punishment, but that they should be saved. And not in these words alone, but in the following also, he shows the goodwill he has toward the Jews. The Apostle with great effort tries, as much as possible, to excuse the Jews and seeks for them even a shadow of justification. Yet he does not succeed, being overcome by the nature of the matter itself.

Rom. 10:2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

I testify—I do not contradict, I agree, I say to their face and assure all others of them, that they have “zeal.” There is nothing to prove about this. Touch the Sabbath, the temple, the feasts, sacrifices, tithes, and you will see with what zeal each of them will kindle. Eyes, facial expression, gesture, word—all will tell you of this zeal. And this zeal in them is “of God”—for God’s cause, zealous as for God: for the Law is from God. Yet with all this, this zeal is “not according to knowledge.” They are zealous for the Law, as for God, but not according to the sense and meaning of the Law; they are zealous for God, but not in accord with God’s will and direction. The Law itself contained assurance that it was a shadow and, consequently, should cease when the body came, of which it was the shadow. And God repeatedly testified that there would be a new law, a New Covenant, to replace the old covenant and law. Consequently, zeal for the Law without any limits will be zeal not according to knowledge. Zealously strive; but also look lest the time come when the Law should cease. They are told that it has come, and proofs are given; but they, instead of carefully examining whether it is truly so, repeat only: our Law is from God, we do not wish to depart from it—forgetting that God Himself had announced to them that the Law would cease and that a New Covenant also would come from God and is coming. New foolishness. Zeal not guided by truth blinded the eyes of their mind and led them on a path which reason trained in Old Testament truth cannot approve. Thus “with praise the Apostle joined censure, as it were with a bait covering the hook, that the benefit of the word might be made easy to receive for them” (Blessed Theodoret).

Rom. 10:3. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

This passage gives rise to different trains of thought, which converge, however, into one—the conviction that the zeal of the Jews is truly unreasoning. “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness,”—such as it is depicted and prescribed in the Old Testament. There it speaks both of the fear of God, and of this, that all must be done for God’s glory and in every way one must keep the heart pure from all passions, planting good dispositions in it, and then in this spirit and disposition to perform works as they are prescribed in the Law—both the works of piety, and the works of righteousness and love. Such in essence is the Old Testament righteousness of God. But they understood not this righteousness, and, thinking that external correctness alone was sufficient, they did not care about the heart, or about feelings and dispositions toward God and the neighbour, but contented themselves with only this business side, in false assurance that therein lies all God’s righteousness. But this was not God’s righteousness, but a righteousness they themselves had devised, which they attempted to put in place of God’s righteousness. What came of this? What came of it is that they submitted not to God’s righteousness—which can be understood in two ways: they submitted not to God’s righteousness as it was depicted and prescribed in the Old Testament, as is evident from the very arrangement of their life. They perverted the sense of that righteousness of God and established such arrangements of life as are contrary to its true sense. Holy Chrysostom says: “By these words the Apostle shows that the Jews fell into delusion—and did not even establish the righteousness required by the Law.” Or they submitted not to God’s righteousness, now newly preached, the righteousness of the Gospel; because as that righteousness they themselves devised, consisting in external correctness of conduct under the Law, pleased them greatly by its ease and its not demanding heart sacrifices and self-denials; they rested on it and would accept no new one; they would not accept this new one, but stubbornly stood by their own and defended it.

One can understand this passage thus: even if the Jews had observed the Old Testament righteousness in its true sense, yet now, when by God’s commandment the Gospel righteousness is being introduced, they are not free from the reproach of trying to establish their own righteousness, not submitting to the righteousness of God now offered in the Gospel. Old Testament righteousness was God’s righteousness for a time, and whoever submitted to it submitted to God and pleased Him. But when its time ended and God Himself introduces a new righteousness, abolishing that, then he who holds to that righteousness no longer submits to God, but to his own nature, no longer follows God’s will but his own, does not seek to establish God’s righteousness but his own—and, seeking to establish this—his own now—righteousness, does not submit to God’s righteousness. Blessed Theodoret writes: “The Apostle by ‘their own righteousness’ meant the untimely observance of the Law; for they strive to keep the Law, which has already lost its power; and by ‘the righteousness of God’ he named the righteousness obtained by grace through faith.”

And yet another thought can be here: one’s own righteousness is that which is acquired by one’s own labours, while God’s righteousness is that which is established in the heart by God’s grace. This latter alone is true God’s righteousness; any other is no longer God’s righteousness. The Jews, the Apostle says, understood not this, that is, that only that is God’s righteousness which is built in the heart by God, and they held that by one’s own labours one must attain to the perfection of righteousness. Wherefore when, by God’s commandment, we offer to go to the receiving of God’s righteousness from God through Gospel faith, they do not submit to this. Holy Chrysostom says: “The righteousness of the Jews the Apostle calls their own, either because it is acquired by labours and then, or because the Law no longer has force. And he calls the righteousness from faith God’s righteousness; because it is acquired solely by grace from above, and we are justified not by works, but by the gift of God. On the contrary, those who continually resist the Holy Spirit and strive to justify themselves through the Law, are far from faith. Being far from faith and not receiving the justification given by faith, nor yet having the means to justify themselves by the Law, they have lost all.”

Rom. 10:4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes.

They understood not, he says, God’s righteousness, because they understood not the power of the Law and, forming wrong notions of both, devised their own righteousness, which they uphold, not submitting to the righteousness of Christ Jesus which we preach. If they had understood the power of the Law, they would in its end have seen Christ the Lord and would not have rejected Him when He is preached. The Law both by its structure pointed to the coming Christ, and by its word proclaimed Him. Wherefore Christ is the final goal of the Law, and whoever believes in Christ fulfills that for which the Law was given, and does that wherein the Law attains its goal—receives its end. In this sense Blessed Theodoret writes: “Faith in the Lord is not contrary to the Law, but in very accord with it; the Law was our schoolmaster to Christ the Master. Therefore he that believes on the Master Christ fulfills the purpose of the Law.”

But this is in some way an abstract end of the Law in Christ; yet in Him there is, besides this, an actual end of the Law, of which the following words speak: “for righteousness to every one that believes.” The Law has as its aim to make righteous, and whoever would fulfill it as he ought would be righteous. But no one was strong enough for such fulfillment. Only Christ gives strength for this to those who believe in Him; and they, receiving this strength, become truly righteous according to the full breadth of the Law: both they receive justification for their sins against the Law, and they are clothed with strength to act in all things in accord with the Law. Thus Christ is to righteousness to everyone that believes, that is, in the gift of righteousness for the sake of faith; wherefore He is also the end of the Law. Righteousness through faith in Christ is true legal righteousness; but legal righteousness alone, without faith in Christ, is not true righteousness. There were righteous under the Law, but only because they believed in the coming Christ. Had this not been so, they would not have been righteous. But now all are righteous in the legal sense who believe in Christ the Lord who has come. Righteousness is one both there and here. The Jews understood not this, and according to their own understanding, devising for themselves a deceptive form of righteousness, do not submit to God’s righteousness concerning Christ Jesus, and remain outside righteousness, though they are zealous for it. Holy Chrysostom says: “See Paul’s wisdom! Since he called both the other—the Law and the Gospel—righteousness; the believing Jews might have thought that they have one righteousness but lack another and are therefore accused of lawlessness, and the unbelieving Jews could hope to fulfill righteousness and thus could say: if we have not fulfilled it so far, certainly we will fulfill it. See what the Apostle does! He proves that righteousness is one, that legal righteousness is contained in righteousness through faith; and whoever acquired righteousness through faith fulfilled also legal righteousness; and whoever rejected the former lost also the latter. For if the end of the Law is Christ, then he who has not Christ, though he thinks he has righteousness, yet has it not; but he who has Christ, though he has not fulfilled the Law, has gained all. The aim of healing is health. As he who can make healthy, though he knows not the are of medicine, possesses all, but he who knows not how to cure, though he thinks he acts by are, has nothing: so must it be said of Law and faith. Whoever has faith has attained the goal of the Law; and he who is outside faith is alien both to faith and to the Law. For what did the Law wish? To make man righteous. But it could not do this; because no one fulfilled the Law. Such was the end of the Law; to that all tended, for that all was introduced, both festivals, and commandments, and sacrifices, and all else, so that man thereby might be justified. But Christ more certainly attained this goal through faith. Therefore, fear not, says the Apostle, that in turning to faith you have transgressed the Law. You then transgress the Law when for the sake of the Law you believe not in Christ. But when you believe in Him, then you fulfill also the Law, and in a much greater measure than is commanded in the Law; because you have acquired much greater righteousness.”

When the Apostle said: “to every one that believes,” he thereby abolished every distinction of birth and blood. Whosoever you are, only believe in Christ, and in you the end of the Law shall be fulfilled, that is, you too shall be righteous. “Beautifully said the Apostle: ‘to every one that believes’; for he embraced all human nature: whether one be Greek or barbarian, but if he believe, he shall obtain salvation” (Blessed Theodoret).