LEGACY ARTICLE: ROMANS 10 — THE nearness OF SALVATION
There is a moment in every believer’s life when Romans 10 stops being a passage you’ve heard before and starts becoming the very oxygen you breathe. It’s the moment when you realize Paul is not merely giving theological insights—he is opening the door to the greatest miracle God ever made available to human beings: the miracle of salvation that does not come from striving, performance, impressing God, or trying to earn your way home. Instead, it comes from something far simpler, far nearer, far more personal. It comes from the heart and from the mouth. It comes from the place where belief and confession meet, where faith rises, where grace rushes in, and where a sinner becomes a son or daughter in a single breath.
Romans 10 is the chapter of accessibility. It declares boldly that the righteousness of God is not far away, not hidden, not locked behind religious systems, not buried under layers of complexity. Paul writes with the urgency of a man who has seen the inside of the law and the inside of grace and is standing between the two, pleading with the world to grasp the simplicity of what God has done.
This is the heartbeat of Romans 10: God made salvation so close that even the weakest person, the most broken sinner, the person who thinks they are too far gone, can reach it. Salvation is not on a distant mountain. It is not across the sea. It is not hidden in the heavens. It is near you—so near that it sits on the edge of your tongue and rests in the center of your heart.
And that’s why Romans 10 is not simply an explanation of doctrine. It is a rescue rope thrown into the darkest places of the soul. It is God's voice saying, “You do not have to climb your way to Me. I came all the way to you.”
When you read this chapter slowly, as if you were hearing it for the first time, something inside you begins to melt a little. You feel the warmth of that nearness. You feel the pressure of striving start to release. You sense the invitation to stop living in fear and to start living in faith. This is a chapter that calls you out of self-effort and into surrender, out of religious exhaustion and into a relationship made possible by a Savior who finished the work before you even took your first breath.
So today, we step into Romans 10 with reverence, wonder, and the deep desire to catch every ounce of truth that Paul poured into these words.
What if the freedom you’ve been seeking is closer than you ever imagined?
What if the hope you’ve been praying for is already within reach?
What if the breakthrough you keep chasing is waiting on the other side of one simple choice—to believe and to confess?
Let’s walk through Romans 10 and watch the gospel unfold in real time.
Paul’s Heart For Israel And The Heart Of God
Romans 10 opens with a declaration that is both beautiful and heartbreaking: Paul longs for Israel to be saved. His Jewish brothers and sisters were zealous for God. They had passion, devotion, intensity, and commitment. They prayed. They studied. They fasted. They made sacrifices. They followed commandments. They created fences around the law so they wouldn’t break the law. They did everything they thought they were supposed to do.
But Paul says something devastating: they had zeal, but not according to knowledge.
In our modern world, we tend to judge spiritual health by one word: passion. Is someone passionate for God? Do they look committed? Do they sound spiritual? Do they carry the language, the tone, the appearance of someone who is “all in”? But Romans 10 reminds us that passion is not enough. Zeal is not enough. Emotion is not enough. Good intentions are not enough. You can be running hard in the wrong direction. You can be deeply sincere and sincerely mistaken.
Paul says Israel did not know the righteousness of God, so they tried to establish their own. They tried to reach God by climbing the ladder of personal holiness, religious duty, and moral performance. They were measuring themselves against the law, not understanding that the law was never meant to save—it was meant to reveal the need for a Savior.
And this is where many people still stand today, even inside churches. They try to earn God’s approval by doing enough good things. They try to ease their guilt by trying harder. They try to reach God by self-improvement. They try to repair their brokenness by becoming “better people.”
But Paul says plainly: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
That one sentence changes everything.
Christ ended the exhausting treadmill.
Christ ended the system of striving.
Christ ended the impossible standard.
Christ ended the pressure to prove yourself.
Christ ended the idea that salvation comes from your effort.
He ended it by fulfilling the law in your place, satisfying its demands, carrying its weight, and then offering His righteousness as a gift to anyone who would believe. He became the destination the law had always pointed toward.
Paul is not angry with Israel. He is heartbroken. He sees people he loves chasing God through the wrong door. And he writes Romans 10 as a plea—not just to them, but to the whole world—that the door is already open.
And the door has a name. His name is Jesus.
The Righteousness That Doesn’t Make You Climb
Paul then contrasts two kinds of righteousness: the righteousness that comes from the law and the righteousness that comes from faith. One demands performance; the other demands trust. One is based on achieving; the other is based on receiving.
The righteousness based on the law says, “Do this and live.” But the righteousness based on faith says something radically different. It speaks a new language, a language that the human heart desperately needs to hear.
Paul quotes Moses, saying:
“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’
That is, to bring Christ down.”
You don’t have to ascend to God. You don’t have to climb the ladder of moral perfection. You don’t have to achieve a spiritual height that convinces God you are worth saving.
Then he says:
“Do not say, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’
That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.”
You don’t have to descend into impossible depths. You don’t have to pay for your past. You don’t have to take on the suffering Christ already bore. You don’t have to pull yourself out of the pit by force of will.
Paul’s point is profound:
The work is already done.
The distance is already bridged.
The burden is already lifted.
Christ has already come down.
Christ has already risen up.
Christ has already done what you could never do.
If salvation depended on human effort, most people would never reach it. Some wouldn’t even know where to begin. But God saw that. God knew that. God understood the weakness of the human condition. And so He built a salvation so close that even the most wounded person, the least educated person, the most broken sinner, the most forgotten soul, the most unlikely candidate, could receive it.
This is why Paul says:
“The word is near you.”
Not far. Not inaccessible. Not for the elite. Not for the disciplined only. Not for the morally impressive.
Near. Near enough to touch. Near enough to embrace. Near enough to say yes. Near enough to save you in a single moment of surrendered faith.
The Confession That Changes Eternity
From here, Paul gives us one of the most foundational statements in all of Scripture:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.”
This is the gospel in its simplest and most powerful form. Salvation is not a mystical experience. It is not a reward for good behavior. It is not a merit badge. It is not something you earn after demonstrating spiritual potential.
It is a confession born out of belief.
Confession and belief go together because the heart and the mouth are connected. What the heart knows, the mouth reveals. What the heart embraces, the mouth proclaims. But notice the order: belief first, confession second. Salvation is not about externally proving yourself; it is about internally receiving truth.
Belief is when the weight of Jesus’ identity sinks into your heart—when you know He is Lord, not in a theoretical sense but in a personal one. Confession is the outward echo of that inward certainty.
When Paul says “confess,” he is not describing a ritual. He is describing allegiance. Confessing Jesus as Lord means surrendering every other lordship claim in your life. It means stepping out of self-rule and into God’s rule. It means acknowledging that Jesus is not just Savior—He is Master, King, Leader, Shepherd, and the rightful authority over your entire life.
Then Paul says something else:
“Believe that God raised Him from the dead.”
This is essential because the resurrection is the centerpiece of everything. If Jesus is not risen, He is not Lord. If He is not risen, He cannot be Savior. If He is not risen, your faith is empty. So Paul says salvation is rooted not in vague spirituality but in the historical, literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When your heart believes and your mouth confesses, something supernatural happens. Your sins are forgiven. Your record is wiped clean. Your guilt is removed. Your spirit is made alive. Your eternity is rewritten. You go from lost to found, from death to life, from darkness to light.
Not because of you.
Because of Him.
Not because of your worthiness.
Because of His mercy.
Not because of your performance.
Because of His grace.
This is the miracle Romans 10 reveals. Salvation is not earned—it is received. And the door is open to anyone.
The Universality Of The Gospel
Paul then writes something revolutionary:
“There is no distinction between Jew and Greek.”
At that time in history, this statement was explosive. Jews and Gentiles were divided by culture, belief, background, customs, and centuries of separation. But the gospel breaks barriers. It erases dividing lines. It opens the door to all people, from every nation, every background, every walk of life.
Paul says:
“The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him.”
There are no favorites in the kingdom. No privileged class. No spiritual insiders. No outsiders. No one too far gone. No one beyond reach.
And then comes a promise so wide, so open, so inclusive that it shatters every excuse a human heart might raise:
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Everyone.
Not some.
Not the good people.
Not the religious people.
Not the morally impressive.
Not the ones with spiritual backgrounds.
Not the ones who have their lives together.
Not the ones who look like Christians on the outside.
Everyone.
Call, and you are saved.
Cry out, and He hears you.
Trust Him, and He responds.
There is no world in which someone cries out to Jesus from a genuine heart and God says, “Not you.” Every barrier humans set up—God tears down.
If Romans 10 teaches us anything, it’s this: no one is disqualified from grace except the person who refuses it.
The Chain That Changes The World
After explaining the miracle of salvation, Paul shifts gears. He begins laying out the divine chain reaction that God uses to reach the world through ordinary people.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”
These verses are more than rhetorical questions. They are the blueprint of the Great Commission.
Paul is describing the mission of the church:
People cannot call on Jesus until they believe.
They cannot believe until they hear.
They cannot hear until someone speaks.
They cannot hear someone speak unless someone obeys the call to be sent.
This means the gospel spreads not through angels descending from heaven but through people like you and me—people who open their mouths, share their stories, preach the Word, love boldly, and carry the name of Jesus into the world.
This is why Paul says:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
It is not the beauty of the feet themselves; it is the beauty of the mission. The messenger becomes beautiful because the message is beautiful. When you carry the gospel, you carry the most beautiful news ever given to humanity.
But Paul also acknowledges reality:
“Not all obeyed.”
Some hear and reject. Some hear and hesitate. Some hear and resist. But that does not diminish the importance of the message or the urgency of the mission. Faith still comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. And that means the world still needs messengers. The world still needs voices. The world still needs believers who will not be silent.
Romans 10 is a reminder that salvation is available to all—but the message must still be carried by those who already know the truth.
Why Some Reject The Message
Paul ends the chapter with a sobering truth: Israel heard the message, but many rejected it. The gospel was proclaimed to them first, and yet many walked away, clinging to the law instead of embracing the grace that came through Christ.
Why does this matter?
Because rejection is not a sign of a weak message.
Rejection is not a sign of a failing mission.
Rejection is not a sign that God’s plan is broken.
It is a sign of the human heart.
Some reject grace because grace requires surrender. Some reject truth because truth demands obedience. Some reject the gospel because it removes pride and gives God all the glory. Some reject because they cannot let go of their own attempts to be righteous.
Paul says Israel was “a disobedient and contrary people.” But even here, the heart of God shines through. He says:
“All day long I have held out My hands.”
Not angrily.
Not reluctantly.
Not conditionally.
But patiently.
Lovingly.
Willingly.
God didn’t close the door on Israel. Israel closed the door on God. And yet His hands remain open. His posture remains welcoming. His heart remains ready.
Romans 10 ends not in despair but in invitation: God is still reaching. God is still calling. God is still saving. And the same grace extended to Israel is extended to all.
Living Romans 10 Today
Romans 10 is not meant to be read as ancient theology. It is meant to be lived as present reality.
You live Romans 10 when you stop trying to earn God’s approval and start trusting His grace.
You live Romans 10 when you replace self-reliance with faith in what Christ already accomplished.
You live Romans 10 when you recognize that salvation is not distant—it is near.
You live Romans 10 when you confess Jesus as Lord not just once but every day, choosing His voice over the noise of the world.
You live Romans 10 when you step into your calling as a messenger, carrying the gospel into conversations, relationships, workplaces, and moments you didn’t even realize God had prepared.
You live Romans 10 by believing in your heart, confessing with your mouth, and walking out the miracle of grace one step at a time.
Final Reflection
Romans 10 is one of those chapters that meets people in different places at different times.
It meets the sinner who thinks salvation is too far away.
It meets the religious person who has been working too hard and resting too little.
It meets the believer who needs to remember the simplicity of the gospel.
It meets the messenger who needs courage to speak.
It meets the weary soul who forgot that God’s hands are still open.
It is the chapter that whispers, “You don’t have to climb. You don’t have to descend. You don’t have to prove anything. You only have to believe.”
And when you do, heaven moves.
Grace floods in.
Salvation becomes real.
And your life begins again.
Romans 10 is the nearness of God wrapped in the language of faith, the simplicity of salvation, and the beauty of the gospel.
And that nearness is available right now.
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Your friend in Christ,
Douglas Vandergraph
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