Faith and Works in Romans 10:1-13 Exposition
Faith and Works in Romans 10:1-13
Romans 10:9-10 states, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" [2]. This passage is part of Paul's discussion on the relationship between faith and works in the context of salvation.
The literary context of Romans 10:1-13 is Paul's argument that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through works of the law. In the preceding chapter, Paul expressed his concern for his fellow Israelites who had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah (Romans 9:1-5). He then discusses the righteousness that comes from faith versus the righteousness that is based on the law (Romans 9:30-10:4). The passage is part of a larger unit that explores the nature of salvation and how it is attained.
Historically, this passage was written by Paul to the Roman church in the mid-1st century. The Roman church was composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers, and Paul's letter addresses the relationship between these groups and the nature of salvation [4].
A key term in this passage is "faith" (Greek: πίστις, pistis). Paul emphasizes that faith is not just intellectual assent but a deep-seated trust in Jesus Christ as Lord. The word "heart" (Greek: καρδία, kardia) is also significant, as it refers to the center of a person's being, where true beliefs and motivations reside [1].
One major exegetical decision in interpreting this passage is the relationship between faith and confession. Paul writes that one must "declare with your mouth" and "believe in your heart" to be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Some traditions interpret this as indicating that both faith and confession are necessary for salvation. For example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes the importance of both faith and good works in the process of salvation [7]. In contrast, some Reformed traditions, such as Calvin, emphasize that faith is the sole means of justification, and that confession is a natural consequence of faith [3].
The interpretation of Romans 10:1-13 has varied across Christian traditions. The Lutheran Augsburg Confession, for instance, cites Ephesians 2:8 to emphasize that salvation is by faith alone, not by works [6]. In contrast, a confessional catechism emphasizes the importance of both faith and good works in the process of salvation [7]. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, as represented by John Chrysostom, also emphasizes the importance of faith, but interprets it in the context of a broader understanding of salvation that includes the role of the church and the sacraments [4].
The passage has also been interpreted in the context of Jewish thought. The Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 5:17, for example, highlights the idea that the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked will be punished [5].
Sources
- OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Rom.1.20 → Ps.139.13 (confidence: 10 votes)”
- Romans “Romans 10:10 (NASB) — for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 2, section 53.2: 64:7 66:24 Jeremiah 4:31 5:8 5:28 7:4 7:4 9:1 10:23 10:24 10:24 11:21 17:1 17:5 18:16 19:6 19:8 22:24 22:28 25:9 25:13 25:18 28:10 28:11 30:11 31:15 43:2 48:2 50:11 Lamentations 1:7 2:5 2:8 3:29 Ezekiel 15:3 16:26 20:11 20:24 20:25 26:2 26:14 37:1 43:15 43:15 47:11 Daniel 5:28 5:30 5:31 7:10 7:17 8:20 Hosea 1:7 6:4 8:14 9:6 13:3 Joel 1:13 2:13 2:23 2:28 Amos 1:3 3:6 4:1 4:1 5:10 5:19 8:11 Micah 1:3 1:11 2:11 7:9 7:16 Nahum 3:8 Habakkuk 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:2 3:2 3:2 3:13 Zechariah 9:14 13:4 14:3 Malachi 1:4 1:11 4:2 Matthew 2:14 3:12 3:12 3:12 3:12 ”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:26 2:10 2:18 2:21 2:21 2:24 2:24 2:24 3:5 3:6 3:11 3:16 3:16 3:16 3:19 3:19 4 4:2 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:7 4:9 4:9 4:10 4:10 4:10 4:11 4:14 6:3 6:3 6:9 9:5 9:20 9:22 11:8 11:31 12:3 12:7 12:7 14:14 15:12 15:13-14 18:3 18:3 18:3 18:7 18:17 18:19 18:27 18:33 21:12 22:3 22:18 25:33 27:27 27:41 27:45 28:12 28:20 29:23 30:1-2 31:7 31:15 31:40 32:10 32:21 32:28 32:29 33:19 37:18 39:1-20 40:23 41:40 41:42-43 42:21 45:5 45:5 45:9 45:24 48:16 49:7 60:8 Exodus 1:14 1:22 2:11 2:13 2:15 2:22 3:1 3:2 3:2 4:10 4:22 5:2 9:11 17:4 18:2”
- Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 5:17: And the righteous shall be fed, as it is promised concerning them, and they shall multiply; and the substance of the ungodly shall the righteous possess.”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 11 This doctrine concerning faith is everywhere treated by Paul,: 11 This doctrine concerning faith is everywhere treated by Paul, Eph. 2:8: By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your selves; it is the gift of God, not of works, etc.”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, 3. the anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view (part 2): 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi. The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, ”