6 But the righteousness which is of faith says these words, Say not in your heart, Who will go up to heaven? (that is, to make Christ come down:)
For these orders which I have given you today are not strange and secret, and are not far away. They are not in heaven, for you to say, Who will go up to heaven for us and give us knowledge of them so that we may do them? And they are not across the sea, for you to say, Who will go over the sea for us and give us news of them so that we may do them? But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.
For this reason he says, He went up on high, taking his prisoners with him, and gave freely to men. (Now this, He went up, what is it but that he first went down into the lower parts of the earth? He who went down is the same who went up far over all the heavens so that he might make all things complete.)
If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven? And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man.
The bread of God is the bread which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.
This is the bread which has come down from heaven. It is not like the food which your fathers had: they took of the manna, and are dead; but he who takes this bread for food will have life for ever.
That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,
For God's word, that the earth would be his heritage, was given to Abraham, not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith: But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.
Who, being the outshining of his glory, the true image of his substance, supporting all things by the word of his power, having given himself as an offering making clean from sins, took his seat at the right hand of God in heaven;
By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith.
The bread which comes from heaven is such bread that a man may take it for food and never see death. I am the living bread which has come from heaven: if any man takes this bread for food he will have life for ever: and more than this, the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 10
Commentary on Romans 10 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 10
The dissolving of the peculiar church-state of the Jews, and the rejection of that polity by the repealing of their ceremonial law, the vacating of all the institutions of it, the abolishing of their priesthood, the burning of their temple, and the taking away of their place and nation, and in their room the substituting and erecting of a catholic church-state among the Gentile nations, though to us, now that these things have long since been done and completed, they may seem no great matter, yet to those who lived when they were doing, who knew how high the Jews had stood in God's favour, and how deplorable the condition of the Gentile world had been for many ages, it appeared very great and marvellous, and a mystery hard to be understood. The apostle, in this chapter, as in the foregoing and that which follows, is explaining and proving it; but with several very useful digressions, which a little interrupt the thread of his discourse. To two great truths I would reduce this chapter:-
Rom 10:1-11
The scope of the apostle in this part of the chapter is to show the vast difference between the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith, and the great pre-eminence of the righteousness of faith above that of the law; that he might induce and persuade the Jews to believe in Christ, aggravate the folly and sin of those that refused, and justify God in the rejection of such refusers.
Rom 10:12-21
The first words express the design of the apostle through these verses, that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, but they stand upon the same level in point of acceptance with God. In Jesus Christ there is neither Greek nor Jews, Col. 3:11. God doth not save any nor reject any because they are Jews, nor because they are Greeks, but doth equally accept both upon gospel terms: There is no difference. For the proof of this he urges two arguments:-