What is the meaning of Romans 10:3? Ignorant of God’s righteousness Paul is speaking of Israel, a people zealous for God yet missing the heart of His plan. • God’s righteousness is not merely an attribute; it is His gift of a right standing offered through faith (Romans 1:17; 3:21-22). • By focusing on the Law’s external demands, many failed to see that the Law itself pointed to a coming righteousness apart from works (Jeremiah 23:6; Galatians 3:24). • This ignorance was willful, not accidental. Light had been given through the prophets and through Christ Himself (Isaiah 53:11; John 12:37-38), yet it was set aside. Seeking to establish their own When people do not understand the righteousness God supplies, they default to self-made systems. • Israel multiplied commandments and traditions, believing careful rule-keeping could earn favor (Matthew 23:23; Romans 9:31-32). • The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable “stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men’” (Luke 18:9-14), illustrating the danger of performance-based confidence. • Paul’s personal testimony underscores the futility of this path: he counted his pedigree and achievements “loss, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness” (Philippians 3:4-9). Did not submit to God’s righteousness Refusal to yield is the tragic climax. • God’s righteousness is received, never achieved. Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3-5). • Submission means abandoning self-reliance and embracing Christ, “the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). • By rejecting this gift, Israel mirrored all humanity’s resistance: “You stiff-necked people…you always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). summary Romans 10:3 exposes a three-fold progression: ignorance of God’s freely given righteousness, a self-constructed alternative, and a stubborn refusal to bow to the righteousness that comes only through faith in Christ. The verse warns against trusting moral effort and invites every reader to lay down self-made claims, receiving the perfect righteousness God graciously provides in His Son. |
    |