How does Paul link near faith-word, confession and hearing?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Paul contrasts justice through Christ with own-strength claims, links faith/confession/calling and sent preaching, and quotes Moses and Isaias concerning hearing and resistance.

Chapter breakdown

Paul’s heart’s desire and prayer are for their salvation. He bears witness to zeal for God without knowledge: not knowing God’s justice and seeking their own, they have not submitted to his. The annotation defines God’s justice as that given through Christ and their own as what they presume through strength or law observance without faith in Christ. Christ is the law’s end unto justice to every believer. Moses describes the justice of the law as doing its things and living by them.

The justice of faith says not to ask in the heart who will ascend to heaven to bring Christ down or descend into the deep to bring him from the dead. The word near the mouth and heart is the word of faith Paul preaches. Confessing the Lord Jesus with the mouth and believing in the heart that God raised him brings salvation. The annotation says confession and calling on the Lord’s name are not bare personal belief: they include belief in his whole doctrine and obedience to his law, without which calling Lord does not save, citing Matthew 7:21. Heart belief is unto justice and mouth confession unto salvation. The believer shall not be confounded. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek: the same Lord is rich to all calling on him, and whoever calls on his name shall be saved.

Calling requires believing, believing hearing, and hearing a preacher; how can people preach unless sent? Paul cites the beautiful feet of those bringing the gospel of peace and good tidings. The annotation argues against new teachers usurping ministry without lawful mission derived through apostolic succession, quoting the Father’s sending of Christ and Christ’s sending in John 20:21. This remains the annotation’s interpretation.

Not all obey the gospel; Isaias asks who believed the report. Faith comes through hearing and hearing through Christ’s word. Have they not heard? Paul answers with sound going throughout the earth and words to the world’s ends. Did Israel not know? Moses speaks of jealousy through a people not a nation and anger through a foolish nation. Isaias says God was found by those not seeking him and appeared to those not asking. To Israel God says he spread out his hands all day to a disbelieving and contradicting people.

The story inside

Three printed annotations remain separate, especially whole-doctrine belief/law obedience and apostolic-succession mission. No impossible-law or automatic-vocal-salvation claim is added.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Justice annotation qualifies own observance as without Christ-faith.
2
Confession annotation requires whole doctrine belief and obedience.
3
Sending annotation is identified as commentary.

Test your recall

What does the confession annotation say bare personal belief lacks?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 128434–128449
10:1. Brethren, the will of my heart, indeed and my prayer to God is for them unto salvation. 10:2. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 10:3. For they, not knowing the justice of God and seeking to establish their own, have not submitted themselves to the justice of God. The justice of God.... That is, the justice which God giveth us through Christ; as on the other hand, the Jews’ own justice is, that which they pretended to by their own strength, or by the observance of the law, without faith in Christ. 10:4. For the end of the law is Christ: unto justice to everyone that believeth.
Lines 128460–128474
10:8. But what saith the scripture? The word is nigh thee; even in thy mouth and in thy heart. This is the word of faith, which we preach. 10:9. For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Thou shalt be saved.... To confess the Lord Jesus, and to call upon the name of the Lord (ver. 13) is not barely the professing a belief in the person of Christ; but moreover, implies a belief of his whole doctrine, and an obedience to his law; without which, the calling him Lord will save no man. St. Matt. 7.21. 10:10. For, with the heart, we believe unto justice: but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
Lines 128485–128501
10:14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 10:15. And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things? Unless they be sent.... Here is an evident proof against all new teachers, who have all usurped to themselves the ministry without any lawful mission, derived by succession from the apostles, to whom Christ said, John 20.21, As my Father hath sent me, I also send you. 10:16. But all do not obey the gospel. For Isaias saith: Lord, who hath believed our report? 10:17. Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ.
Lines 128507–128515
10:19. But I say: Hath not Israel known? First, Moses saith: I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation: by a foolish nation I will anger you. 10:20. But Isaias is bold, and saith: I was found by them that did not seek me. I appeared openly to them that asked not after me. 10:21. But to Israel he saith: All the day long have I spread my hands to a people that believeth not and contradicteth me.