For the scripture saith: Whosoever believeth in him shall not be confounded.
λεγει γαρ η γραφη πας ο πιστευων επ αυτω ου καταισχυνθησεται
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Then, since the Apostle had said something important, he again confirms it by Scripture. Do you see how the Apostle brings testimonies concerning faith and confession? When he says, “Everyone who believes,” he indicates faith. When he says, “Everyone who calls,” he means confession.
Having said that one believes with the heart and confesses with the mouth, he brings testimonies from Scripture concerning faith and confession, or invocation. When he says, “Everyone who believes,” he indicates faith. The one justified by it will not be put to shame.
When he says, “Everyone who calls,” he indicates confession, which brings about salvation. Therefore now everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, can be received by God.
Let Israel not consider salvation by faith to be its own private good. For everyone who, as it is said, calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free (Joel 2:32; Zech 13:9; Acts 2:21). The God of all saves without distinction, because all are His. Therefore we say that Christ is Head over all things (Eph 1:10). Let Israel not make salvation through faith its own private good. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, whether Jew, Greek, slave, or free. The God of all will save without distinction, since all things belong to Him. Thus, we say, all things are recapitulated in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10).
But lest they say that he preaches a new faith from his own mind, he brought forward a testimony from Scripture, which says: “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame” (Isa 28:16).
When all things are tested on the Day of Judgment, every false opinion and teaching will be rejected. Then those who believe in Christ will rejoice, seeing that what they believed has been revealed to all as truth.
What was considered foolish will be shown wise. They will look upon others and see that those once deemed wretched and foolish have appeared in glory and wisdom. This is the true testing, where rewards and condemnations are given (Mt 12:36-37).
Thus the thief crucified with the Lord believed with his heart and confessed with his mouth. He confessed Christ with the two members that were free in him (Lk 23:42), and he deserved to hear, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43).
By these words the Apostle continues to explain how easy and readily accessible salvation has become in the New Testament. Although the Savior is not with us visibly, nevertheless we can always be in the strongest communion with Him. The means to this communion is faith. And is faith far away? One may say that it is on our lips. From Scripture itself the Apostle brings testimony that justification and salvation by faith are promised to all. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek. They are promised to all who will only hear and believe the good tidings about Jesus Christ the Messiah. Yet the same Scripture, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, foretold that not all would receive this good tidings with faith: "Lord, who has believed our report?"
The Apostle speaks of the fruits of faith, namely salvation, as though adapting himself to the course of thought in the cited passage from the Law (Deut. ch. 30). Yet it is clear that, in the very spirit of his thought, he is speaking here of confessing Christ.
In the Old Testament, works upon works were required for salvation, even an incomplete salvation. In the New Testament, faith is required, together with its expression. When faith abounds, this expression arises of itself. Thus the work of salvation through faith is built up naturally and easily.
False shame and fear cannot exist in one who truly believes. For him Christ is no longer an object of scandal and folly, but the loving and almighty Lord, ready to receive all and hastening to all who turn to Him.
Therefore the Jews should be troubled by nothing in their turning to Christ, especially not by the fact that the Greeks are received together with them. God lacks nothing, least of all readiness to give the kingdom to all, in which there are many mansions.
This should already have been well known to the Jews. The prophets Isaiah, Joel, and others clearly proclaimed God's readiness to receive all who turn to Him.
The passage from the prophet Isaiah cited by the Apostle about the saving power of faith concerns the precious stone in Zion. By this stone all the Jews understood Christ, the Messiah.
The words of the prophet Joel also refer to the times of the Messiah. They speak of the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon all who confess the Lord. Their continuation is: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
These words were cited by the holy Apostle Peter in his sermon. He delivered it when the Holy Spirit had just descended upon the Apostles, and when the Jews, seeing the Apostles' exultation under the action of the Holy Spirit, thought they were drunk.
In refutation of this, the Apostle Peter said: We are not drunk. Rather, this has been fulfilled in us which the prophet Joel foretold, saying: "Upon My servants and upon My handmaidens in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy."
Then he concluded: "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:16-38).
Saint John Chrysostom says the same, concluding his explanation of this passage: "Do you see how the Apostle deprives the Jews of every excuse? When justification, which is the most important thing of all, is so easy and so readily received through faith, and when otherwise, without faith, it is impossible even to be saved, is it not the height of folly to abandon what is accessible and easy, and to take up what is impossible?
"The Law is burdensome, but grace is light. The Law, with its countless conditions, does not save. Grace gives justification both as grace and as lawful. What, then, will those say in their defense who stubbornly oppose grace and cling to the Law without profit or purpose?"
Certainly those who were not stubborn could say nothing in defense of their unbelief. Therefore they believed and, confessing Christ, asked what they should do next in order to be saved. Receiving the answer that they must be baptized, they were baptized (Acts 2:37, 41; 16:30-33).
But those who persisted in unbelief always found various defenses for their unbelief. Therefore the Apostle next turns to review some of these defenses.
He dwells especially on the fact that the calling of all to salvation was so frequent, powerful, and manifold that even the Gentiles responded to it. By this they became a spur to the Jews in their conversion to the Lord and Savior.
To give his words greater firmness, he again cites testimonies from the Old Testament.
For this reason the Apostle also considered it necessary to bring special testimonies about faith and confession, in order to show that the benefits of faith extend to all men without exception. Therefore in both texts he directs attention to "everyone," and he also adds a special interpretation of this word: "for there is no distinction" (Rom 10:12). In the preceding places he proved the folly of the Jewish zeal for the Law from the same Scriptures that teach about the Law. They then say that the whole power lies in faith, and that whoever has faith also has the whole Law fulfilled. But there attention was limited to the Jews alone, as the subject itself required. Having heard what was said, the Jews could say, Very well.
We see that it is unreasonable to turn away from faith because of the Law. We believe. But why are the Gentiles brought in? The Apostle answers: because the power of faith and confession is not confined by fleshly origin. It extends to all and enriches all without distinction. The power of salvation is not in lineage, but in faith. Whoever you are, only believe, and you will be saved. See what Scripture says: "Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame." Do not doubt the truth of my words. Of what faith does it speak here? In whom is one invited to believe? In Christ the Lord. The words cited are taken from the place in the prophet Isaiah where he speaks in the person of the Lord: "Behold, I lay in Zion a precious stone, honorable as a foundation, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame" (cf. Isa 28:16). From the time the word about this stone came from the Prophet's mouth until our own days, all, both Jews and Christians, have understood under this stone none other than Christ the Lord. He alone lies as the foundation of the spiritual Zion, the Holy Church of God. Established upon Him, she stands firmly and will stand unshaken until the end of the age. Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. In what will he not be put to shame? In his hopes, for he will certainly receive what he expects from this faith. And what does he expect? Salvation, both in this age and in the age to come. In this age already, at the very beginning, in Baptism, everyone receives forgiveness of sins, new life, and the grace of the Holy Spirit. This grace sanctifies and strengthens, and it also serves as a pledge that in the age to come it will be well for the one who cleaves to the Lord by faith. Ambrosiaster writes: "When, on the day of judgment, the examination of all deeds done on earth begins, and all false dogmas and teachings are put to shame, then those who believe in Christ will rejoice. They will see openly before all that what they believed truly exists, and that what was considered foolishness is reasonable. For they will see that among all the rest, they alone are glorious and wise, though until then they had been considered foolish and contemptible. For there the decisive testing of deeds occurs, where the reward or punishments are assigned."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 11 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS