Romans 10:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Rom 4:18-21).

By this the Apostle proved that Abraham needed both works and an exalted soul, one that accepts what is beyond hope and is not scandalized by what is visible.

So he acts here also. He proves that we need a philosophical mind, a strong will, and a will that strives toward heaven.

He did not simply say, "Do not say," but, "Do not say in your heart." That is, do not even think of doubting and saying to yourself, How is this possible?

Do you see that the special character of faith consists chiefly in this: rejecting all earthly considerations, to seek what is above nature, and casting away the weakness of reasonings, to receive everything through the almighty power of God?

The Jews said not only this, but also that it is impossible to be justified by faith. But the Apostle applies the same thing to another event.

By showing that this event is so great that, even after its fulfillment, it requires faith, he persuades us that it is just to weave a crown for believers.

He uses a saying of the Old Testament, always striving to avoid accusations of innovation and opposition to it. What the Apostle says here about faith, Moses said to the Jews about the commandment.

Moses was proving that they had received many benefits from God. There is no need, the Apostle reasons, to say that one must ascend into heaven or cross the vast sea and only then receive the commandments.

For God has made this great and difficult matter easy for us.

But the Apostle applied it to Christ. Do not doubt, he says, and do not ask in your mind: how did Christ descend from heaven and become incarnate? Or how, after dying, did He rise from the abyss, that is, from the nether regions?

But believe that He descended and became incarnate, and that, having been buried, He rose through the Resurrection, for God raised Him. Therefore, looking also to the dignity of Him who raised Him, one can readily believe.

On the other hand, it has happened, and still happens, that even extraordinary manifestations, even miracles themselves, did not bring people to understanding, not even the Jews themselves. In the Holy Gospel it is said of them: if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were to rise from the dead and preach to them, they still would not believe (Lk 16:31). The same happens even now. For example, many say, Why are there no miracles now? If there were miracles now, there would be more believers. But is it true that there are no miracles? And is it true that there would then be more believers? Has God ceased to care for the salvation of men? Has the grace of the Holy Spirit grown poor? No, no. Are there few truly miraculous and instantaneous healings even now? Are there few healings of grievously ill people who suffered for many years from diseases that physicians themselves acknowledged to be incurable? By God's mercy these miracles are still accomplished, according to the faith of the sick and their parents, before holy icons and before the relics of God's saints. To this day, as in antiquity, the sick are healed, and the demon-possessed are delivered from demons. This happens even through touching the garments of the incorruptly resting saints of God, for example, the wonderworker Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. All this is before our eyes, and living witnesses to all this still remain. Come then, O man of little faith, and see. Do not tempt the Lord. Do not expect a miracle for yourself at every step. But look around you, and read good, soul-saving books. Consider the history of the Christian Church, her first persecutions and her later triumph in the world. Is this phenomenon not truly a wondrous work of God? Christians are tortured, crucified, and destroyed in every way, yet Christianity does not diminish or weaken. It expands and grows strong. The drops of the martyrs' blood formed a life-giving stream for new Christians.

Although the God of all said this about the law, teaching the Jews that they had received instruction about what must be done without toil, and had no need to ascend into heaven or descend into Hades. Because "the word is near you" and knowledge of what must be done has been given to you, nevertheless the divine Apostle took this as teaching about faith.

He teaches that one must not enter into investigations concerning the Master's divine economy, nor question how the Only-begotten Son of God became man and, having accepted suffering, accomplished the Resurrection. Rather, one must bear the fruit of salvation by faith.

For "the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." Then he adds, "that is, the word of faith which we preach." What Moses said about the commandments of the law, we say about faith.

Paul took this in an allegorical sense and applied it to Christ the Lawgiver, who descended from heaven, descended even to Hades, rose from there, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

He also applies it to the ease of faith in Him, teaching us in this way: "But the righteousness which is from faith speaks thus." That is, God speaks thus about justification by faith in Christ.

"Do not say in your heart," that is, do not think that you need to ascend into heaven in order to bring down Christ and faith in Him for your soul.

Nor should you think that you need to descend into the abyss, that is, into Hades, in order to bring them up from there for yourself. You have no need at all to do this.

For God says to you in Deuteronomy that the saying or word of faith which we preach is not far from you. It is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.

"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." But how the word of faith is near us, in our mouth and in our heart, the divine Apostle explains further.

But it, the word of the law, is in the mouth and heart of each person, evidently by the power of faith, as the Apostle explains. Therefore, the Apostle concludes, if even fulfillment of the law is possible only by faith, then the righteousness of the law, toward which the Jew strove, is possible only by faith.

The Apostle applies Moses' words about the law to Christ. Just as the Hebrew could find within himself, in his heart and faith, the strength to fulfill the law, so the believer can find in his heart the strength to confess the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

By this faith and confession he will be saved.

Before the strict demands of the Law concerning righteousness, the man of the Old Testament could only answer, Where shall I obtain righteousness? It is not in me. To attain it, one would have to go either to heaven or beyond the sea. In other words, it is wholly unattainable, as though it were in heaven or beyond the sea. Justification through faith, however, is accomplished much more simply and easily. Although we also have no righteousness in ourselves, and although it must be received from the Savior, who does not visibly remain with us, no one should say, Where shall I obtain righteousness? Must I go up to heaven, where the Savior should be, or into Hades, where He descended? To acquire His righteousness, His visible presence with us is not necessary. His absence does not hinder the work of justification. Indeed, "what does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith which we preach (Deut 30:14). "For if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom 10:8-10).

It requires only the heartfelt disposition of reverent faith in the Lord and Savior, and complete devotion to the conviction of His descent to earth for our salvation, His life-giving Resurrection from the tomb, and the other basic truths of the apostolic preaching about Him.

In this passage it is worthy of attention that the Apostle found a wise way to explain the general teaching about the nearness to the heart of the objects of faith in God, applying it to Jesus Christ and to the particular objects of Christian teaching.

The deeply significant Old Testament expressions about descent to earth and ascent to heaven gave a natural occasion for this. Their hidden meaning gave occasion for a just application, true both in the inner relation between prediction and fulfillment and in the outward, evident expression.

Ancient interpreters, attending to the Apostle's words, "Do not say in your heart," speak about the necessity of firm faith in Jesus Christ.

"One must not enter into investigation concerning the Master's divine economy, nor question how the Only-begotten Son of God became man and, having accepted suffering, accomplished the Resurrection. Rather, one must bear the fruit of salvation by faith" (Theophylact).

Chrysostom says the same: "Do you see that such is the excellence of the properties of faith? Leaving all earthly considerations behind, one must seek what is above nature.

"Casting away the help of reasonings, one must receive everything and establish it upon the almighty power of God."

To this one may add that this is possible because, according to one ecclesiastical writer, the soul is by nature Christian.

Therefore the general teaching about God as Creator and Provider is not foreign to it. Nor is the particular teaching about our Lord, Redeemer, and Savior Jesus Christ foreign to it.

This teaching can be readily received by the most heartfelt and convinced faith, in harmony with all the demands of the highest minds. At the same time, it is accessible and comprehensible even to the simplest and childlike souls (Mt 11:25).

With this in mind, the Apostle said: do not say, who will descend into the abyss, to bring Christ up from the dead? He has already come out of it, like Jonah, who was prophetically plunged into it.

The Apostle indicates two objects of faith: that the Lord came, died, and rose again. Whoever receives this by faith has Christ within himself, and with Him the new law.