Romans 10:1-4, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
I love this helpful passage of Scripture.
The diligent Bible student ought to greatly appreciate the doctrinal
smorgasbord found in these Bible verses. The Jews were zealous about serving
God. They were passionate about their religion. I mean, after all, the Jews
were chosen as God's people, beginning with father Abraham. Unfortunately,
the Jews became stuck on the Mosaic law, which was never intended to give
life to those who tried to keep it.
Even today, poor Bible students like Dr. Peter Ruckman (1921-1916) and some of his followers, corrupt the true purpose of the law, teaching the heresy of “works” for salvation. The Holy Bible plainly exposes this counterfeit plan of salvation in our text passage. Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” The Bible condemns any Jew trying to merit salvation by keeping the Mosaic law as, “GOING ABOUT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.” The idea that there were multiple plans of salvation during different “dispensations” is satanic false doctrine!!!
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 10:1-2 that the Jews were zealous in their religious devotion, “BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.” That is, they were doctrinally messed up! This is exactly what is wrong with at least half of the Baptist churches in America today! They have a zeal for the ministry and serving Christ, “BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.” They have fallen prey to the falsehood of Calvinism (aka, the lie of Lordship Salvation). John Calvin (1509-1564) was an unsaved man who added works to faith and corrupted the Gospel. The apostle Paul warned everyone that God's curse is upon ANYONE, even an angel, who preaches “ANOTHER GOSPEL.” John Calvin died a cursed man! Dr. John MacArthur is cursed. Evangelist Ray Comfort is cursed! Anyone who requires turning away from sinful behavior to be saved is cursed! ...
Galatians 1:6-9, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
The very notion that there were multiple plans of salvation in the Bible, or at any other time in history, totally violates this warning from the Scriptures. There has always been only one Gospel (i.e., Good News), which is remission of sins through faith in Christ. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” This is how Abraham was saved in Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Esther 8:17, “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” How does a Gentile become a Jew? Why, of course, they became Christians! Galatians 3:7, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” By the way, this Bible verse plainly exposes Zionism (i.e., present-day manmade Israel) as a satanic fraud! True Israel is of faith, not the Satanic hoax of Judaism!!! No unsaved Jew is a child of Abraham! Every unsaved Jew is a child of the Devil, which is exactly what Jesus called them in John 8:44!
True Bible salvation comes ONLY by submitting, as a humble child would, to God's righteousness through FAITH ALONE in Christ Jesus! Romans 10:1-4, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” We are taught in Galatians 3:24-26 that the Mosaic LAW's purpose is to show humanity our sinnership, and to “bring us” to Jesus Christ to be saved by God's GRACE. This was true during the time of the Mosaic law, as well as it still is today, and will be in the future during the Tribulation period and Millennial reign of Christ.
Salvation has always been through humble faith in the promised Messiah! Humble faith is the only kind of faith there is, from a humble heart of submission to God's imputed righteousness!! Dear reader, please read these precious passages of Scripture which verifies what I say...
2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Philippians 3:8-9, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
AMAZING! Our great God is more than amazing! Salvation has ALWAYS been by God's GRACE, even for those under the LAW. That is correct, salvation was BY GRACE even for those people who lived under the Mosaic law! The purpose of the law was only to show men their sinnership and establish their guilt in the sight of a holy God...
Romans 3:19-20, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Notice the words, “them who are under the law.” What did the law say to them? It told them that they are guilty sinners in God's sight. Galatians 3:24-26 plainly teaches that the law then brings men to Christ, so that they could be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. Let's read it...
Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
So people in the Old Testament were saved the SAME way we are today, which is BY FAITH. The law pointed them to the cross, that is, to the blessed Savior Who would suffer, bleed and die for their sins. The prophet Isaiah foretold of Christ's crucifixion...
Isaiah 53:5-6, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
The law today is still doing what it did 4,000 years ago, which is to point humanity to the cross, to be saved by God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ!!! If the law could have saved anyone, there would have been no need for the sacrificial lamb or work of the tabernacle high priest! Hebrews 4:2 plainly tells us that Moses preached “THE GOSPEL” to the Hebrews in the Wilderness, but it was not “mixed with faith in them that heard it,” and they sadly perished in their unbelief. Hebrews 10:38-39, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” There is nothing in the Scriptures which even remotely suggests that Jews were saved by works during the Old Testament under Moses' law. They were saved by submitting to God's righteousness, just as today.
Also, carefully notice in Romans 3:21-22 that the righteousness of God is “WITHOUT THE LAW,” being manifest by “THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS”! This includes Moses and all the major and minor Old Testament prophets!!!
Romans 3:21-22, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.”
Could the Bible be any plainer? I think not! Please read further from Romans chapter three...
Romans 3:23-27, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
Clearly, salvation could never have been “BY WORKS,” lest there would have been a basis to boast. Over and over we are taught in the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, that “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9b). WE ARE SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD!!!!!!! ...
Hebrews 9:6-7, “Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.”
The blood of the slain lamb was
offered “FOR THE ERRORS OF THE PEOPLE.” Clearly, the sinful people weren't
expect to keep the law to be saved of their own accord, which is as
impossible as it is a bizarre teaching.
Scriptural Proof That People in the Old Testament Weren't Saved By Works
And in closing, I am going to give you an irrefutable Scripture passage that proves Dr. Peter Ruckman a liar! I say that respectfully, for he was a brilliant preacher who is considered to be the godfather of the King James Bible only movement, for whom I am sincerely grateful. Dr. Ruckman did more than anybody to educate believers about the Alexandrian, Egypt history of the modern Bible perversions! Albeit, I cannot agree with Dr. Ruckman's awful heresy and blasphemy against the Gospel, when he boldly and bizarrely teaches that salvation was by works in the Old Testament. What saith the Scripture? ...
Hebrews 4:4-11, “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them [Israel, i.e., God's people] rest, then would he [King David] not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Carefully notice in the preceding Scripture passage a few very important TRUTHS concerning salvation:
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Moses preached the Gospel to the Hebrews in the Wilderness (Hebrews 4:1-2), but they entered not into God's rest BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF! The Bible doesn't say they lacked works, they lacked FAITH! They perished in UNBELIEF!
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King David pleaded with Israel to “rest” in Christ for salvation. Psalms 95:7b-8a and 11, “To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness... Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” Hebrews 4:3, “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” Jesus Christ is our Sabbath in Whom we completely REST for salvation! Clearly, Old Testament saints were saved by FAITH alone!
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We have a very plain statement from the Scriptures, “HE THAT IS ENTERED INTO HIS REST, HE ALSO HATH CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS”!!! This is Scriptural PROOF that Old Testament saints were saved by FAITH ALONE, which excluded all manner of works! The Bible plainly says that a person HADN'T entered into God's rest (i.e., salvation), unless they had CEASED from their own works!!!
What a bunch of precious Scriptural truths to enlighten your knowledge of God's Word. The Holy Bible is so simple, if we let the Scriptures speak for themselves!
