Lectionary 19 A

Back to all Romans, all the time. And this week, it's just Romans, all the time.

Romans 10:5-15

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.”
— Romans 10:5

Verse 5's quote of Leviticus 18:5 is cited in Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 4: Justification (AP 4.106) within a quote from Augustine's On the Spirit and the Letter where he's making Luther's point about faith and the righteousness that comes from following the law: that once we've recognized we cannot fulfill the law, we turn to Jesus, the one who does fulfill the law and justifies us, so that by faith we might follow the law. So Melanchthon drives home this point that we are not justified by fulfilling the law, but by faith in the one who does fulfill the law.

...because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
— Romans 10:9

Verse 9 is cited in Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 3: Righteousness (FC, SD 3.51) in helping to show the seventh error about justification from the Council of Trent, namely that something more is needed to receive God's grace than faith.

For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
— Romans 10:10

Verse 10 is quoted twice in Apology of the Augsburg Confession. First in Article 4: Justification (AP 4.92) as one of the verses Melanchthon quotes to show that the idea of justifying faith hasn't just "slipped from Paul at random" (AP 4.88) but is central to Paul's though.

The other quote is in Article 13: The Number and Use of the Sacraments (AP 13.23) to drive home Melanchthon's point that the idea of a sacrament itself justifying is just wrong and leads to all kinds of abuse. Instead, what justifies is faith in Jesus, and one of the fruits of that faith is the sacraments. Faith in the sacraments does not justify.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; he same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.
— Romans 10:12

Verse 12 is quoted in Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 11: Election (FC, SD 11.28) in the midst of a string of biblical quotes showing that God wants all people to hear the good news and be called to repent so that everyone might be part of God's promise.

TheoThru

Only the faith in and of Jesus justifies us before God. Nothing else. No. Seriously. Only faith. No, really. It's only faith, and nothing else.

  • In what ways do we add something else to faith?

  • Why do we add something else to faith?