Rightness of Relationship – Romans 10:5-15

A text – Romans 10:5-15

⁵ Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 

⁹ because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For one trusts with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. ¹¹ The scripture says, “No one who trusts in him will be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

¹⁴ But how are they to call on one in whom they have not trusted? And how are they to trust in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? ¹⁵ And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

A reflection:

You know how it feels when you have had a dust-up with a friend or relative and then later on you are forgiven or you forgive? The relationship returns to a “rightness” that you can recognize and celebrate. I think that is what “righteousness” means. It is a word that has been co-opted into the very negative term “self-righteous,” a description of a judgmental hypocrite, which is never a good thing. But when Paul uses it here, especially in the first few verses of our passage for today, he is talking about a rightness of a human being’s relationship with God, which is a good thing. You can have rightness by the law, Paul says, when you live by the law, obeying it. You can have rightness by faith by trusting in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Jesus from death. You don’t have to travel to heaven or hell or do anything but believe what is already in your mouth and in your heart. The second kind of rightness is all we need, thanks to Jesus.

My former colleague, New Testament scholar Matt Skinner says the following two things about this passage:

“First…All people who are caught up in God’s righteousness are caught up because of God’s effort. No one manufactures it on his own. Christ is the means by which God manifests God’s righteousness and claims us within it. Second, just as God’s instruction was very near to the people of Israel in the law Moses gave them, so too God’s word of life remains present among all people—ready to be encountered—through Christ. What does it mean that it’s near to us? It means it’s right here…and none of us is any nearer to it than anyone else. It’s for everyone.”

Rightness in our relationship with God is a gift from God. We don’t make ourselves God’s children. God does it. And lest we get cocky, the gift is as close as a thought or a prayer for any human being, not just us and our friends. Rightness comes from confessing Jesus is Lord, the loving member of the Holy Trinity who became human, the Son of God, whom we know because of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Right. Rightness. It’s all we need for rightness of relationship with God.

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for living us. Thank you for doing all the work of making our relationship with you right. Help us to remember that always and relax into your Lordship and your calling to us. Amen.