Because of Jesus, You Don't Have To Do the Impossible
Thinking about Romans 10:6-10.
But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, " 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has 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. (Romans 10:6-10)
Many of the Jews tried to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to the righteousness of God (Romans 1:16-17).
Their attempt to establish their own righteousness of the law required flawless, sinless living on their part (Romans 10:5). Since they failed to do this (Romans 3:9-10, 23), they were trusting in something that could not save them.
They were “ignorant” of this fact and of what God had done for them in Christ (Romans 10:4).
Paul shows the contrast between the righteousness they tried to establish for themselves - which would fail - and the righteousness of God provided for them in Jesus Christ, which would save them.
The contrast between the righteousness which is of the law and the righteousness of faith.
Paul turns to Deuteronomy 9:4 and 30:12-14 to show that “Christ is the end of the law.”
He metaphorically portrayed the Jews of his day as looking high and law for what the Law pointed to, specifically to Christ, whether they knew it or not! The absurdity of their actions is underlined by Paul because Christ had already come down from heaven. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 360
The righteousness which is of the law - which many of Paul’s fellow Jewish countrymen pursued - was impossible because mankind failed to live a flawless, sinless life.
The righteousness of faith doesn’t require the impossible.
You don’t have to do the impossible. You don’t have to go up to heaven and persuade Christ to come down and die for you. That’s already been done. You don’t have to have the power to raise him from the dead. That’s been done for you already. All that is required of you is to accept Jesus as your Lord. Embrace by faith Jesus who is the end of the law for righteousness and you will be saved. - McGuiggan, Romans, 300
This message was readily available to them - all they had to do was submit to God’s righteousness out of love for Him, which passages like Deuteronomy 30:6-20 emphasized.
Stop trying to do the impossible.
Trying to “earn” our way into a right standing with God - establishing our own righteousness - is impossible. We’ve already earned death (Romans 6:23).
So then, what options do we have?
We could keep stubbornly trying to earn our salvation - but this only shows our ignorance of the situation. The only other option we have is to submit to God’s righteousness in His Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Confessing Jesus as Lord means to declare our allegiance to Him as our King (Matthew 10:32; Luk 12:8). Our verbal confession of Jesus as Lord is also connected with immersion into Him (Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11).
What is to be believed about our Lord is that “God raised Him from the dead.”
This is the response of the one who has put their trust - their faith - in God’s righteousness rather than their own. This is the response of someone who has realized it is impossible to stand righteous before God on their own - and they realize their need to submit to God’s righteousness in His Son.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In this section, Paul doesn’t contrast faith against obedience. If that were the case - should we obey the command to confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection or not? Should we be immersed into His death or not (Romans 6:3-7)?
Paul contrasts “the righteousness of faith” against “the righteousness which is of the law.” - which would require flawless, sinless living.
Paul presents two options.
You can try to earn your righteousness - which is impossible because it requires sinless living, and we have sinned.
Or you can be made righteousness in Christ because He already lived the sinless life and died in your place (1 Peter 2:21-24).
Don’t choose the impossible.
Thanks for this, however the context is a little more complex than what you state.
Christ has set us the example, and given us his Spirit to understand his way of life, and how to live a life of righteousness, for as you quote in Romans: "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
What does "believe unto righteousness" mean? It means we must do righteousness, not just "accept Christ" and nothing else is necessary.
1Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Accepting Christ means to follow him, and live the life that he expects us to live as he lived. Ok, we won't do it perfectly, but we will learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. (2Peter 3:18)
Indeed: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. (1John 1:8) Similarly: Who can say, I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin? (Prov 20:9)
Yet we must yield to God's way of life, and this is a lifetime’s work. It’s a process of change, not a one-off event of just accepting Christ and that's it.
In order to be in agreement with God’s way of life, we need to change from having sin guide our lives and overcome sin in our lives. We do this by living the life of Christ in us, by following his example as best we can.
Part of this change is having God’s Spirit guiding us. The Spirit is available to us once God calls us to be part of his family. We must then put in the effort to search and seek and apply our heart and mind, guided by his Spirit, to find wisdom through his written word.
When we follow his word, and the promptings of his Spirit, then we will be directing our heart appropriately. Then, with God’s help, we will gain wisdom, and live a life of righteousness to reflect his truth to the world through our actions. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. " (Matt 5:14-16)
We are to be conformed to the image of His Son… (Rom 8:29) The purpose of our life is to overcome this world by his love, and to be transformed into the spiritual image of God: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove (demonstrate) by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God. (Rom 12:2)
The Lord delights in us, if we choose his way of righteousness: "such as are upright (righteous) in their way are his delight." (Prov 11:20) Righteousness leads to eternal life: "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." (Prov 12:28)
While we first need to be forgiven of our sins, we also need to repent of them and also be encouraged that we can, and indeed must, live a life of righteousness after we have been forgiven.
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." (2Peter 3:13-14)