Romans 10:11

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Whosoever believeth.—All who believe shall be saved, for, &c.

Benson Commentary

Romans 10:11-13. For the Scripture saith, &c. — He proceeds to prove, by the Scriptures, the saving effects of faith and confession, spoken of in the two last verses. He refers to Isaiah 28:16, and perhaps also to Psalm 25:3. Or, he means, that this is the general doctrine of the Scriptures: Whosoever believeth on him — Whether Jew or Gentile; shall not be ashamed — Disappointed of his expectation of salvation, or put to confusion in any imaginable circumstance. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek — As to the way of obtaining justification and salvation; for the same Lord of all — The Creator, Preserver, Governor, and Benefactor of the whole human race; is rich — Full of mercy and grace; so that his blessings are never to be exhausted, nor is he ever unable or unwilling to bestow them on such as are prepared to receive them; or, that call upon him — For them, sincerely, importunately, and in faith. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord — Not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, as appears from Acts 2:21, where also these words of Joel are quoted; shall be saved — In the sense explained in the note there, and on Joel 2:32, which see. “The word in the prophet, in the original, is Jehovah, whence it is certain that the prophet speaks these words of the true and only God; and yet it is as certain that he ascribes them to Christ, both from the following words, How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? (for the apostle, in this whole chapter discourses of faith in Christ,) and from the words foregoing, evidently spoken of Christ, of which these are a proof, and with which they are connected by the particle for. Here, then, we have two arguments for the divinity of Christ; 1st, That what is spoken of Jehovah is ascribed to him. 2d, That he is made the object of our religious invocation,” as he is also 1 Corinthians 1:2, and in many other passages of the epistles. — Whitby. Bishop Pearson, also, (on the Creed, p. 149,) argues at large from hence, that if Christ be not here called Jehovah, the apostle’s argument is quite inconclusive. It may be observed here likewise, that the great truth proposed, Romans 10:11, is so repeated in these two following verses, and further confirmed, Romans 10:14-15, as not only to imply that whosoever calleth upon him shall be saved, but also that the will of God is, that all should savingly call upon him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:5-11 The self-condemned sinner need not perplex himself how this righteousness may be found. When we speak of looking upon Christ, and receiving, and feeding upon him, it is not Christ in heaven, nor Christ in the deep, that we mean; but Christ in the promise, Christ offered in the word. Justification by faith in Christ is a plain doctrine. It is brought before the mind and heart of every one, thus leaving him without excuse for unbelief. If a man confessed faith in Jesus, as the Lord and Saviour of lost sinners, and really believed in his heart that God had raised him from the dead, thus showing that he had accepted the atonement, he should be saved by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to him through faith. But no faith is justifying which is not powerful in sanctifying the heart, and regulating all its affections by the love of Christ. We must devote and give up to God our souls and our bodies: our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies in confessing with the mouth. The believer shall never have cause to repent his confident trust in the Lord Jesus. Of such faith no sinner shall be ashamed before God; and he ought to glory in it before men.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the Scripture saith ... - Isaiah 28:16. This was the uniform doctrine of the Scripture, that he who holds an opinion on the subject of religion will not be ashamed to avow it. This is the nature of religion, and without this there can be none; see this passage explained in Romans 9:33.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11-13. For the scripture saith—in Isa 28:16, a glorious Messianic passage.

Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed—Here, as in Ro 9:33, the quotation is from the Septuagint, which renders those words of the original, "shall not make haste" (that is, fly for escape, as from conscious danger), "shall not be put to shame," which comes to the same thing.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The saving effect of faith and confession, spoken of immediately before, is here proved by Scripture. Either he refers to Isaiah 28:16, or Psalm 25:3; or else he means, that this is the general doctrine of the Scripture. See notes on Romans 9:33.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For the Scripture saith,.... Of this form of expression, or mode of speaking; see Gill on Romans 9:17. The passage referred to is Isaiah 28:16, cited before in Romans 9:33; the view with which it is produced is to prove the certain connection between faith and righteousness, and confession and salvation; or in other words, to observe that such who cordially believe in Christ, and make a sincere profession of their faith in him, shall be saved. There are some things somewhat different from, though agreeing in sense with, the words as they stand in the prophet; there it is indefinitely said, "he that believeth", here an universal is made use of,

whosoever, or "everyone"

that believeth: which phrases are equipollent, and a certain truth it is, that whosoever believes in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, be he who he will, shall surely be saved: here the object believed in, is expressed

in him, which is there implied, and may easily be understood of the stone laid in Zion for a foundation, which is Christ; for other foundation can no man lay, and whoever by faith builds on this foundation is safe:

and shall not be ashamed; neither in this world, nor in that to come; in the Hebrew text it is, "shall not make haste"; how this may be reconciled; see Gill on Romans 9:2, Romans 9:3.

Geneva Study Bible

{7} For the scripture saith, Whosoever {k} believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

(7) Now he proves the other part which he propounded before in the fourth verse, that is, that Christ calls whoever he wishes without any difference, and this confirms by a twofold testimony, Ro 10:4.

(k) To believe in God is to yield and consent to God's promise of our salvation by Christ, and that not only in general, but when we know that the promises pertain to us, from which arises a sure trust.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Romans 10:11. Now, after that grand proposition: τέλος νόμου Χριστός κ.τ.λ. (Romans 10:4), has been proved from Moses himself (Romans 10:5-8), and this proof has received its confirmatory discussion (Romans 10:9-10), Paul brings forward, as if for the solemn sealing of all this, once more that weighty word of Scripture which he has already adduced in Romans 9:33. But this scriptural saying (Isaiah 28:16) now receives, with the object of closely connecting with it what is further to follow, the significant addition of the universal element πᾶς (perhaps already with a regard to Joel 3:5), which indeed is found neither in the LXX. nor in the Hebrew; but in the unlimited ὁ πιστεύων in Isaiah, ground and justification for its appearance was found to the apostle’s mind, since he had the sacred historical fulfilment of the prophecy before his eyes, and therein its more particular definitive character.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Romans 10:11. This verse proves from Scripture the main idea in the preceding, viz., that faith saves. It is a quotation from Isaiah 28:16 (see Romans 9:33) with the addition of πᾶς, to which nothing corresponds either in Hebr. or LXX. Yet oddly enough it is on this πᾶς that the rest of the Apostle’s argument turns. The way of righteousness and salvation by faith, he goes on to show, is meant for all.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. the scripture] Already quoted, Romans 9:33; see notes.

believeth] Here faith alone is mentioned, and so through the rest of the context. Confession of Christ as Lord, the fruit and sequel of faith, was an incident only in the argument.

Bengel's Gnomen

Romans 10:11. Λέγει, saith) Romans 9:33, note.[117]

[117] Οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται, shall not be ashamed) Unrighteousness and destruction lead to shame: righteousness and salvation to glory.—V. g.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 11, 12. - For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (see above, on Romans 9:33). For there is no difference (rather, distinction) between the Jew and the Greek: for the same is Lord of all, being rich unto all that call upon him. Here, in ver. 12, the apostle comments on the text from Isaiah, so as to show the universality of its application (see previous note). It is (he would say) in itself applicable to Jew and Gentile alike, and it must needs be so, since the one God is the same to all that call upon him, even as the Prophet Joel also testified. The thought thus expressed was one deeply fixed in St. Paul's mind. He elsewhere speaks Of the very unity of God as implying of necessity that he is the same alike to Jews and Gentiles (see above, on Romans 3:29). Romans 10:11

Vincent's Word Studies

The scripture saith

The quotation from Isaiah 28:16 is repeated (see Romans 9:33) with the addition of everyone, whosoever.