Charles Spurgeon Commentary Romans 10:3

"For being ignorant of God`s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God." — Romans 10:3 (ASV)

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.

They were so busy trying to work out a righteousness of their own that they had never accepted the righteousness that God is prepared freely to give to all who will receive it from Him.

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.

Man must have a righteousness of one kind or another; and if he does not have a God-given righteousness, he seeks to have one of his own making. As the spider spins her web from within herself, so do sinful men try to manufacture a righteousness out of that which is within them; but this they can never do. The only righteousness which will stand the test of the day of judgment is that which God bestows upon believers in his Son Jesus Christ. Oh, that all men were willing to submit themselves to the righteousness of God!

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.

This is not an error on the part of the Jews alone; it is to be found also among many Gentiles. Such people must have a righteousness of their own; and Paul says they are continually "going about" to establish it. To do this, they will undertake any labour, endure any suffering, or perform any self-denial; but, all the while, they despise God's righteousness — despise it by the very act of preferring their own, or seeking another way of salvation instead of walking in the one which God has provided. How sad it is that so many, in all sincerity of blind zeal, should be dishonouring God, and virtually dethroning Him by the attempt to set up a righteousness of their own, when He has already provided a perfect one which they will not accept.

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.

This is a great evil in the present day. There are many persons who are evidently zealous for God, but they make a mistake in supposing that they are to be saved by their own doings, their prayers, their church-goings, their chapel-goings, or something of the sort, instead of accepting the finished righteousness of Christ, which is the righteousness of God. They are insulting Christ. They are insulting God by thinking that he would have given his Son to be our righteousness if we could have made a righteousness of our own, or given him up to die, if we could save ourselves.

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.

Perhaps I am addressing some who are very anxious to be right with God; they are by no means hypocrites, but are really awakened to a sense of their danger, yet they cannot get peace of mind; and the reason is that, like the Israelites, they are "going about to establish their own righteousness." "Going about" — that is to say, struggling, striving, searching, worrying themselves to get a righteousness of their own which they never will obtain, and being ignorant of "the righteousness of God" which is completed in Christ, and which is freely bestowed upon all who believe in him.

Alas! they "have not submitted themselves" to this righteousness of God, and there is a kind of hidden meaning in the apostle's expression. They are so proud that they will not submit to be saved by the righteousness of another, even though that other is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Yet this is the main point — the submission of our proud will to the righteousness of God.

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.

And that is the great mischief with persons who are not saved.

They are very sincere, very earnest, but they will not submit to the righteousness of God. They will not agree to be made righteous by the grace of God through Jesus Christ; instead, they go about – that is the Apostle's word. It is very expressive of the energy people will put into it, and the expedients they will use, to work out a righteousness of their own.

They will go about, indeed, even to the very gates of hell; they will try to climb up by prayers, even to the gates of heaven. They will go about to establish their own righteousness, but they do not know the righteousness of God, and they refuse to submit themselves to it.

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.

They were very zealous; but it was blind zeal. They were very energetic; but they used their energy in going the wrong way. God has a righteousness, and our wisest course is to submit to it. Our righteousness, if we set it up in opposition to God's way of salvation, will only increase our sin. You can be ruined by your righteousness, as surely as by your unrighteousness, if you set it in the place of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. They being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.