Thomas Aquinas Commentary Romans 10:10-17

"for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things! But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So belief [cometh] of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." — Romans 10:10-17 (ASV)

1. After explaining that confession on the lips and faith in the heart bring about salvation, the Apostle proves his point. He first sets out an example from Moses concerning two specific points, and then proves his universal claim.

   In this regard, he does three things.

   First, he shows that a person obtains salvation through faith and the confession of that faith.

   Second, he lays out the order of salvation, beginning with the words, how then can they call on him.

   Third, he draws his conclusion with the words, faith therefore comes by hearing.

2. Concerning the first point, he does three things. First, he presents his proposition, stating: I am correct in saying that if you confess with your lips and believe in your heart, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes for righteousness, that is, one believes in order to obtain righteousness through faith, since we are justified through faith (Romans 5:1).

   Notice that he says a person believes with the heart—that is, with the will—because a person cannot believe unless he is willing. The intellect of the believer, unlike that of the philosopher, does not assent to the truth as if compelled by the force of reason. Instead, the believer is moved to assent by the will. Therefore, knowing does not pertain to a person’s righteousness, which is in the will, but believing does: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

   But after one has been justified by faith, it is required that this faith work through love to achieve salvation. Thus, he adds, but with the mouth, confession is made for salvation, that is, to reach eternal salvation. But my salvation shall be forever (Isaiah 51:8).

3. Three kinds of confession are necessary for salvation.

   First is the confession of one’s own iniquity: I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord (Psalms 32:5). This is the confession of the repentant. The second is that by which a person confesses the goodness of God, who mercifully bestows His benefits: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things (Psalms 98:1). This is the confession of one giving thanks. The third is the confession of divine truth: Everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). This is the confession of the believer, which the Apostle is now discussing.

   This confession is necessary for salvation under certain circumstances of time and place, such as when one’s faith is demanded by a persecutor or endangered by a foreign belief. Prelates especially ought to preach the faith to their subjects. Therefore, the baptized are anointed on the forehead with chrism in the sign of a cross, so that they will not be ashamed to confess Christ crucified: I am not ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16). What is said about confessing the faith applies to all virtuous acts necessary for salvation according to circumstances of time and place, for the commands requiring these acts are always binding, but they do not have to be performed at every moment of the day.

4. Second, he proves his proposition with an authority, saying, for the Scripture, namely Isaiah, says: Whoever believes in him with a living faith will not be put to shame (Isaiah 28:16), that is, will not lack salvation. You who fear the Lord, believe him, and your reward will not be lost .

   However, our text reads, he who believes will not be in haste, as was mentioned earlier.

5. Third, with the words there is no distinction, he shows that this applies to all people, since Isaiah asserts this indefinitely.

   First, he states his intention, saying that to say all who believe is the same as saying there is no distinction, at least of the Jew and the Greek: Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised (Colossians 3:11).

   Second, he proves this with two reasons. The first is based on the fact that the same is Lord of all. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? (Romans 3:29). For God is the king of all the earth (Psalms 47:7). Consequently, He provides for the salvation of all. The second reason is based on the fact that He is rich to all who call upon him. For if His riches were not sufficient to supply everyone, one might suppose that He could not provide for all believers. However, the riches of His goodness and mercy are inexhaustible. Or do you presume upon the riches of his goodness? (Romans 2:4); God, who is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4).

   Third, he proves the same point with the authority of Joel: Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32). This is done by calling on Him through love and devout worship: When he calls on me, I will answer him (Psalms 91:15).

6. Then, with the words how then can they call on him, he presents the order by which one is called to salvation, which begins with faith.

   In this regard, he does two things:

   First, he shows that the later steps in this order cannot occur without the earlier ones.

   Second, he shows that even after the earlier steps have been taken, the later ones do not necessarily follow, which he addresses with the words, but all do not obey the Gospel.

   Concerning the first of these points, he again does two things:

   First, he presents the order of things required for salvation.

   Second, he supports what he has proposed with the words, as it is written.

7. First, then, he presents five things in order, beginning with the act of calling upon God, according to the authority of the prophet.

   Therefore, he asks, How then can they call on him in whom they have not believed? It is as if to say: it is certainly true that unless faith is present, one cannot call on God for salvation. This calling upon God pertains to the confession of the lips, which proceeds from faith in the heart. I have believed, therefore have I spoken (Psalms 116:10). We believed, and so we spoke (2 Corinthians 4:13).

8. Second, he moves from faith to hearing when he adds, Or how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? For one is said to believe things told to him by others, which he does not see himself: It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world (John 4:42).

   But hearing is twofold. One kind is internal, by which a person hears from God who is revealing something: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak (Psalms 85:8). The other is external, by which someone hears another person speaking: While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word (Acts 10:44).

   The first kind of hearing is not common to all people but pertains properly to the grace of prophecy, which is a grace freely given to certain individuals, but not to all: There are varieties of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4).

   But because he is now speaking of something that can apply to all without distinction, as was said earlier with the words for there is no distinction, it is the second kind of hearing that he has in mind. That is why he adds, And how can they hear without a preacher? For outward hearing in the listener cannot occur without the action of a speaker. This is why the Lord commanded the disciples: Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

   Preachers, however, do not possess the truths of faith from themselves but from God: What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you (Isaiah 21:10); For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Corinthians 11:23). Therefore, he adds, And how can they preach unless they are sent? This is to say, they cannot preach worthily: I did not send the prophets, yet they ran (Jeremiah 23:21).

9. Some are sent by the Lord in two ways.

   One way is immediately by God Himself through internal inspiration: And now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit (Isaiah 48:16). Sometimes the sign of this direct sending is the authority of Holy Scripture. Thus, when John the Baptist was asked who he was, he invoked the authority of a prophet: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said (John 1:23). Sometimes the sign is the truth of what is announced. In contrast to this, it is said: When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken (Deuteronomy 18:22). And sometimes the sign of this sending is the working of a miracle. Thus, it says in Exodus that when Moses said to the Lord, They will not believe me or listen to my voice (Exodus 4:1), the Lord gave him the power to perform signs.

   Nevertheless, the last two signs—fulfilled prophecy and miracles—are not sufficient proof of a divine mission, especially when someone says something contrary to the faith. For it says in Deuteronomy: If a prophet arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1 and following).

   The second way is that some are sent by God mediately, through the authority of prelates, who act in God’s place: With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 8:18).

10. Then, with the words as it is written, he quotes an authority to prove what he had said about the need for preachers to be sent. He says, as it is written, namely in Isaiah: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them preaching good things (Isaiah 52:7). Here our text has: How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who preach and announce peace, announcing good. And something similar is found in Nahum: Behold on the mountains the feet of those who evangelize and announce peace (Nahum 1:15).

11. In these words, first, the conduct of the preachers is commended when he says, how beautiful are the feet. This can be interpreted in two ways. In one way, "feet" can be understood as their conduct, because they proceed according to the proper order, not usurping the office of preacher: How graceful are your feet in sandals, O queenly maiden (Song of Solomon 7:1).

    In another way, "feet" can be understood as their inner dispositions, which are righteous, as long as they announce God’s word not for praise or gain but for the salvation of people and the glory of God: Their feet were straight (Ezekiel 1:7).

12. Second, he touches on the preacher’s subject matter, which is twofold.

    They preach things that are useful for the present life. He designates these when he says, the gospel of peace, which is of three kinds. First, they announce the peace that Christ made between humanity and God: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, entrusting to us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19); Let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Second, he announces the peace to be had with all people: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18). Third, they announce the way a person can have peace within himself: Much peace have those who love your law (Psalms 119:165). These three aspects contain everything useful in this life for salvation with respect to God, one’s neighbor, and oneself.

    They also preach about the things we hope to have in the next life. Regarding these, he says, preaching good things: He will set him over all his goods (Luke 12:44).

13. Then, with the words but all do not obey the Gospel, he shows that the later steps in the order of salvation do not always follow from the earlier ones.

    For although one cannot believe unless he hears the word of the preacher, not everyone who hears actually believes. This is what he means when he says, but all do not obey the Gospel: Not all have faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

    He says this to show that the outwardly spoken word of the preacher is not sufficient to cause faith, unless a person’s heart is drawn inwardly by the power of God speaking: Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me (John 6:45). Consequently, if people believe, it should not be attributed to the effort of the preacher.

    It also shows that not all unbelievers are excused from sin—only those who do not hear are excused: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22).

    And this is more consistent with what the Apostle will say later.

14. Second, he cites his authority for this, saying, For Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our report? (Isaiah 53:1). It is as if to say: only a few. You are among unbelievers and destroyers (Ezekiel 2:6); For I have become as one who gleans in autumn the grapes of the vintage (Micah 7:1). Isaiah said this because he foresaw the future unbelief of the Jews: With a great spirit he saw the last things .

    And he says, our report, referring either to what the prophets heard from God—We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations (Obadiah 1:1)—or to what the people heard from the apostles: They heard your words, but they did not do them (Ezekiel 33:32).

15. Then, with the words faith therefore comes by hearing, he draws his conclusion from the preceding points, saying: Therefore, since they do not believe unless they hear, faith comes from hearing. As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me (Psalms 18:44).

    But if faith comes from hearing, how can it be a divinely infused virtue? For it is written, For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29).

    The answer is that two things are required for faith. The first is the heart’s inclination to believe, and this does not come from hearing but from the gift of grace. The second is the specific content of what is to be believed, and this comes from hearing. Thus Cornelius, whose heart was already inclined toward belief, needed Peter to be sent to him to specify what he should believe.

    From what he said—how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent?—he concludes that what is heard by believers comes through the word of the preachers, which is the word of Christ. This is either because the word is about Christ—we preach Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23)—or because the preachers have been sent by Christ: For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Corinthians 11:23).