10:1 Brethren, {1} my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
(1) Purposing to set forth in the Jews an example of marvellous obstinacy, he uses this declaration.
10:1 The Jews Excluded from Unbelief
SUMMARY OF ROMANS 10:
Paul's Desire for Israel. The Jews Zealous, but Not According to Knowledge. They Seek a Righteousness of Their Own Rather Than God's Plan. of Righteousness. The Righteousness by Faith Described. Shown to Be for Gentiles As Well As Jews. Hence, the Gospel Must Be Preached to All Men. The Unbelief of the Jews Predicted by the Prophets.
Brethren. The brethren refers to his countrymen, his Jewish kinsmen, brethren according to the flesh, in Ro 9:3. Here it means his brethren in Christ, those united by spiritual ties.
My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel. Concerning Paul's deep solicitude for the salvation of his countrymen. See Ro 9:1-3.
10:1 My prayer to God is, that they may be saved - He would not have prayed for this, had they been absolutely reprobated.
10:1-4 The Jews built on a false foundation, and refused to come to Christ for free salvation by faith, and numbers in every age do the same in various ways. The strictness of the law showed men their need of salvation by grace, through faith. And the ceremonies shadowed forth Christ as fulfilling the righteousness, and bearing the curse of the law. So that even under the law, all who were justified before God, obtained that blessing by faith, whereby they were made partakers of the perfect righteousness of the promised Redeemer. The law is not destroyed, nor the intention of the Lawgiver disappointed; but full satisfaction being made by the death of Christ for our breach of the law, the end is gained. That is, Christ has fulfilled the whole law, therefore whoever believeth in him, is counted just before God, as much as though he had fulfilled the whole law himself. Sinners never could go on in vain fancies of their own righteousness, if they knew the justice of God as a Governor, or his righteousness as a Saviour.
