Faith vs Law

Regarding the tendency to oppose faith against the law. They did not recognize, he says, that through the law God promised faith, and faith is not contrary to the law as being testified by it (Rom 10:1–3). Therefore, the righteousness of God is Christ and the faith in him, but the righteousness of the Jews is the political constitution of the law. Thus, the Jews, not knowing Christ and setting up the political constitution of the law, appropriately fell away from salvation; for they are saved, those making progress through the faith of Christ. For faith, being a disposition of the soul, is appropriately preferred over the deeds of the flesh, to which it was necessary for the Jews to come, having placed the law as an end.

The one having fulfilled the law, he says, will alone enjoy the good things promised through the law, that is, a land flowing with milk and honey (Rom 10:4–5). The word teaches those believing not to take up any doubt, neither concerning the descent of the Lord from heaven to us, nor concerning the resurrection of the dead and the ascent into heaven (Rom 10:6–10).

He has necessarily set forth those calling upon him; for God does not arbitrarily give grace, and he does not refuse to provide even so much as to those willing to ask and entreat the Benefactor (Rom 10:11–13). In order that no one might say that many do not call upon the Lord Jesus not through unbelief and ignorance, but through simple lack of knowledge, he shows through the following: that God even provided a way around their ignorance, having sent evangelists and preachers, exhorting and calling toward the request for the gift. Therefore, he brought forward the following.

It seems that through the falling away of the hands, the people calls to himself by stretching out the hands toward them, and through the same, he shows the form of the cross (Rom 10:21).

Having again feared that the abundance of the rejection of the Jews might produce a sect of disobedience, the apostle speaks of a small remnant of the election and of those who believed together with them (Rom 11:1–2). For he had previously said: 'For not all those who are of Israel are Israel, these are Israel' (Rom 11:1), and he noted that there were some being saved, even if not all (Rom 11:2); and again: 'whom he called not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles' (Rom 11:4).

For a testimony of the remnant, he takes up the matters concerning Elijah, from which he shows him acknowledging that God was saving his people not in a great multitude, but in seventy thousand men (Rom 11:5); a remnant which indeed, in likeness, also went forth regarding the Savior, having received the promise by grace alone. For it has already been foretold that faith ended the law, while grace prevailed over works (Rom 11:6). For he says: 'if it is by grace, it is no longer by works'; for grace reveals the philanthropy of the One who bestows, while works demand rewards according to the merit of the works (Rom 11:6).

What then? he asks, what Israel seeks, it did not attain, but the election attained it; while the rest were hardened (Rom 11:7). All, he says, those of Israel were hardened except for the election; therefore they did not attain what they were seeking (Rom 11:7). And what were they seeking? The promise of becoming sons and heirs of the world (Rom 11:7).

It is the custom of Scripture to refer matters concerning the forgiveness of God happening to men to the One who forgives (Rom 11:8). And God forgives according to each person's impulse to move toward what He wills, so that they might not seem to seize freedom by force. For he says such a thing: a spirit of stupor toward godliness He gave to them, but neither do they see nor do they hear. How then could they be saved, as he says elsewhere: 'I testify to them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge' (Rom 11:10)? Like those who, having unyieldingly sinned during the Flood, and those who, having similarly transgressed according to Sodom, fell so as to fall once and for all and not to be turned back, but to be utterly corrupted by destruction—what then? Did the Jews not also fall in this way, so as to fall upon the [...]?