For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
All Commentaries on Romans 10:10 Go To Romans 10
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
After explaining that confession on the lips and faith in the heart work salvation, the Apostle proves what he had said, setting out an example of this in two points which Moses seems to mention [n. 826], here he proves what he had said in the universal. And concerning this he does three things. First, he shows that by faith and confession of faith man obtains salvation; secondly, he lays down the order of salvation [v. 14; n. 835]; thirdly, he draws the conclusion [v. 17; n. 844]. 831. In regard to the first he does three things [n. 833, 834]. First, he presents his proposition, saying: I am correct in saying that if you confess with your lips and believe in your heart, you will be saved; for man believes with his heart and so is justified, i.e. he believes in order that he may obtain righteousness through faith: "Since we are justified through faith" (Rom 5:1). 415 Notice that he says man believes with his heart, i.e., his will, because man cannot believe, unless he wills. For the intellect of the believer, unlike that of the philosopher, does not assent to the truth as though compelled by force of reason; rather, he is moved to assent by the will, therefore, knowing does not pertain to man's righteousness, which is in the will, but to the belief: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as justice" (Gen 15:6). But after he has been justified by faith, it is required that his faith work through love, in order to achieve salvation. Hence, he adds: he confesses with his lips unto salvation, i.e., to reach eternal salvation. 832. Three kinds of confession are necessary for salvation. First, the confession of one's own iniquity: "I said: 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'" (Ps 32:5), which is the confession of the repentant. The second is that by which a man confesses the goodness of God mercifully bestowing His benefits: "Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things: (Ps 98:11) and this is the confession of one giving thanks. The third is the confession of divine truth: "Every one who confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 10:32) and this is the confession of the believer, about which the Apostle is now speaking. This confession is necessary for salvation, depending on circumstances of place and time, namely when one's faith is demanded, namely, by a persecutor of the faith, as when the faith is endangered by an alien [belief]. Prelates especially ought to preach the faith to their subjects. Therefore, the baptized are anointed on the forehead with chrism in the form of a cross, so that they will not be ashamed to confess Christ crucified: "I am not 416 ashamed of the gospel" (Rom 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 precepts commanding the performance of these acts oblige us always but not for every moment of the day. 833. Secondly, he proves his proposition with an authority when he says: For the Scripture, namely (Is 28:16) says: No one who believes in him with living faith will be put to shame, i.e., miss salvation: "Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void" (Sir 2:8). But our text has: "He who believes will not be in haste," as was said above. 834. Thirdly, when he says, there is no distinction, he shows that this applies to all men. First, he asserts that in this matter there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: "Here there cannot be Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised" (Col 3:11). Secondly, he proves this with two reasons. The first is based on the fact that the same lord is lord of all; consequently, he provides for the salvation of all. The second is based on the fact that He bestows his riches upon all who call on him. For if His riches were not sufficient to supply for all, one might suppose that He could not provide for all believer. However, the riches of His goodness and mercy are inexhaustible "Or do you presume upon the riches of his goodness?" (Rom 2:4); "God, who is rich in mercy" (Eph 2:4). Thirdly, he proves the same thing on the authority of Joel (2:32): Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This is done by calling on Him through love and devout worship: "When he calls on me, I will answer him" (Ps 91:15). 417 835. Then when he says, But how are men to call upon him, he presents the order in which one is called to salvation, which is from faith. In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows that the later steps in this order cannot occur without the earlier; secondly, he shows that after the earlier steps have been taken, the later do not necessarily follow [v. 16; n. 842]. In regard to the first he does two things: first, he presents the order of things required for salvation; secondly, he supports what he had supposed [v. 15b; n. 839]. 836. First, therefore, he presents five things in order, beginning with the step which calls upon God. Therefore, he says: How are they to call upon him in whom they have not believed? As if to say: It is certainly true that unless faith is present, one cannot call on God to save him. This calling upon God pertains to confession with the lips, which proceed from faith in the heart: "We believed, and so we spoke" (1 Cor 4:13). 837. Secondly, he moves from faith to hearing when he adds: and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? For one is said to believe things which are said to him by others and which he does not see: "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" (Jn 4:42). But hearing is twofold: one is internal, by which one hears form God revealing: "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak" (Ps 85:8); the other is that by which 418 someone hears another man speaking in his presence: "While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word" (Ac 10:44). The first kind of hearing pertains to the grace of prophecy, which is given to certain definite persons, but not to all, as it says in 1 Cor (12:4): "There are varieties of gifts." But because he is now speaking of something that can pertain to all without distinction, it is the second kind of hearing that he has in mind. That is why he adds: and how are they to hear without a preacher? For outward hearing in the listener cannot occur without an action of the speaker. This is why the Lord commanded the disciples: "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mt 28:19). But preachers do not possess the truths of faith of themselves but from God: "What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you" (Is 21:10); "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you" (1 Cor 11:23). Therefore, he adds: and how can men preach unless they are sent? As if to say: worthily: "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran" (Jer 23:21). 838. But some are sent by the Lord in two ways. In one way, immediately by God Himself through internal inspiration: "And now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit" (Jer 48:16). Sometimes the sign of this sending is the authority of Holy Scripture; hence, 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'" (Jn 1:23). Sometimes it is the truth of what is announced. Hence, in contrast to this it says in Dt (18:22): "When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the words does not come to pass of come true, 419 that is a word which the Lord has not spoken." Sometimes the sign of this sending is the working of a miracle. Hence it says in Ex (4:1) that when Moses said to the Lord: "They will not believe me or listen to my voice," the Lord gave him power to perform signs. Nevertheless, the last two are not sufficient proof of a divine mission, especially when someone says something contrary to the faith. For it says in Dt (13:1): "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." Secondly, some are sent by God mediately on the authority of prelates, who take God's place: "With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel" (2 Cor 8:18). 839. Then when he says, 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 Is (52:7): how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! 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 (1:15): "Behold on the mountains the feet of those who evangelize and announce peace." 840. In these words, first, the procedure of the preachers in commended when he says, how beautiful are the feet. This can be interpreted in two ways: in one way, so that by feet is understood their procedure, namely, because they proceed according to due order, not usurping the office of preachers: "How graceful are your feet in sandals, O queenly maiden!" ( Song 7:1). 420 In another way, by feet are understood their affections which are right, as long as they announce God's word not with the intention of praise or gain but for the salvation of men and the glory of God: "Their feet were straight" (Ez 1:7). 841. Secondly, he touches on the preacher's subject matter, which is twofold. For they preach things useful for the present life. These he designates when he says, who preach peace, which is of three kinds. First, they announce the peace which Christ made between men and God: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, entrusting to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:19). Secondly, he announces peace to be had with all men: "If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all" (Rom 12:18). Thirdly, they announce the way a man can have peace within himself: "Much peace to them that love your law" (Ps 119:165). Under these three are contained everything useful in this life for salvation with respect to God, to ones neighbor and oneself. They also preach the things we hope to have in the other life. In regard to these he says, preaching good things: "He will set him over all his goods" (Lk 12:44). 842. Then when he says, But they have not all heeded, he shows that the later steps do not always follow. For although one cannot believe, unless he hears the word of the preacher, nevertheless, not everyone who hears believes; and this is what he says: But they have not all heeded the gospel: "Not all have faith" (2 Th 3:2). He says this to show that the outwardly spoken word of the preacher is not sufficient to cause faith, unless a man's heart is attracted inwardly by the power of God 421 29 Thomas comments in this paragraph on the Latin phrase auditui nostro, which could be translated in both of the ways he mentions. The ambiguity is difficult to reproduce in translation. speaking: "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me" (Jn 6:45). Consequently, if men believe, it should not be attributed to the industry of the preacher. It also shows that not all unbelievers are excused from sin, but those who do not hear: "If I had not come and spoken to them they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin" (Jn 15:22). And this is more consonant with what the Apostle will say further on. 843. Secondly, he cites his authority for this, when he says: for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he had heard from us?" As if to say: A few; "Thou art among unbelievers and destroyers" (Ez 2:6); "For I have become as one who gleans in autumn the grapes of the vintage" (Mic 7:1). Isaiah said this because he foresaw the future unbelief of the Jews: "With a great spirit he saw the last things" (Sir 48:27). And he says what he had heard from us, referring either to what they heard from God, as is said in Obadiah 5(:1), "We have heard a heard thing from the Lord, and sent messengers to the nations"; or referring to what men heard from the apostles: "They heard your words, and they did not do them" (Ez 33:32).29 844. Then when he says, faith comes from hearing, he draws his conclusion from the foregoing, saying: Therefore, since they do not believe unless they hear, faith comes from hearing: "As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me" (Ps 18:44). But if faith comes from hearing, how can it be a divinely infused virtue? The answer is that two things are required for faith: one is the inclining of the heart to believe; and this does not come from hearing, but from the gift of grace; the other is a decision about what to believe and comes from hearing. Thus, Cornelius whose heart 422 was inclined toward belief, needed Peter to be sent to him to point out what he should believe. From the fact that they do not hear without a preacher who must be sent (v. 14), he concludes that what is heard by believers is the word of the preacher, which is the word of Christ; either because it is about Christ: "We preach Christ" (1 Cor 1:23), or because they have been sent by Christ: "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you" (1 Cor 11:23).
