Who will ascend into heaven in Romans 10:6?

First then is quoted Leviticus 18:5, which is indeed a general recognized principle of the law, as the spirit is embodied in many passages. The ground of the other side is found in Deuteronomy 30. I do not agree with those who conceive that the apostle has put the smallest strain upon the latter citation. As in the former he speaks of life or living, not of eternal life which is God's free gift and only in Christ; so in the latter his use of Deuteronomy is most profound. Moses is setting before Israel, not only the consequences of their unfaithfulness, but the divine mercy which meets them in their ruin when their heart turns to Him spite of the broken law. Now Christ really lies under the law however veiled. "The Lord is that spirit," where those who read only the letter see nothing of Him and abide in death. But He is ever before the Holy Ghost. Hence the righteousness of faith did not cast the repentant Jew upon his own efforts, let them be ever so great.

"Say not in thy heart Who shall ascend to heaven? that is, to bring Christ down, or, Who shall descend into the abyss? that is, to bring up Christ from among dead (men)." Man could do neither. Had it been possible, neither would have suited the glory of God. He in grace meets man. It was the Father who sent His Son into the world. It was by the glory of the Father that He was raised from the dead. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son;" and God raised Him from the dead. On both truths the scriptures of the New Testament are most explicit. But what says Moses in this very passage here cited? "Near thee is the word, in thy mouth and in thy heart." The blessing is at the doors. Christ is given and preached. It is for man to name Him with his mouth and to believe with his heart. There is no question of heights to be scaled or depths to be sounded, which would put honour upon human earnestness and ability. Christ is proclaimed for the simplest to confess Him, and to believe on His name. "That is, the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in thy heart that God raised him from among dead (men), thou shalt be saved." The outward expression is put first, not of course as most important, but as that which first comes into notice to the praise of Jesus: nevertheless it is of no value for the soul save as the embodiment of faith. "In thy heart" does not seem to be meant as a measure of affection, however truly there ought to be love for Him who first loved us. It does suppose however that the heart is interested in the truth, and that it is brought to desire what it hears to be true, instead of any longer fighting against it — brought to rejoice in the conviction that it is the truth of God.

Faith does not say, "Who shall ascend into heaven?" We have not to ascend to heaven to ask God to come to our help; that would be a denial that Christ has come from heaven. Nor does faith say, "Who shall descend into the deep?" That would be a denial that Christ has been into death and is risen from the dead. Israel, clinging to their own works, ignored the mighty facts of the gospel — that Christ had come, had been into death, and was risen from the dead.

What then does faith say? Faith realises that the blessing cannot be obtained by our works, but only through Christ, and hence to receive the blessing is a question of the confession of Christ with the mouth as the outcome of faith in the heart. The word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart.

The righteousness of faith, on the other hand, brings a righteousness to man. A man has not to ascend up to heaven, to bring Christ down from above; He has come down even to death. A man has not to go down into the deep, to bring Christ up from the dead; He has risen: God has raised Him. A dead and risen Christ is set forth as the display of God's righteousness, in direct contrast to human righteousness, which would be keeping the law. We have seen what the righteousness of faith does not say; now let us see what it does say: "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." With the heart man believes unto righteousness; with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, as scripture says.

Hear what faith says. “Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above)” What does that mean? It means that if we are to be saved the Saviour must come from heaven. Then must we send a delegation to heaven to beseech a Saviour to come from thence? No. Why? Because Christ has already come. He came before we sought Him, and faith lays hold of that great fact and rejoices. The Saviour has come. The Father sent Him. “We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Faith does not say who will bring Him down, it believes that He has come down even to the cross. That is the first of the great gospel facts.

Now, the gospel proposes eternal life to those who, although they have sinned, and deserve to die, bow to the righteousness of God. "The righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise — Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)." Why must I not say that? He has come down. Love brought Him down. Neither your, nor my prayer, nor cry brought Jesus down. I admit our necessity was before His eye, and His heart, but His love brought Him down from above to meet us. Nor say in thine heart, "Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)." No, that will not do either; for He has already come up. He has come down in love, gone into death, and annulled it, and He has come up from among the dead. Love brought him down, and He has been taken up in righteousness. Do you see? Love and righteousness are the two things which appear in the gospel — the love of God, and the righteousness of God. These are the two foundations or pillars on which the whole superstructure of the gospel rests. It reposes upon these two wonderful pillars — the love, and the righteousness of God. Love gave the Son of God, and sent Him to earth to die in the sinner's stead, and righteousness raised Him, because He had glorified God infinitely in dying for sin, and the sinner.

Faith now speaks thus: “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above).” Skepticism will object that there is no hope of establishing direct communication between heaven and earth: and it is plain that if the project was left in man's hands, it is hopeless that he should ever know God. But faith knows that the Son of God has come — grace having moved His heart to bring Him, though far more than man's desires could ever have conceived. For who would have imagined that the Creator Himself would be manifested in flesh? First of all then, faith stands upon the fact that Christ has come down from above.

However, unbelief again objects that Christ has died, and what use is spiritual testimony from One who has shared the fate of mankind, and lies silent in the grave? This is the thought in verse 7 — “Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead).” Thus we hear the bold plea of infidelity that no one has ever come back from the dead to tell us of what is beyond. But it is false. Faith knows that Christ is risen from the dead, and not by means of man's ability to bring Him back. It has been God's work, accomplished fully once and for all.

So that verse 8, in quoting from Deuteronomy — “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart” — explains it as “the word of faith, which we preach.” Nor is it credulity, or blind faith as people speak, but faith founded upon clearly established facts. It is therefore not a matter of a work to be done, but a word to believe concerning a completed work.

Moreover the law was never given in order that men might gain heaven. It distinctly says, “That the man which does those timings shall LIVE by them.” If you can keep the law all your days, you will never die. All must die, from the Queen of England on her throne and the President of the United States in the White House, down to the meanest of mankind, all must die, a proof that all are sinners, and that all have failed to keep the law. What you need is a salvation outside of yourself altogether, for your case is hopeless. You are shut up to God. He is willing to bless. Thank God the next two or three verses prove to us that salvation, as far as the sinner is concerned, is the simplest thing in the world. Verses 6 and 7 plainly mean this—It is not required of a sinner, who wants salvation, to pray to God to send the Lord Jesus Christ into this world. There is no need for anyone to go up to heaven to bring Christ down.

Hear what faith says. "Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above)" What does that mean? It means that if we are to be saved the Saviour must come from heaven. Then must we send a delegation to heaven to beseech a Saviour to come from thence? No. Why? Because Christ has already come. He came before we sought Him, and faith lays hold of that great fact and rejoices. The Saviour has come. The Father sent Him. "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Faith does not say who will bring Him down, it believes that He has come down even to the cross. That is the first of the great gospel facts.

And it does not say, "Who shall descend into the deep? (that is to bring up Christ again from the dead)". Why does it not say that? Because it knows that He has come up. "God has raised Him from the dead." These are the two great gospel facts. "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures and was buried, and was raised again from the dead, according to the Scriptures." He came down from heaven: that proves His willingness to save. He died and rose again from the dead, that proves His power to save. He is wiling, He is able.

C.C. — Now read verse 6. We are considering what righteousness, on the principle of faith, is. “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise. Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above.) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)” That is not the language of faith — where is righteousness to be obtained? Where is it to be found? Where provided? Faith says, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart” — i.e., the word of the gospel preached, which faith receives.

C.A. — Before Christ came these questions were natural, were they not? — “Who shall bring Christ down from above — who shall bring Him up?” But now that He has come down and died and risen we need no longer ask such questions.

H.A.I. — In quoting from Deuteronomy 30:14, the apostle leaves off the words, “That thou mayest do it.”