For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights a crucial disconnect: the Jews' "ignorance" wasn't a lack of information, but a fundamental misunderstanding of God's system for making people right with Him. They were so busy "establishing their own" by works that they missed the completely different, grace-based "righteousness of God" offered through faith.
For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is expressing his deep longing for his fellow Israelites to be saved, lamenting that they've missed God's plan for righteousness. He explains this by saying they were ignorant of God's way of making people righteous and, instead, tried to create their own system of earning God's approval. This self-reliance, born from ignorance, led them to reject God's offered righteousness through faith in Christ.
Ever felt like you're doing everything 'right,' but it's just not enough? The Apostle Paul points to a specific kind of ignorance that keeps people from God's grace.
Paul says the Israelites were 'ignorant of the righteousness of God.' This isn't just a lack of information; it's a fundamental misunderstanding.
What is God's Righteousness?
It's not about God being personally holy (though He is!). In this context, it refers to God's plan for making sinners righteous. It's His way of declaring us 'not guilty' because of what Jesus did, not because of anything we've done. It's a righteousness that comes from God and is received by faith.
The Consequence of Ignorance
When we don't grasp this divine provision, we naturally try to create our own. We think we can earn God's favor through our efforts, our good deeds, or our adherence to rules. This ignorance leads us to reject God's offered solution.
We like to think we're in control, especially when it comes to our standing with God. But Paul warns against a dangerous kind of self-reliance.
The verse continues, 'and seeking to establish their own righteousness.' This highlights a critical problem: pride.
Our 'Do-It-Yourself' Religion
'Establishing our own righteousness' means we're trying to build a case for our acceptance with God based on our own merits. We meticulously count our good deeds, our religious observances, and our moral efforts, believing they make us 'good enough.' It's an attempt to erect our own monument of worthiness before God.
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The Fundamental Conflict
This effort is directly opposed to God's way. God's righteousness is a gift received by faith, requiring us to admit we can't make ourselves righteous. Trying to establish our own means we refuse to submit to His plan. It's like offering a gift card to someone who insists on paying full price for everything.
What's the ultimate outcome when we misunderstand God's righteousness and cling to our own? It leads to a profound refusal.
The final clause of the verse states they 'did not submit to God’s righteousness.' This is the crucial point.
Submission is Surrender
'Submission' here means to willingly place oneself under God’s authority and plan. It requires humility – acknowledging that God’s way is superior to our own. It means surrendering our pride, our self-sufficiency, and our efforts to earn favor.
The Barrier to Salvation
The greatest obstacle to receiving God's righteousness isn't a lack of good deeds, but an unwillingness to admit we need it. When we are determined to 'establish our own,' we actively rebel against the divine solution. We refuse to obey God's call to trust in Christ’s finished work rather than our incomplete efforts.
Understand the original words
dikaiosynē · Greek Noun
Refers to the state of being morally right, justified, and in a right standing before God; it is a gift imputed by God through faith, rather than a quality earned by human behavior.
hypotassō · Greek Verb
To place oneself under the authority or government of another; in a theological context, it is the act of yielding one's self-sufficiency to the sovereign grace and standard of God.
Christos · Greek Noun
The second person of the Trinity, the Messiah, whose coming fulfilled the prophetic and typological requirements of the Old Testament law.
telos · Greek Noun
In this context, it refers to the goal, completion, or termination of the law's function as a means of justification, as Christ fulfilled the law's demands perfectly.
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine statutes and instructions given through Moses, which set the standard of God's holiness and reveal human inability to meet that standard through personal effort.
pisteuō · Greek Verb
Trusting in, relying upon, and committing oneself entirely to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, which is the sole condition for receiving the righteousness of God.
This verse speaks directly to the religious climate of 1st-century Judaism, where a deep-seated reliance on self-achieved righteousness through the Law created a significant barrier to accepting God's righteousness offered through faith in Jesus.
c. 200 BC - AD 30— this verse
Jewish Emphasis on Law and Merit
Leading up to and during the time of Jesus and the apostles, many Jewish leaders and people placed a strong emphasis on meticulously following the Law of Moses and traditions, believing this would earn them God's favor and righteousness.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
Jesus preached a message of righteousness that often contrasted with the self-righteousness of some religious leaders, emphasizing inner transformation and reliance on God's mercy over outward observance alone.
c. AD 30-60
Early Spread of the Gospel
The apostles, including Paul, began proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and the path to righteousness through faith, challenging the prevailing understanding that righteousness was achieved solely through adherence to the Law.
c. AD 50-60
Paul's Letters to the Churches
Paul wrote letters like Romans to explain the theological underpinnings of salvation by grace through faith, directly addressing the tension between Jewish legalism and the new covenant in Christ.
This passage directly contrasts having one's own righteousness based on law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, echoing the core theme of Romans 10:3.
Matthew 23:28Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for appearing righteous on the outside but being full of hypocrisy and lawlessness within, illustrating the superficiality of 'their own righteousness' that Romans 10:3 addresses.
Luke 18:11-14The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector starkly contrasts self-righteous boasting with humble repentance, showing how 'seeking to establish their own righteousness' prevents submission to God's way of salvation.
Galatians 5:4This verse declares that attempting to be justified by law (by one's own efforts) severs one from Christ, highlighting the consequence of not submitting to God's righteousness as described in Romans 10:3.
barnesRomans 10:3: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
For they being ignorant - The ignorance of the Jews was voluntarily, and therefore criminal. The apostle does not affirm that they could not have known what the plan of God was; for he says Romans 10:18-21 that they had full opportunity of knowing. An attentive study of their own Scriptures would have led them to the tr…
bengelRomans 10:3: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
Romans 10:3 . Ζητοῦντες , seeking ) by all means.— οὐχʼ ὑπετάγησαν , have not been subject ) and have not obeyed ,” ( ὑπήκουσαν ) Romans 10:16 . Ὑποταγὴ , submits itself to the Divine will, τῷ θέλειν , the will of GOD.
The verse highlights a crucial disconnect: the Jews' "ignorance" wasn't a lack of information, but a fundamental misunderstanding of God's system for making people right with Him. They were so busy "establishing their own" by works that they missed the completely different, grace-based "righteousness of God" offered through faith.
Paul is expressing his deep longing for his fellow Israelites to be saved, lamenting that they've missed God's plan for righteousness. He explains this by saying they were ignorant of God's way of making people righteous and, instead, tried to create their own system of earning God's approval. This self-reliance, born from ignorance, led them to reject God's offered righteousness through faith in Christ.
Paul is expressing his deep longing for his fellow Israelites to be saved, lamenting that they've missed God's plan for righteousness. He explains this by saying they were ignorant of God's way of making people righteous and, instead, tried to create their own system of earning God's approval. This self-reliance, born from ignorance, led them to reject God's offered righteousness through faith in Christ.
"For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." — The verse highlights a crucial disconnect: the Jews' "ignorance" wasn't a lack of information, but a fundamental misunderstanding of God's system for making people right with Him. They were so busy…
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Last reviewed October 2026