Romans 10:3 (LSB)

Passage

For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Nearby Context

Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

Romans 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Romans 10:3 For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Romans 10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “The man who does these things shall live by them.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knowing", "righteousness", "seeking", "establish", "subject", and "themselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knowing" and "righteousness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For I testify about them that they..." into verse 4's "For Christ is the end of the...", so "knowing" and "righteousness" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knowing" and "righteousness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.