Who will ascend into heaven in Romans 10:6?

In Romans 10:1–13, the apostle Paul contrasts the righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus Christ with a righteousness based on the law. Paul cites Deuteronomy, stating, “Moses writes . . . about the righteousness that is by the law” (Romans 10:5) and then presenting “the righteousness that is by faith” (Romans 10:6).

Paul explains the righteousness that comes by faith with two rhetorical questions posed, as it were, by faith-based justification:

Righteousness in this passage refers to a right relationship with God. The question “Who will ascend into heaven?” helps illustrate that true righteousness before God is based on faith alone and does not require extraordinary efforts to reach God. Justification by faith is not attained by herculean effort, as if the sinner must mount into heaven bring the Savior down. The Savior has already come down, in the flesh and of His own accord, and provided salvation for us.

This same Savior lived a life in perfect conformity to the law, was killed, and rose again. No one needs to “descend into the deep” to bring Christ back. He was already “raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). So, Christ has completed all that is necessary to make us righteous before God.

Paul points out that the Jews who rejected Christ attempted to make themselves right with God by keeping the law (Romans 10:3; see also Romans 9:30). Paul critiques that approach and all human endeavors to bypass or manipulate God’s way of salvation.

Who will ascend into heaven? is not meant to identify a specific person who will literally ascend, but rather to emphasize that believers do not need to perform extreme tasks—such as ascending to heaven—to obtain salvation. Such efforts are unnecessary and futile. Salvation is accessible through faith alone (see Galatians 2:16; 3:24). Paul goes on to quote Deuteronomy 30:14: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart” (Romans 10:8). In fact, “if you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9–10, NLT).

Attaining true righteousness or right standing with God involves satisfying the moral requirements of God’s character. This standard of righteousness is impossible for humans to reach on their own; it is simply too high, as the heavens are high above the earth. The good news for humanity is that God has come to us. He has made a way for us through the washing away of sin by Jesus Christ and new life through the indwelling Holy Spirit (see Colossians 2:14; Romans 8:3–4; Titus 3:4–7).

Paul writes, “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law. . . . We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. . . . God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (Romans 3:21–22, 24–25, NLT).

We cannot boast or take credit for our righteousness “because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law” (Romans 3:27–28, NLT; see also Ephesians 2:8–9).

No one can ascend into heaven to achieve righteousness. That would bring Christ down, ignoring His incarnation and the redeeming sacrifice He made on our behalf. Instead, “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT). Through His death on the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness, satisfying God’s righteous requirement. The only thing required of us is to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.