In my discussions with people who think the law has no place in the life of the Christian, one phrase often comes up- Christ is the end of the law. I then try to put that phrase back into its proper context. People would rather live with slogans than thinking about Scripture, and actually understanding the whole sentence.
3For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10
Notice what is going on here. Some people were ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God. They used the law to establish their own righteousness as the basis of justification. This, according to Paul, is utter foolishness. Christ is the end of the law….
The Greek word is “telos”. It, like the English word “end” can refer to termination, the last of a sequence and the aim or purpose of something. In this passage, it does refer to “termination”. The Law no longer provides righteousness for those who believe. Christ provides it!
It goes too far to claim that this means the moral law has no purpose in the life of the Christian. That is not what this text is saying. That makes a phrase determinative despite the rest of the sentence. It is bad theologizing!
Cavman Considers 