Christ is the End of the Law
Why would any Bible believing Christian see the word law and always decide it must be the Ten Commandments if it would mean an end of the law if it was so? Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23) which is the breaking of the Ten Commandments. (1 John 3:4) Not to give us a license to continue in the sin that nailed Him to the cross. Jesus said, if we love Him then keep His Commandments, (John 14:15) not look for a way to end the law. And Paul exhorts that the law is good (Romans 7:12) and informs us of what sin is. (Romans 7:7) So how could Jesus be an end to this law?
Romans 10:4 says, “Christ is the end of the law” but since there were at least two primary laws before the cross, then which one? The Ten Commandments or the sacrificial law that is more commonly called the Mosaic Law? If it was the moral law we would have a massive number of serious contradictions of scripture such as the few examples given below. See at least the first few paragraphs of the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law for a detailed comparison of these two laws.
Note that all of these examples are after the cross or refer to after this time. (Matthew 5:17-19; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 16:17; Romans 2:13; Romans 13:9; Romans 3:31; Romans 7:7; Romans 7:12; 1 Corinthians 7:19; 1 John 2:4; 1 John 5:2-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12; Revelation 22:14)
Despite the serious contradictions of scripture we would have, some Christians have still chosen to teach that Romans 10:4 is referring to the Ten Commandments. But it is just not possible, so which law is Paul referring to? Read carefully the following passage in contention.
Romans 10:1-5 “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 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. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.”
Paul's prayer is for the salvation of Israel who for hundreds of years had been observing the sacrificial “Law of Moses” which is also called the “Mosaic Law” and the “Book of the Law” as it contains the law that Moses wrote in a book. (The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God in stone) Take note that the “Book of the Law” is also called the “Ordinances” and is often referred to as the “ceremonial law” which had various “meat and drink offerings”, “new moon festivals” and various “Holy feast days” such as “Passover,” which were all nailed to the cross. See Colossians 2:14-16 below for more details. Note that Passover also had a temporary ceremonial sabbath attached to it (as Passover was temporary) as many of the feast days did. (Seven ceremonial sabbaths in total) This ceremonial law is easy to identify in scripture as it talks about circumcision (a religious Jewish rite), sacrifices, offerings, purifications, holy days and other rites associated with the Hebrew sanctuary service.
Our righteousness is by faith in Christ and Paul says in verse 3 that they are ignorant of this fact, which means they were trying to earn their salvation by keeping the law, but again which one? Besides all the other scriptures given above, Paul states in Romans 3:31 that the Ten Commandments are not made void through faith so how could Paul be referring to what God wrote in stone?
So observe the following points as we establish which law:
- Many Jews had problems in understanding the Gospel message and continued to keep the Law of Moses not understanding that Christ nailed it to the cross and redeemed us from the curse of this law. (Galatians 3:13)
- In Romans 14, Jewish Christians were judging Gentile Christians for not observing the Law of Moses and Paul was basically saying to them, “Don't judge each other. The ceremonial law is no longer binding.” Romans 14:4-5 “Who are you that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yes, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Read Romans 14:5-6 or Romans 14:5 for more information.
- In Galatians 2, Paul also had to deal with the Galatians who were also trying to earn their salvation by keeping what was written in the Book of the Law. Paul continues in Galatians 3, where he says that they were still observing what was written in the Book of the Law. Galatians 3:10 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them.” In Galatians 4, Paul rebukes them for keeping themselves in bondage by still observing the various feast days and the monthly new moon festivals and the yearly ceremonial sabbaths etc. Galatians 4:9-10 “But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days, and months, and times, and years.” See Albert Barnes and People's New Testament Commentaries on Galatians 4:10. And in Galatians 5, Paul also rebuked them from what he called a yoke of bondage in circumcision which is now that of the heart. Romans 2:28-29.
- In Colossians 2:14-16, Paul also had to correct the Colossians as they were also still observing what was written in the Book of the Law (ordinances.) Colossians 2:14-16 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; … 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink [offerings], or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”
- It becomes very clear from scripture that this was an ongoing problem which Paul constantly had to deal with. Paul had to explain that the new moon festivals and all the various ceremonial holy days such as Passover all pointed forward to the work of Jesus on the cross. For example: Jesus was our true Passover Lamb and so Passover was nailed to the cross, literally.
- Before the cross there was both the sacrificial law and the moral law. One of these ended at the cross but which one? Was it God's moral law or the sacrificial law? Consider the following for the answer. What was sacrificed before the cross for sin? And who became our Passover Lamb? Did Jesus become the Lamb of God and our one and final perfect sacrifice and hence did the sacrifice of Christ permanently end the sacrificial law? The answer of course is yes. Thus Christ was indeed an end to a law.
So the question of which law Paul was referring to should now be blatantly obvious and the answer was also found in Romans 10:5. The reference Paul makes in this verse takes us back to Leviticus 18:4-5, which all Commentaries studied confirmed also. Compare verse 5 given again below with Leviticus 18:4-5. Note that it is the “ordinances” that are being referred to here just as in Colossians 2:14, where Paul tells us that these ordinances were nailed to the cross and so Christ was an end to this temporary sacrificial law.
Leviticus 18:4-5 “You shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.”
Romans 10:4-5 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.”
Galatians 3:10-12 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.”
Colossians 2:14-16 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances [Book of the Law] that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; … 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink [offerings], or in respect of an holyday [feast day], or of the new moon, or of the [ceremonial] sabbath days:” Parentheses are added.
So which law was nailed to the cross that Christ brought to an end? Compare again all the passages above taking special note of the bolded areas.
According to Paul, if a man tries to earn his righteousness by the works of the Mosaic Law, then he lives under the curse of the Mosaic Law that Christ redeemed us from, and the man that doeth them shall live in them, that is, everything that is written in the “Book of the Law.” See also what is the law in Galatians, saved by faith alone and were the Ten Commandments nailed to the cross. Christ was an end to the sacrificial law, the “Law of Moses” also called the “Book of the Law” and the “Ordinances” etc, not the Ten Commandments. See also Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.
This FAQ on the Ten Commandments can be best finalized with one scripture. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14