Romans 10:1-13 – The End of the Law

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

In Romans 10, Paul stated that Christ is the end of the law. Does this now mean that God’s law is obsolete? This is a statement that requires one to understand the purpose of both the law and Christ.

Introduction

As we have seen in recent lessons, there is only one way for one to become righteous, and that is not through the law.  As we’ll see Paul say in this week’s Sunday School commentary, Christ is the end of the law.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover scripture from Romans 10:1-13. 

What we will focus on learning in this week’s Sunday School commentary:

1. The meaning of Christ being the end of the law.
2. The purpose of God’s law.
3. Living under the grace of God.

Living in Ignorance of Righteousness

Our lesson this week opens with Paul desiring that his brethren be saved (Rom. 10:1).  This is the same desire that most believers share, in that we desire for those whom we know to also be saved, if they’re not saved already.  However, Paul dealt with the same struggle that many believers deal with today – people refusing to turn to Christ.  

In Romans 10:2-3, we’ll see that Paul said his brethren had zeal (fire/passion) for God, but it was not according to knowledge.  His brethren lacked knowledge of the God in whom they thought they believed.  Such zeal would be Ignorant zeal, and ignorant zeal is incredibly dangerous.

Ignorant zeal is incredibly dangerous because such zeal causes people to do harmful things in the name of God, believing they are righteous in their cause.  People have killed in the name of God, believing they were righteous.  People have also oppressed others in the name of God, with the belief that they were righteous.  I believe we are eyewitnesses to such zeal today.

Rather than seeking the righteousness of God, Paul pointed out that his brethren sought to establish their own righteousness.  In other words, they moved self-righteously and would turn away any rebuke.  One who moves in such a manner is whom Proverbs 1:7 describes, “a fool who despises wisdom”.  

Proverbs 14:12 warns that those who move in a way that seems right to them, but is not the right way, according to God, are taking a path whose end is eternal death.  Now, that was not something that Paul desired for his brethren, which is why we see this writing here in Romans 10, and why I also believe Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews.  

Hebrews 2 talks a great deal about how the Jews were neglecting the salvation and righteousness of Christ for the law.  In Hebrews 2:1, the writer stated, “We must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”  Then, in Hebrews 2:3, the writer warned, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

When one is ignorant of God’s way, they cannot and will not move appropriately.  When one does not move according to God’s way, they move sinfully.  As we know, without repentance, the way of sin is condemned by God, and the sinner will be cast from His presence for everlasting life.

Paul Pleads His Case

If you aren’t familiar with who Paul was, I will briefly share his background so that you can see why you should listen to his words and why his brethren should have listened to him as well.

Paul was an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5).  In Acts 23:6, after he had been arrested by the Jews, Paul reminded his brethren that he was a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.  This is important information because Paul grew up learning to know God’s law with great knowledge and zeal (Acts 22:3).

At one point in time, Paul once persecuted the early church, believing early believers to be blasphemers of the law (Gal. 1:13-14).  He even incited the crowd to stone Stephen for preaching about salvation coming through Christ and not through the law (Acts 22:20).

It wasn’t until he pursued believers to Damascus that a change came over Paul.  Acts 9:1-9 shares the story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, as he met the one whose way he had persecuted.  Christ rebuked Paul, showing him grace and mercy, giving him the opportunity to accept Him and go in the way that was right.  Paul heeded the rebuke, and from that time forward, he committed himself to serving the Lord truthfully.  

Before his conversion on the road to Damascus, when he thought he was serving God, Paul moved out of ignorance.  He was as close as one could get to crossing the line of the unpardonable sin.  Had Paul chosen to continue down that path after Christ’s rebuke, there would have been no salvation for him.

So, Paul knew that his brethren could be saved by God’s grace because he had been saved by God’s grace.  It was Christ’s saving grace that opened Paul’s eyes up to just how short he fell of the righteousness of God’s law.  Keep in mind, he thought that he was living righteously, and so his conversion was an eye-opening experience.  This explains why he moved so desperately to bring news of salvation through Christ to all people.  Paul understood that all men fall short of God’s glory, and no matter how obedient one thinks they are to God’s law, they need God’s grace.

Christ is the End of the Law

So when we see Paul say, in Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” let us understand that he wasn’t saying that ignorantly.  No, Paul knew exactly what he was saying, and we must stop and listen to his words of wisdom.  For you to understand the meaning of Christ being the end of the law, you must come to understand the law’s purpose.

The purpose of the law

Now, many of us believe that the purpose of the law is to make us righteous. However, throughout this epistle, Paul made it clear that man cannot become righteous by the law, because we are sinners and the law won’t lift us from our sin.  

Romans 3:19-20, Paul wrote, “We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

So, if no person can become righteous by the law, that leaves just one question:  What is the purpose of the law?

In Galatians 3:19, Paul stated that the law was added because of transgressions.  As Paul stated in Romans 5:14, death, both physical and spiritual, reigned from Adam to Moses because mankind had no way of knowing what was lawful to God.  After God gave His law to Moses, what was lawful and righteous became known to mankind.

So, God gave His law because mankind couldn’t stop living sinfully.  You see, if mankind were already living righteously, there would be no need for the law.  

So, let’s be clear about this:  The purpose of the law is to point out the sins of mankind!  However, that does nothing for our deliverance from sin, does it?  

The purpose of Christ

So, again, in Galatians 3:19, Paul stated that the law was added until the Seed, that is, Christ, was manifested in the world.

Why was Christ manifested in the world?  Yes, to save us from the guilty verdict of the law, which would be punishable by eternal condemnation.  Christ was given to lift us to meet the law’s righteous requirement so that we may dwell with Him for everlasting life.

In Galatians 3:24, Paul so eloquently stated, “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Think about it like this:  The law taught us right from wrong, and then took us to get greater help because we kept failing its teachings.  We know that we can get the help we need from Christ because He lived in total obedience and met the law’s righteous requirement.  IF one follows in His example, then certainly that one will also become righteous just as He is righteous.

Is the law now obsolete?

In Galatians 3:25, Paul wrote, “After faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”  In other words, Paul states that when one goes to Christ, they live under His teachings and have no reason to go back to living under the law.  Why would one need to turn back to the tutor who had to take them to greater help?

Now, does that make the law of God obsolete?  Absolutely not.  Does this mean that Christ has abolished the law?  

In Matthew 5:17, Christ said it Himself, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”  Again, the answer is that Christ came to lift us unto righteousness.  You see, God’s law is still present and it is still righteous.  

In fact, God’s law still serves the purpose of pointing out just how wicked we are and that we need to turn to Christ.  Moreover, one must still meet the righteous requirement of the law to inherit the kingdom of God.  However, to meet that righteous requirement, one can only do it by following Christ.

What Is Needed to be Saved?

When we take a look at Romans 10:5-13, this is the portion of scripture where Paul tries to encourage his brethren to have faith in Christ over the law so that they may be saved.  Let’s take a look at what Paul encouraged his brothers to do so that they could be saved.

Reject self-righteousness

You and I have to remember that there were many Jews who were devoted to God’s law.  Was it a bad thing that they were devoted to God’s law?  Actually, yes, it was bad, and the reason why is because God had given His only begotten Son.  Christ had given His life to atone for the sins of all people, but Paul’s brethren were choosing to neglect salvation.  

No matter how devoted they were to the law, their sins remained.  Let’s also add that they would be judged without an Advocate/Mediator because they had not turned to Him.  As we saw in the lesson commentary – God’s Righteous Judgment – one needs Christ as their advocate!  Yes, one may have all of the good deeds, but all of us have wicked thoughts that will be judged as sin without Christ as an advocate.

In Romans 10:5-7, Paul quoted Moses, who spoke of the law’s righteousness and how one could, if they lived without sin, be righteous.  However, in quoting Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Paul points out that man can’t ascend to heaven and bring heaven/salvation to earth.  Again, God gave His only begotten Son to lift us unto everlasting life, and righteousness only comes through Christ!

So, to be clear, if one chooses to neglect Christ, one makes the choice to neglect God’s salvation and righteousness.  If one believes themselves to have obtained righteousness through the law, it would be like saying they ascended and descended as Christ did to have victory over sin.  Do you understand how arrogant and self-righteous that is?

To be saved, Paul’s brethren would need to reject their self-importance; they would need to reject their self-righteousness.  For one to be saved today, they would need to do the same – reject their self-importance and their self-righteousness.

Confession with the heart

The next thing Paul tells his brothers is incredibly important, should you desire to be saved.  Paul first reminded them, in Romans 10:8, that God’s word, His truth, was near them, and that all they needed to heed the preaching and the Holy Spirit when He comes and dwells in their heart.

Then, in Romans 10:9, Paul encouraged his brethren that they needed to confess with their mouth and in their heart belief in the death and resurrection of Christ.  This step is most important, and I want you to understand that it goes beyond one simply saying they believe in Christ.  Simply saying you believe in Christ is a profession, not a confession.

True faith, you must understand, takes place in the heart.  Faith moves in what one believes in.  So, in this case, if you say you believe in Christ, then you must move in that belief.  

I have begun to ask believers this question:  When you say you believe in Christ, what do you believe in?  The response will certainly be about His death and His resurrection.  Yet, I often try to point out that before His death and His resurrection, Christ instructed us how to live to be holy.

Christ lived by mercy and grace; He showed nothing but grace and compassion to all people.  Christ moved in the kind of love that cares and is concerned for all people.  Yet, at the same time, Christ also moved with the kind of love that didn’t roll over to the lies and misleading ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  No, Christ rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, preaching and teaching the way of love, instructing His followers to move in like manner.

So, when you say you believe in Christ, you must walk faithfully in grace and mercy towards everyone.  You must move in the love that cares and is concerned for all people.  Moreover, you must stand in truth, moving in it, rebuking wickedness and evil at every step.  When one does these things, they make their confession of faith knows to the Lord and to all people that their faith lies within their heart.

As Paul stated, the true confession is made unto salvation that is of God, and not of man.

Who Can Be Saved

I want to end this week’s commentary with what Paul spoke of in Romans 10:11-13.  

In those days, when Jewish leaders weren’t persecuting early believers, they were doing their best to convince gentile believers that God didn’t love them, nor would He save them.  Paul was arrested by the Jews because he had brought gentile believers into the temple courtyard, which was only for Jews.  

The Jews suffered from what some people today suffer from – entitlement.  The Jews believed that only they could have a relationship with God since they were His chosen people.  

However, going all the way back to the beginning, before Jacob (Israel), Noah found grace in God’s eyes (Gen. 6:8), and a man named Melchizedek was the priest of God (Gen. 14:18).  During the days of Christ’s earthly ministries, Jesus ministered to and also performed miracles for Gentiles and their children as well.

The idea that God is only the God of the Jews was preposterous then, and it certainly is so now.  In John 10:16, Jesus made it clear that He would bring in sheep who would not be of the fold of the Jews, but they will join the fold and become one flock under Christ.  

When Paul states, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is to all who call upon Him (Rom. 10:12),” he is not basing that on an idea that he came up with.  This teaching is also founded upon Christ’s promise that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  When Jesus said “whoever believes”, He spoke of anybody from any nation.

Never let anyone tell you that only the Jews can be saved because that is not the truth.  Never let anyone tell you that one race, one nation can be saved while no others can, because that is not truthful teaching to what Christ has promised.  You can be saved today if you repent and faithfully move according to the instructions of Christ.