Romans 10 4

Romans 10:4 kjv

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Romans 10:4 nkjv

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Romans 10:4 niv

Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Romans 10:4 esv

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Romans 10:4 nlt

For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Romans 10 verses

Romans 10 4 Meaning

Romans 10:4 proclaims that Christ serves as the fulfillment and termination of the Law as a means of obtaining righteousness for everyone who believes. It encapsulates a pivotal truth of Christian theology, highlighting that true righteousness, which is right standing with God, is no longer achieved through adherence to the Mosaic Law's requirements but through faith in Jesus Christ. He perfectly accomplished what the Law demanded, thus concluding its function as a path to salvation.

Romans 10 4 Context

Romans 10:4 stands at a critical juncture in Paul's letter to the Romans, specifically within his discourse concerning Israel's salvation (Chapters 9-11). In the preceding verses, Paul expresses his deep sorrow for his people, Israel, lamenting their pursuit of righteousness based on works of the Law. He notes their zeal for God but describes it as "not based on knowledge," because they were ignorant of "God's righteousness" and sought "to establish their own," thereby not submitting "to God's righteousness" (Rom 10:2-3). They misinterpreted the Law as a direct means to attain perfect standing before God, failing to see its deeper purpose.

Historically and culturally, the Jewish understanding of the Law (Torah) was central to their identity and covenant relationship with God. While the Law was given for guidance, life, and revelation of God's character, many in Paul's day, particularly certain Jewish leaders and factions, emphasized meticulous adherence to its commands, along with various rabbinic interpretations, as the primary path to righteousness. This created a legalistic system where human effort superseded God's grace. Romans 10:4 directly confronts this mindset, serving as a powerful polemic against the contemporary belief that salvation or right standing with God could be achieved through a perfect record of Law-keeping. Paul asserts that Christ Himself has fundamentally changed this dynamic.

Romans 10 4 Word analysis

• For (γάρ, gar): This Greek conjunction indicates an explanation or a reason for the preceding statement. It connects Rom 10:4 to Paul's lament over Israel's ignorance of God's righteousness and their attempt to establish their own. It explains why their approach was flawed.

• Christ (Χριστός, Christos): The title "Christ" (from Greek), equivalent to the Hebrew "Messiah," refers to Jesus, the anointed one of God, the central figure in God's plan of salvation. His identity and work are foundational to Paul's theology of righteousness.

• is (ἐστιν, estin): Present tense, indicating an ongoing reality and a definitive declaration. It's a statement of permanent fact about Christ's nature and function.

• the end (τέλος, telos): This is a crucial and deeply significant word. It carries a dual meaning that both interpreters and scholars extensively discuss:

  1. Termination/Cessation: Christ has brought the Law to a close as a means of justification. Its function as a way to earn righteousness is concluded. (Rom 6:14, 7:4-6; Gal 3:24-25).
  2. Goal/Purpose/Consummation: Christ is the point toward which the Law was always aiming. The Law foreshadowed Him and finds its perfect realization and embodiment in Him. He is the ultimate fulfillment and perfect expression of God's righteous demands. (Matt 5:17; Rom 8:4).The strength of scholarly consensus often leans towards the dual understanding, but emphasizes "termination of Law as a path to righteousness" due to the context of Romans 9-10 contrasting human effort with God's grace.

• of the law (νόμου, nomou): Refers to the Mosaic Law (Torah), encompassing its commands, statutes, and covenantal system. Paul is not speaking of an abolition of God's moral standards (Rom 3:31), but of the Law's covenantal role in justifying people.

• for righteousness (εἰς δικαιοσύνην, eis dikaiosynēn): This phrase specifies the purpose or result for which Christ is the end of the Law. The Law's primary function in human effort was seen as achieving righteousness—right standing before God. Paul argues that Christ has fulfilled this very goal, not by external conformity but by perfect obedience and sacrificial death, providing true righteousness.

• to everyone who believes (παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, panti tō pisteuonti): This highlights the universal and inclusive nature of this new path to righteousness. It is offered to everyone—Jew or Gentile—who exercises faith. The participle "believes" (πιστεύοντι) emphasizes ongoing, active trust. This stands in stark contrast to the Law, which was primarily given to Israel, and to righteousness achieved through ethnic identity or human works.

• Christ is the end of the law: This phrase combines the profound impact of Christ's work on the Mosaic Law. It signals a fundamental shift in salvation history. Christ is not just another prophet or teacher, but the decisive factor that transforms the relationship between humanity and the divine standard. The Law set a perfect standard; Christ met it perfectly on behalf of all.

• the end of the law for righteousness: This clearly delineates the specific aspect of the Law being addressed. It's not its moral authority or revelatory value that is abrogated, but its function as a system for attaining righteousness by human effort. Christ fulfills the righteous demands of the Law, offering that righteousness to believers.

Romans 10 4 Bonus section

The profound implications of telos in Romans 10:4 suggest a progressive revelation of God's redemptive plan. The Law was never truly meant to be the ultimate end, but a pointer and a preparatory stage. Its limitations were always intended to highlight the need for a perfect deliverer. This perspective aligns with other Pauline teachings where the Law functioned as a "guardian" or "pedagogue" until Christ came (Gal 3:24-25), leading people to the recognition of their sin and their desperate need for a Savior. Christ, therefore, doesn't just put an end to the Law's specific covenant; He perfectly fulfills its ultimate intent by providing what the Law commanded but could not impart: perfect righteousness. The moral commands embedded within the Law are not discarded but find their truest and fullest expression in the life and character of Christ, and are written upon the hearts of those indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:4; Jer 31:33).

Romans 10 4 Commentary

Romans 10:4 serves as the linchpin in Paul's argument about the nature of true righteousness and God's saving plan, particularly for his fellow Jews. It corrects a fundamental misunderstanding: that God's Law was given as a system for earning salvation through perfect performance. Paul clarifies that while Israel, his brethren, had "a zeal for God," it was a misplaced zeal because they "did not know the righteousness of God" (Rom 10:2-3). Instead, they sought to establish their own righteousness by scrupulously adhering to the Law, rather than submitting to God's righteousness, which is found in Christ.

The essence of the verse lies in the word telos ("end"). Christ is the termination of the Law's role as a direct means of obtaining personal righteousness before God. No amount of ritual observance or moral effort can achieve the perfect standard required by the Law; it rather exposed sin (Rom 3:20). But telos also signifies "goal" or "consummation." Christ embodies and perfectly fulfills every righteous requirement of the Law. He did not abolish the Law's moral authority but, through His perfect life and sacrificial death, he fully achieved what the Law eternally demanded, thus fulfilling its very purpose.

Therefore, righteousness, right standing with God, is now accessible "to everyone who believes," Jew and Gentile alike. It shifts the focus from human performance to divine provision. By faith in Christ's accomplished work, believers receive an alien righteousness—Christ's own righteousness—which fully satisfies the divine demands. This means pursuing righteousness by works of the Law is not just ineffective; it bypasses and undermines God's ultimate solution provided in Jesus. The verse re-orients salvation entirely around the person and work of Christ, establishing Him as the singular access point for receiving God's perfect righteousness.