Christ is the end of the law for righteousness,” writes Paul, “to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).
The word translated “end” here is telos and it means “goal” rather than “termination.” Many Jews in Paul’s day tried to keep God’s laws so well and so thoroughly that God would examine their record of obedience and pronounce them “righteous” (see Romans 9:31-32; 10:2-3).
Moses described righteousness-by-law, says the apostle, and he quoted from Deuteronomy. No one has to climb up to heaven and bring down God’s laws, said Moses, and no one has to go to the underworld to find the divine rules to keep them. No, the great Lawgiver explained, God’s commands are right here in front of you, ready for you to hear and do and keep them (Romans 10:5, quoting Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
Indeed, that is what it takes to obtain God’s favor by the approach of personal obedience. One must keep God’s laws. Not merely memorize them or admire them, or explain them. Keep them—all of them, all the way, all the time. And this is what the best of the Jews were desperately trying to do (see Romans 10: 1-3).
The way to God’s approval is altogether different, Paul affirms. The only way to God’s approval is to trust God—and, to illustrate this, Paul borrows and adapts the very language from Moses to which he had just referred in explaining “righteousness-by-trying.”
We do not need to go up to heaven to bring down a Savior, for the Savior has already come (see Romans 10:6).
We do not need to descend to the underworld to rescue this Savior, for our God has already raised him from among the dead (see Romans 10:7).
Again it can be said, “The word is near you.” This time it is not a word of law for us to keep, however, but a word or message of faith—of trust— in One who has kept all God’s commandments perfectly and who has offered that obedient life to God in our stead (see Romans 10:8).
The obedience which sets us right in God’s sight has already been accomplished on the earth by Jesus Christ our Savior and substitute! We cannot complete it, improve on it, or make it better than it already is. We can only trust it and rely on it.
We cannot contribute to our salvation or right standing
before God. We can only agree with God (“confess”) about Jesus Christ and
depend (“believe”) on Jesus’ work to obtain our acquittal (see Romans 10:9-10).
And we can confidently expect just that result, for “whoever believes in Him
will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 28:16, quoted in Romans
The gospel message rings clearly through the centuries. It’s not by trying but by trusting. And none who trusts in God will ever be left hanging in the breeze.