Romans 10:4

Context

Chapters 9–11 of Romans, Paul's letter to the church in Rome, address the question of Israel's salvation. Immediately before, in 10:2–3, Paul says that his fellow Israelites have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. In seeking to establish "their own righteousness," they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. This verse follows: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:4, KJV).

The following verses, 5–13, cite Leviticus 18:5 to explain "the righteousness which is of the law" and draw on Deuteronomy 30:11–14 to explain "the righteousness which is of faith." The passage concludes with the words of Joel 2:32: "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." The verse thus stands at a turning point, where the way to righteousness shifts from the works of the law to faith in Christ.

Interpretation

The key word is the Greek telos (τέλος), translated "end." The term can mean both "end" or "termination" and "purpose" or "completion."

• Termination reading: With the coming of Christ, the law has come to an end as a means of obtaining righteousness. The Lutheran tradition, which stresses the distinction between law and gospel going back to Martin Luther, favors this reading. Dispensationalism sometimes reads the verse as evidence that the age of law has ended.
• Goal or fulfillment reading: The law was directed toward Christ from the beginning and has been fulfilled in him. John Calvin is known to have interpreted the verse in his commentary to mean that every part of the law points to Christ. On the basis of this reading, the Reformed tradition holds that the law continues to serve as a standard guiding the believer's life.
• Combined reading: Many contemporary commentators do not choose between "termination" and "goal." Instead, they hold the two meanings together: because Christ is the goal of the law, the law as a way of obtaining righteousness has come to an end.
• New Perspective reading: Scholars associated with the so-called New Perspective on Paul note the verse's emphasis on "every one that believeth." They stress that the law, as a marker separating Jews from Gentiles, has come to an end in Christ.

Debates and Issues

• Translation: The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render the word as "end." Some other translations choose terms closer to "purpose" or "fulfillment," and observers have noted that the choice of translation itself reflects an interpretation.
• The connection of "for righteousness": The emphasis of the verse shifts somewhat depending on whether this phrase attaches to "the end of the law" or to the sentence as a whole.
• Controversy over abolition of the law: Many denominations caution that reading the verse to mean "the law is no longer necessary" risks sliding into antinomianism (the claim that even moral obligations have been abolished). Alongside this verse, they point to Paul's statement in Romans 3:31 that faith does "establish the law."
• Citation in practical debates: The verse is sometimes cited in debates over whether Old Testament legal provisions remain in force today, such as those concerning the Sabbath and the Lord's Day and the tithing debate. In such cases, others counter that because the context concerns the way to righteousness, the verse cannot directly settle whether individual provisions remain in effect.

Related Passages

• Romans 3:21–26
• Romans 3:31
• Galatians 3:24
• Deuteronomy 30:11–14
• Joel 2:32