Q. In Romans 10:4, we read that Christ is the end of the law. Doesn't it mean that the law is done away with?

A. The word end in this verse is "Telos" in the Greek. It is often used in the sense of object or purpose. The apostle Paul uses the same word in 1 Timothy 1:5: "Now the end (purpose) of the commandment is charity (love) out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."

Now let us return to Romans 10:4. How does it read? "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth."

As you read the preceding verses, you will discover that the apostle Paul was discussing the condition of the Jews, verse 1, whose zeal or piety was not according to knowledge, verse 2. They were attempting to establish a righteousness, a means of salvation of their own, independently of the Lord.

But Christ is the end of the law. Christ is its purpose or object. He cannot be its termination, for He Himself said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17).

The law requires two things:

1. Perfect obedience: we "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. But Christ came in human flesh, John 1:14. In our sinful humanity, He perfectly obeyed the law (Hebrews 2:14; 4:15). Thus He wrought out a perfect redemption for man. His perfect life is a gift to all.


2. Death: since all have sinned, the death sentence passed upon all men (Romans 5:12; 6:23). But Christ tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9). He was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves. He died our death that we might live His life.

In Christ Jesus there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). He is our Refuge. When we receive Him by faith (John 1:12), He pours out His life in our hearts(Romans 5:5). He empowers us to live a life of righteousness. For Christ is the END (i.e., the object, purpose) of the law as a way to righteousness. The law points us to Christ who is our righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30).

Vol.6 No.4

Q. Some ministers teach that Christ's death on the cross frees us from keeping God's ten commandments. Is this true? Can you give me some Bible answers?

A. Far from doing away with the law, through the gospel the law is transferred from the heart of Christ to the heart of the believer. This transaction takes place by faith and s the new covenant experience (Hebrews 8:8-10). Before conversion, the law is on the outside of our hearts, condemning us. After conversion, the law is on the inside, revealing the character of the Lawgiver Himself Jesus Christ.

Without the gospel, the law condemns us. The law demands obedience but cannot produce it; it is holy in itself, but it cannot make us holy; it convinces of sin, but cannot cure it; it reveals the disease, yet it cannot provide the remedy; but the gospel both requires and enables, saves and makes holy (Romans 3:19-22; 4:15; 5:20,21; 7:7-13; 2 Corinthians 3:7-9; Galatians 3:21-24; 1 Timothy 1:8-11).

The Bible talks about being freed from the curse of the law-the law's condemnation (Galatians 3:13). It talks about being freed from the law of sin and death-our inherited inability to keep the law (Romans 8:2). This happens when another law begins its operation in our lives-the law of life in Christ Jesus. When Jesus comes into our hearts at conversion, this law frees us from both the power and condemnation of sin. And when we are free from sin's condemnation and power, we are told that the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in us, ""who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit" (Romans 8:4).

Bible writers always describe God's people as those who delight to do God's will, who love to obey Him, and who keep His commandments (Psalm 119:97; John 14: ' 15; Revelation 12:17). How then could it possibly be true that Christians are freed from keeping the law? They are to be the most obedient people on earth. They are to reveal the Spirit of Christ which is detailed by the Ten Commandments and summarized simply as this-love to God and love to their fellowmen (1 John 5:1-3).

Vol.8 No.2

Q. Doesn’t Ephesians 2:8, 9, which reads “For by grace are ye saved through faith. . .Not of works, lest any man should boast,” prove that keeping the law is legalism?

A. Let’s see what Jesus Himself says about keeping the commandments. To His disciples He stated plainly: “If ye love me, keep my commandments”( John 14:15).

John the beloved writes: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:2-3).

While no man will be saved by keeping the law, no man will be saved without keeping the law. Why is this so? Because keeping the law reveals our love for God. And we love Him because He first loved us. God will not take the openly rebellious, the lukewarm or the skeptics to heaven. Only those who demonstrate by their lives that they love Him will be counted “saved by faith.”

Salvation by faith is active; it produces good works—Jesus’ works. Now we are ready to finish the thought in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Q. When Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another” (John 13:34), did He abolish the law of ten commandments and institute the new law of love?

A. Love to God and to man was not a new commandment. God commanded Israel in Deuteronomy 11:1, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep. . .his commandments, alway.” Leviticus 19:18 reads, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” John writes, “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. ... He that loveth his brother abideth in the light” (1 John 2: 7, 10).

The commandment of love appears repeatedly in the context of the Ten Commandments: “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to...love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13). The Jews understood in theory, that the essence of the moral law was love to God and man. In a discussion with Jesus, a Jewish law expert summarized the law this way: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ..; and thy neighbour as thyself” (Luke 10:27).

In the Bible, the concepts of law and love are synonymous. Love is the fulfilling of the law: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:2, 3). When Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you,” He fulfilled His mission of restoring the true meaning of the law (see Matthew 5:17-18).

Q. Why do you emphasize commandment keeping? Aren’t the Ten Commandments under the Old Covenant? Christians are under the New Covenant of Grace.

A. The promise of the New Covenant is actually a prophecy first recorded in Jeremiah 31:31. The Apostle Paul applied this proph-ecy to the work of Jesus as our High Priest at the right hand of God (see Hebrews 8). Notice the description of this covenant from Hebrews 8:10:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”

Here we are assured that the New Covenant involves commandment keeping.

When we are crucified with Christ, Christ lives in us and we live by His faith. When Jesus lives in our hearts by faith and His life is ours, we will say to God as Jesus said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” The new covenant is Jesus’ promises to God to keep His law. If Jesus abides in our heart, then He keeps His law through us. This is the righteousness by faith that Paul talks about (Philippians 3:9). It is not our righteousness; It is Christ’s. This is the new covenant.

Vol.10 No.4

Q. My church teaches the Ten Commandments are no longer binding on Christians because we are now under grace. Isn’t this confirmed by Paul’s statement that the law was abolished when it was nailed to the cross?

A. While many believe that the cross did away with the law, the Bible teaches that the law is still in existence today. Since the death of Christ, crime and corruption have continued to plague our world. These and all other sins are a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4). The Bible tells us that “where no law is, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15). Sin’s prevalence in society proves that God’s law is still in existence. If the Ten Commandments had been abolished at the cross, sin would have been abolished as well. Without sin there could be no guilt and, consequently, no need of forgiveness. This logic means no one today would need a personal Savior!

What law, then, was abolished at the cross? Ephesians 2:15 tells us, “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” Notice the word ordinances. “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” (Colossians 2:14). The law nailed to the cross of Christ is one contained in ordinances. 

The Bible speaks about two laws—the moral law and the ceremonial law. A little comparison between the two makes this apparent.

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses a copy of the moral law He had spoken to Israel in a fiery demonstration. This law was written on tables of stone with the “finger of God” (Exodus 31:18). Moses says, “I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me” (Deuteronomy 10:5).

The ceremonial law, on the other hand, is comprised of feasts, offerings, and sacrifices involved in the Jewish system. Much of this can be found in the book of Leviticus. As God spoke these to Moses, he wrote the “words of this law in a book.” Moses commanded the Levites, “Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee” (Deuteronomy 31:24, 26). Two laws—one written by God and one by Moses, one on stone and another in a book, one placed in the ark and the other in a side pocket. Only the latter, the ceremonial law, can be said to be “contained in ordinances” and to be “against us.”

God gave the ceremonial laws when sin entered the world. Every feast and offering pointed the people to Jesus who would redeem them from sin. When He, the Lamb of God, paid the ultimate sacrifice, the ceremonial law ended. This was symbolized by the temple veil being torn from top to bottom at His death. The sacrifices had met their fulfillment in Christ. On the other hand, the Ten Commandments will exist for eternity. “All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever” (Psalm 111:7, 8).

Through Jesus we do receive grace, but it is not a license to sin. Rather grace breaks the dominion of sin in the life (Romans 6:14). For this to be, grace must be God’s power given to man to obey the law. Instead of grace making void the law, it establishes it.

Vol.10 No.4

Q. Could you explain why in the Old Testament a God of love commanded the Israelites to destroy their enemies, including women, children, and livestock?

A. Why would God contradict His own unchanging law, “Thou shalt not kill”? (Exodus 20:13). God is love. His love is so great that He sent Jesus to die for us.

But He is also a God of justice. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face” (Psalm 89:14). He does things purposefully.

In Joshua 6:18 God instructed the Israelites to “keep yourselves from the accursed thing .…” Chapter 7 shows Achan’s disobedience.

“Achan … took of the accursed thing …”(verse 1). Achan’s sins, including stealing and covetousness, caused Israel to lose the battle against Ai.

Achan refused to confess his sins, therefore God pointed out him and his family as guilty. He had the chance to confess willingly, but did not do so because he felt no sorrow. As a result of not living according to God’s standards, Achan and his family perished.

God loves us like parents love their children. Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God …” (Romans 8:38). He tells us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love …” (Jeremiah 31:3).

But we are also told “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).

To our merciful God the act of punishment is a “strange act” (Isaiah 28:21). An example of this is found in Exodus, chapter 17. The Lord told Moses that He would “utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Amalek had taken an oath by their gods that Israel should be utterly consumed, and Israel’s God brought down so He wouldn’t be able to deliver them out of Amalekite hands.

The Amalekites had a long probation, then God appointed them to utter destruction. He designed that Israel not preserve anything which He had cursed. He wished the surrounding nations to see the end of the Amalekite rebels, that they were destroyed by those whom they had despised. The Israelites were fulfilling God’s command to Moses.

Through the prophet Samuel, God instructed King Saul: “utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” (1 Samuel 15:2, 3). “Saul and the people spared ... all that was good ... and would not utterly destroy them ...” (verse 9). These latter verses tell us why Saul was punished. He had disobeyed God and preserved that which God had cursed and appointed to death (the Amalekites and their possessions).

In another instance, Moses’ cousin Korah, a man of ability and influence, coveted Aaron’s priestly position. Dathan and Abiram claimed Moses’ civil authority belonged to them as leading princes from the tribe of Reuben. “And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron … ” (Numbers 16:2, 3).

Next, we read Korah’s accusations. Israel had seen God’s judgment fall upon Miriam because of her jealous complaints against Moses (Numbers 12:8). However, their minds had harbored sin and were controlled by Satan.

Jealousy lead to envy and envy to rebellion. After a whole night of probation, judgment began (Numbers 12:31–50). The earth swallowed some of the rebels; fire and a plague consumed the rest. Stubborn persistence had sealed their doom.

When one of His Commandments is broken and sinners hold on to their sins Jesus cannot plead for them. God loves us, but if we continue to sin, even though we know what’s right, then “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Vol.13 No.3

Q. My church teaches the Ten Commandments are no longer binding on Christians because we are now under grace. Isn’t this confirmed by Paul’s statement that the law was abolished when it was nailed to the cross?

A. While many believe that the cross did away with the law, the Bible teaches that the law is still in existence today. Since the death of Christ, crime and corruption have continued to plague our world. These and all other sins result from transgression of God’s law. 1 John 3:4. The Bible tells us that “where no law is, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15. By admitting that sin is still prevalent in society, people acknowledge some code of correct behavior. This code, in most societies, reflects God’s Ten Commandments. If the Commandments were abolished at the cross, there would be no basis for sin, because sin needs to be defined.

Without a knowledge of sin, there would be no feeling of guilt, thus, no felt need of forgiveness from God. Consequently, there would be no need of a Saviour from sin. What law, then, was abolished at the cross? Ephesians 2:15 tells us, “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…” Notice the word ordinances. Colossians 2:14 states: “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.” The law nailed to the cross of Christ is one contained in ordinances.

Two of the laws the Bible speaks about are the moral law and the ceremonial law. A comparison between the two makes this apparent.

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses a copy of the moral law He had spoken to Israel in a fiery demonstration. This law was on “tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18.

Moses said, “And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.” Deuteronomy 10: 5.

The ceremonial law, on the other hand, is comprised of feasts, offerings, and sacrifices involved in the Jewish system. Much of this instruction can be found in the Book of Leviticus. “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.” Deuteronomy 31: 24-26. Two laws—one written by God and one by Moses, one on stone and the other in a side compartment. Only the latter, the ceremonial law, can be said to be “contained in ordinances” and to be “against us.”

God gave the ceremonial laws when sin entered the world. Every feast and offering pointed the people to Jesus who would redeem them from sin. When He, the Lamb of God, paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross, the ceremonial law ended. The temple veil was torn from top to bottom, and the sacrifices had met their fulfillment. Mark 15: 37, 38, Matthew 29: 50, 51.

On the other hand, the Ten Commandments will exist for eternity. “All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.” Psalm 111: 7, 8.

Through Jesus we do receive grace, but it is not license to sin. Grace breaks the dominion of sin in the life because grace is God’s power given to obey the law. Romans 6: 1, 2, 14. Instead of making void the law, grace establishes it through faith in Jesus’ death. Romans 3:31.