The God Culture: What Does "Christ Is The End Of The Law" Mean?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has another Foundations series lesson. This time he is exploring what it means for Christ to be the end of the law. It's truly amazing how wrong he is. He literally ignores verses that contradict him. But, let's take a look.

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FOUNDATIONS – Week 25

WHAT DOES "CHRIST (Messiah) IS THE END OF THE LAW" MEAN?

Key Texts:

Romans 10:3–4

Matthew 5:17–20

Hebrews 13:8

One of the most quoted verses in Christianity is:

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

(Romans 10:4)

But what does Paul mean?

Many assume this means:

"The Law ended."

Yet the very Messiah being discussed said:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

(Matthew 5:17)

Let us not pretend one changing the definition of the word "fulfill" to mean "passed away" represents any responsible dictionary. It means He kept the Law perfectly which must be the case if He knew no sin (James 3:2: sin = "transgression of the law").

He then added:

"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law."

That is a trigger point a Bible reader cannot miss as Peter related Heaven and Earth pass on the Day of Judgment and not until.

So if Yahusha did not abolish the Law, what is Paul saying?

The context begins in the previous verse:

"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

(Romans 10:3)

Paul's discussion is about righteousness. He dismisses the view of ignorance before even making the statement as to redefine "righteousness" which many church doctrines are complicit in abandoning scripture in new strange doctrine.

Messiah is the goal, culmination, and perfect expression of righteousness.

The Greek word translated "end" is τέλος, télos, which can mean goal, purpose, aim, fulfillment, completion, or final objective.

A marathon runner reaches the finish line.

The finish line does not abolish running.

A student reaches graduation.

Graduation does not abolish learning.

A baseball pitcher throws a perfect game.

Such execution does not abolish baseball for him or anyone.

Likewise, Messiah perfectly fulfilled the righteousness the Law describes. That denotes the act of keeping the law He said He would not abolish.

He is not the end of righteousness bringing chaos in rebellion. Heaven forbid.

He is the perfect example of it.

In fact, Hebrews declares:

"Jesus Christ (Yahusha Messiah) the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

(Hebrews 13:8)

If He is our example, should those who follow Him seek to walk as He walked?

Question:

When Paul says Messiah is the "end" (télos) of the Law, does the context suggest abolition—or fulfillment of its righteous purpose?

Yah Bless.

It is amazing how close Tim can get to the truth and then flub it! Yes, Christ "perfectly fulfilled the righteousness the Law describes" but the Bible goes much further than that. Galatians 3 is very specific that we are no longer under the law. 

Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

How about Romans 6:14:

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

How about Ephesians 2:15:

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Why does Tim NEVER comment on these verses?  Because they rebuke his heretical theology. And the New Testament is replete with such verses telling us we are no longer under the law.

But let's get a word in from noted theologian Father Ted Crilly.

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down with a firm clunk and leans forwardI’ve read Tim’s latest Foundations lesson — “What Does ‘Christ is the End of the Law’ Mean?” — and Jaysus, Mary and Joseph... he gets so close, yet still manages to flub it in the exact same way he always does.What Tim is doingHe takes the famous verse:

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:4)

And says “end” (telos) doesn’t really mean end. It means goal, purpose, or fulfillment. So Jesus is the perfect example of the law, and we should keep walking in it just like He did. The law isn’t abolished — it’s confirmed.
He even throws in the runner reaching the finish line and the student graduating analogies. Sounds clever, right?Where he goes wrong (again)This is the classic God Culture move: take a true statement (“Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly”) and twist it to mean the law is still fully binding on Christians today in the same way.
But look at the context Tim conveniently skips:
Romans 10 is Paul explaining why many Israelites missed salvation. They were trying to establish their own righteousness by works of the law instead of submitting to God’s righteousness, which comes by faith in Christ (Romans 10:3).
Then comes verse 4:

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

Paul is not saying Jesus is the goal so we can keep running the same race better. He is saying Christ is the termination point of the law as a way of attaining righteousness. The law’s job as a covenant system for making people right with God is finished. Christ has taken its place.
This matches everything else Paul wrote:

• “You are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
• “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness...” (Romans 10:4)
• The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutor. (Galatians 3:24-25)

The Pattern Is ExhaustingEvery single Foundations lesson ends up in the same place:

• Grace saves... but the law directs.
• Faith receives... but obedience (to Torah) proves it.
• Fulfillment means... we still keep the law.
• Now “the end of the law” means... the law never really ended.

Tim cannot let the law go. He has to keep dragging it back into the New Covenant as the main operating system for Christians.Father Ted’s Plain Verdict

This is not responsible Bible teaching.

This is law-keeping theology trying to sound balanced.

Jesus did fulfill the law — perfectly. He lived it, He embodied it, and then He died under its curse so that we could be declared righteous by faith apart from its works. That’s why Paul can boldly say Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Tim wants the law to still be the director of the Christian life.

Paul says Christ has taken that position.

Down with this sort of thing, lad.

Very, very careful now.

The gospel is not “Jesus kept the law perfectly so now we can keep it too.”

The gospel is “Jesus kept the law perfectly and then died under its curse so we could be free from it and live by the Spirit.”

That’s the difference between law and grace.
...Right, I’m off to read Romans 10 and Galatians 3 again and thank the Lord that Christ really is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep spotting the same sleight-of-hand. Tim’s “Foundations” are built on sand. The real foundation is Christ and Him crucified. The gospel is so much better and freer than what he keeps offering. Keep holding fast to it.