For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that Christ isn't just the fulfillment of the law, but its purpose and destination. The entire system of the law, with all its commands and requirements, was designed to lead people to Christ as the ultimate source of righteousness they could never achieve on their own.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is explaining why his fellow Jews are struggling to find righteousness: they're trying to earn it through the Law instead of receiving it through faith in Christ. He has just argued that they have a zeal for God but lack true knowledge, leading them to pursue their own righteousness. Now, he reveals that Christ himself is the ultimate purpose and fulfillment of the Law, offering righteousness to all who believe.
Ever felt like you're trying to earn God's approval by 'being good'? The Bible has something powerful to say about that approach.
Many people, including the Israelites of Paul's day, thought the Law was the path to righteousness before God. But Paul clarifies here that the Law's primary purpose wasn't to make people righteous, but rather to reveal their need for righteousness.
What the Law Does:
The word 'end' can mean 'stop,' but in this context, it means so much more. What does Christ's 'ending' of the Law truly accomplish?
The original Greek word translated 'end' here (telos) carries a rich meaning. It doesn't just mean termination or stopping point; it also implies 'goal,' 'purpose,' or 'fulfillment.' So, Christ is the goal and fulfillment of the Law.
How Christ Fulfills:
Ask a follow-up
The verse links Christ, the Law, and righteousness directly to 'everyone who believes.' What does this 'belief' look like?
Paul contrasts the Jewish system of trying to achieve righteousness through law-keeping with the Christian way of receiving righteousness through faith in Christ. This isn't about a casual belief; it's a deep trust and reliance.
The Power of Belief:
Understand the original words
Christos · Greek Noun
The second person of the Trinity, the Messiah, whose coming fulfilled the prophetic and typological requirements of the Old Testament law.
telos · Greek Noun
In this context, it refers to the goal, completion, or termination of the law's function as a means of justification, as Christ fulfilled the law's demands perfectly.
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine statutes and instructions given through Moses, which set the standard of God's holiness and reveal human inability to meet that standard through personal effort.
pisteuō · Greek Verb
Trusting in, relying upon, and committing oneself entirely to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, which is the sole condition for receiving the righteousness of God.
This passage also describes the Law's role as a 'schoolmaster' pointing towards Christ, highlighting that Christ is the ultimate goal and fulfillment of the Law's purpose for righteousness through faith.
Matthew 5:17Jesus states He did not come to abolish the Law but to 'fulfill' it, which aligns with Romans 10:4's concept of Christ being the culmination and fulfillment of the Law's intent for righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6This Old Testament prophecy, alluded to by Paul, declares 'The Lord our righteousness,' directly connecting the concept of divine righteousness with God's anointed, echoing Romans 10:4's assertion that Christ is the source of righteousness for believers.
Philippians 3:9Paul contrasts seeking righteousness through the Law with gaining righteousness 'through faith in Christ,' reinforcing the central theme of Romans 10:4 that Christ, not the Law, is the means to righteousness for those who believe.
vincentRomans 10:4: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
The end of the law (τέλος νόμου)First in the sentence as the emphatic point of thought. Expositors differ as to the sense. 1. The aim. Either that the intent of the law was to make men righteous, which was accomplished in Christ, or that the law led to Him as a pedagogue (Galatians 3:24). 2. The fulfillment, as Matthew 5:17. 3. The termination. To believers in Christ the law has no longer legislativ…
bensonRomans 10:4: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Romans 10:4 . For — That they have not submitted themselves to God’s way of becoming righteous is evident in this, that they reject Christ, by whom alone righteousness can be obtained; Christ is the end of the law — The scope and aim of it; for righteousness — Observe, 1st, The righteousness here spoken of is evidently that which is necessary in order to eternal life, and leads to it, (see Romans 5:21…
The verse highlights that Christ isn't just the fulfillment of the law, but its purpose and destination. The entire system of the law, with all its commands and requirements, was designed to lead people to Christ as the ultimate source of righteousness they could never achieve on their own.
Paul is explaining why his fellow Jews are struggling to find righteousness: they're trying to earn it through the Law instead of receiving it through faith in Christ. He has just argued that they have a zeal for God but lack true knowledge, leading them to pursue their own righteousness. Now, he reveals that Christ himself is the ultimate purpose and fulfillment of the Law, offering righteousness to all who believe.
Paul is explaining why his fellow Jews are struggling to find righteousness: they're trying to earn it through the Law instead of receiving it through faith in Christ. He has just argued that they have a zeal for God but lack true knowledge, leading them to pursue their own righteousness. Now, he reveals that Christ himself is the ultimate purpose and fulfillment of the Law, offering righteousness to all who believe.
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." — The verse highlights that Christ isn't just the fulfillment of the law, but its purpose and destination. The entire system of the law, with all its commands and requirements, was designed to le…
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Last reviewed October 2026