Elisha Vision – Commentary

Israel is not removed from God’s plan, but is restored after great judgement. Romans Chapters 9-11 clearly define Israel’s place in the eternal purpose of God. Most of this passage is clear. However, the section at the start of Chapter 10 has been wildly misunderstood.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

This verse confuses those who miss the context. It is often only partially quoted: “Christ is the end of the law.” That is not what it says. What has ended is the idea that righteousness can be earned by keeping God’s law. Jesus ended that once and for all by providing our salvation as an absolute gift of God’s grace. This is consistent with the Old Testament, for example:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and Yehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Isaiah and Jeremiah understood that man was incorrigibly corrupted by sin in his very nature. Only when Yehovah laid all of our iniquity on the Messiah, could there ever be deliverance from that nature. Now let us look at the context of Romans 10 and feel the heart of Apostle Paul. He previously had been at the top of the Pharisee food chain. If anyone could have earned righteousness it was Paul.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:1-4

Paul clearly explains in Chapter 11 that Israel will be saved in the end, but here he charges them with ignorance of “God’s righteousness.” He contrasts His great revelation of salvation by faith without works of any kind, to our human attempts to establish what he calls “their own righteousness” by keeping the law, which is impossible. God meant for us to recognize the impossibility and throw ourselves on His mercy. But instead, they (and we) go about trying to “be righteous.” We can only be free when we give up, and receive the free gift of salvation through the transaction of the blood of the Lamb and Messiah. What a relief, when we realize He does not expect us to “get righteous” by perfectly keeping the law and never sin in any way!

The Law has not ended. The wicked will be judged by the Law. What ended was revealed in the last, often skipped, phrase: “end of the law for righteousness.” In their zeal they tried to keep the law, ignorantly thinking it was possible. But now we are believing by faith in the finished work of the resurrected Messiah. They also will be saved by having faith in the Jewish Messiah. Thank you, Yeshua ben Yehovah!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for seasonal rains.

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                (Read more)