Romans 10:4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Jesus Christ’s perfect and righteous life, his substitutionary death, and his life giving resurrection have ended the power of the law in our lives. The law cannot produce the righteousness it demands in our lives. It never could. In fact, the perfect law could only ever produce sin and thus death. “The letter kills” Paul said, “but the Spirit gives life.”
The question many Christians logically ask next then is “is there no more need for obedience”? “And how do we obey without law?”
The answer of course is grace. Paul also said that “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to say no to ungodliness (Titus 2:12).”
The Law is like an x-ray machine. It can reveal the broken bone inside of you but it cannot heal it. Healing comes from going deeper inside through the loving hands of the surgeon who will cut you open and re-set the bone.
Grace cuts us open. Grace reveals our true desire like law never can. Law can reveal our sin and failure but not our true desires. Grace heals our desires. It adds love to our hearts, and love drives out every controlling fear.
If Christ has ended the Law, do I no longer need to obey God? Of course the answer is yes, you need to obey. But now Grace has empowered you to obey. You are actually free to obey from love not from obligation, guilt, or attachment.
If Christ is the end of the Law, do I no longer confront other Christians? Here again the answer is yes we do confront each other. We warn, admonish, encourage, and even discipline one another at times. But again, this all comes from grace not law. Only grace- knowing our new identity and union with Christ and his perfect righteousness- can bring about the heart change that our confrontation should desire.
The grace that has appeared (that’s Jesus Christ) has taught us to say no to ungodliness. If his grace has satisfied me, then I no longer need ungodliness to satisfy me. I no longer need law keeping to satisfy my flesh. All I need is Christ.
