Sermon Tone Analysis

*Is Christ the End of the Law?*

by John K. McKee \\ editor@tnnonline.net

*You will need Hebrew and Greek fonts to properly view this document.*

*Did the work of the Messiah terminate the Law of Moses?

What does Romans 10:4 actually mean?

Is the born again Believer still subject to the Torah?*

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*Introduction*

A fundamental principle of Christianity is "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

In theory, modern Christians claim to honor the Bible as if all of it is the inspired, inerrant word of the Lord.

However, in practice, the same cannot be said, especially when it comes to most Christians' attitude concerning the five books of Moses (Genesis --- Deuteronomy), commonly called the Torah.[1][1]

The psalmist writes, "Doing your will, my God, is my joy; your /Torah/ is in my inmost being" (Psalms 40:8, CJB) and "If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction" (Psalms 119:92).

Yeshua tells us in Matthew 19:17 "if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

These fundamental concepts are admittedly hard to understand for today's Christian.

Have we not also been taught, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, /it is/ the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) and "if righteousness /comes/ through the Law, then Christ died needlessly" (Galatians 2:21)?

These too are fundamental concepts of our faith.

The Apostle Paul writes "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

We are to be very careful when handling Holy Scripture, especially if one claims that certain parts of it, such as the Law of Moses, are no longer for today's Believer.

As Yeshua warns, "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19a).

What is the average Christian to do about these "contradictions" in the pages of the Bible?

From one perspective, we could argue that the Torah is not for the Believer whereas from another, we could come to the conclusion that a Believer must and should be honoring of God's commands.

Rather than be dogmatic about a particular persuasion, let truth be our ultimate quest.

Let us understand that the Bible has no contradictions and that it is our job to seek what is true above all else, even our own opinions.

Through the advent of the Messianic movement and many Christians embracing the Hebraic heritage of our faith, many have been led to study and honor the Torah.

But at the same time, there are concerns that exist, the first one being "you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

Letting /the whole of Scripture/ be our guide, we will set straight many of Christianity's misconceptions, as "The /Torah/ of /Adonai// /is perfect, restoring the inner person.

The instruction of /Adonai/ is sure, making wise the thoughtless" (Psalms 19:7, CJB).

As Yeshua told the Pharisees, "if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me" (John 5:46).

We seek Scriptural continuity and seek to truly honor the /entire/ Word of God, including His Torah, making Yeshua be our Interpreter.

*Initial Christian Misgivings About "The Law"*

When many Christians think about the Torah of Moses, they conjure up a listing of rules and regulations given by a God who will "strike them down" if they disobey.

They fail to observe that much of modern Western government is in fact based on the writings of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Even more so, the United States of America has more laws than any other country on the face of this planet, and it is considered the world's freest nation!

As far as personal understanding or application is concerned, the Torah is not just "the Law."

The Hebrew /torah/ (hrwt) is defined as "law, direction, instruction" and could also be called "teaching."[2][2]

Depending on your perspective, you can treat God's commandments as "orders" or as the loving Instructions of a Heavenly Father.

The Apostle John writes, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

Most of our controversy concerning the validity Torah is not going to come from the Old Testament (Tanakh).

It will rather come from the New Testament and Christian misunderstandings or biased translations of certain Greek words.

One such example is exists with the Greek noun /nomos/ (nomoß)[3][3] commonly translated as "law."

Imperative to a proper New Covenant understanding of /nomos/ is that this word is an /all-inclusive/ Greek term entailing: law, teaching, instruction, rules, or natural laws of the universe.

When the New Testament speaks of "the law," it is important to determine /what law/ it is speaking of.

Is the /nomos/ mentioned the Law~/Torah of Moses, or is it a spiritual law such as the law of sin and death?

Some would agree with what has thus far been mentioned.

Very few Christians will say that the Law of Moses "did not serve a purpose," but didn't Jesus say, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17)?

They will agree that Yeshua did not come to "destroy" (KJV) the Law, but hasn't He already fulfilled it?

To this we answer *yes and no.*

The Greek verb translated "fulfill" in Matthew 5:17, /pleroo/ (plhrow), notably means "to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim," or more importantly, "to make complete in every particular, to render perfect."[4][4]

We know that in order to be the promised Messiah of Israel, Yeshua must have observed the Torah of Moses perfectly as He is our Passover Lamb and blameless sacrifice.

Thus, He fulfilled Torah by living it without error.

If we continue reading Yeshua's critical admonition in Matthew 5:18-19, the reader will discover some perplexing statements:

"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others /to do/ the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches /them,/ he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:18-19).

In these verses, the Messiah very clearly tells us "until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18).

Now we would ask the reader, has all been accomplished?

Have the prophesies within the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) been fulfilled?

Be aware that the foremost of these prophesies is Messiah's return to establish His Kingdom --- which has not occurred.

We would have to answer *no* to these questions.

Furthermore, what did Yeshua mean by stating "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others /to do/ the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches /them,/ he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19)?

Was He telling the Believer that he needs to honor the commandments of Moses?

Did not Messiah tell us "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23)?

As the Power New Testament translates Matthew 7:23, "I will declare to them that 'I never knew you: you working without Torah must continually depart from me.'"

This, of course, opens up an entirely new range of theological questions.

Your average Christian's understanding of Holy Scripture primarily comes from the epistles of Paul, which were letters written to various communities of Believers in Messiah to address problems that each of those communities had.

In fact, some have gone as far as to say that Christians need not concern himself with Yeshua's words, because He "was speaking to the Jews" and that Paul was "apostle to the [so-called] Gentiles."[5][5]

And most of Paul's writing is actually commentary on the Torah!

This perspective of Scripture, and most importantly the Law of Moses, is totally unwarranted and unbiblical.

In fact, throughout his writings Paul upholds the validity of the Torah, stating that "the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7:12).

In Romans 3:31, the Apostle writes, "Do we then nullify the Law through faith?

May it never be!

On the contrary, we establish the Law."

The Greek verb translated "established" here, /histemi/ (istemi), actually means "to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything."[6][6]

Some might argue at this point that they are "under the law of Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21, CJB; Galatians 6:2), which would be correct.

/But Who is He?/ Is not Yeshua YHVH Elohim, the Lord God made manifest in the flesh?

As Adonai (the Lord), was not Messiah at Mt. Sinai giving the commandments to Moses? 1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that Ancient Israel "drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Messiah" (CJB).

*To deny that the Torah composes Yeshua's commandments, says that He is not YHVH Elohim (the Lord God) and thus denies His divinity.*

Others would argue that the Law of Moses was "for Israel." 2 Kings 17:37 states that "the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment, which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever."

They misunderstand the fact that Yeshua came as Messiah of Israel telling us "on this Rock I will/ /restore[7][7] My /called out/ assembly" (Matthew 16:18, Author's Compiled Translation) and that at Pentecost Peter declared "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him (Yeshua) both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

Most important, the Apostle Paul has written that *all Believers* are members of the "commonwealth of Israel, [formerly] strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).

Born again Believers are /not/ part of a separate group of elect known as "the Church."[8][8]

There is a plethora of references throughout the pages of the Bible telling us that the Torah is "everlasting" or "for all generations" (Exodus 27:21; 28:43; 29:28; 30:21; 31:17; Leviticus 6:18, 22; 7:34, 36; 10:9, 15; 17:7; 23:14, 21, 41; 24:3; Numbers 10:8; 15:15; 18:8, 11, 19, 23; 19:10; Deuteronomy 5:19; Psalms 119:160).

But why do we have those trying to tell us otherwise?

Are there those within Christianity whose /traditions are more important/ to them than Scriptural truth?

In the manner of how the early Reformers challenged the papacy, so we question the modern Christian concept of the eternal Torah of YHVH being annulled.

*What Does Romans 10:4 Actually Mean?*

We now arrive at the heart of the matter.

In most Bibles Romans 10:4 is translated, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

The first part of the verse, "Christ is the end of the law," is a cause of much confusion within Christianity today.

First, it would seem to contradict Jesus' admonition to us in Matthew 5:17-19.

Second, it would also contradict Paul's writing in Romans 7:12.

The truth is that Messiah is /not/ the "end" of the Law of Moses.

The Greek word translated as "end" in Romans 10:4 is /telos/ (teloß), meaning "the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose."[9][9]

(A footnote in the NASB for/ /"end" actually reads "or goal.")

Greek scholar Spiros Zodihates, offers us with some valuable commentary by stating that /telos/ "...does not, as is commonly supposed, mean the extinction, end, termination with reference to time, but the goal reached, the completion or conclusion at which something arrives...or as a result, acme, consummation..."[10][10] The Complete Jewish Bible probably translates Romans 10:4 best, "For the goal at which the /Torah/ aims is the Messiah, who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts."

More generic English Bible translations such as the Contemporary English Version translate Romans 10:4 as "But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable by God through faith."

Interestingly enough, a footnote exists in the CEV stating, /or/ "But Christ gives full meaning to the Law."

Romans 10:4 also brings us to a more perplexing paradigm, what does it mean "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes"?

This passage of Scripture continues, explaining,

"For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.