Romans 10:1-21 The End of the Law

Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation... For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness... if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, " whoever believes in him will not be disappointed ." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;... However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, " Lord , who has believed our report ?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.Romans 10:1-21

Israel rejected the gift of grace offered through Jesus, and chose instead to continue following the Law of Moses.

The problem with the Law, as with any religion with its rules and rituals, is that it is impossible to be 100% perfect in the letter of the law. It is written in James 2.10-11, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law."

This has nothing to do with desire or motivation. Israel had a great zeal for God. Their desire was to be righteous. But as it says in verse 3, in seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

But Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

God doesn't want us to play by the rules. He wants us to walk in the Spirit. The righteousness of a Spirit filled believer is greater than that of any who follows the rules.

Perhaps you were raised in a tradition that says something like, "You must pray at least one hour a day", implying that if you don't, you're not spiritual, and not a "good Christian". But when talking with God becomes a chore to be completed, then the act becomes carnal. Even prayer, if done without faith, or with the wrong motives, can become a sin.

Or, you may have heard, "You must not drink, gamble, carouse, or do any other thing of which we disapprove." The quickest way to drive a young person to drink is to tell him he can't do it. There's no getting around the fact that we have a rebellious nature. 

What's sad is that generation after generation of young people grow up with these rules and prove that they can't keep them. Then they mature into adults and pass the same rules down to their children.

But true righteousness before God doesn't come from "doing the right thing". It comes from faith. Salvation is a gift which cannot be earned - only received. How is it received? Through confession and faith. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

From that point forward the Christian life is lived the same way: not by rules, but by faith.