Did the Messiah Bring the Torah to an End?

Understanding Romans 10:4 in Its Jewish Context

One Verse—Two Very Different Conclusions

Few verses have generated more discussion than Romans 10:4.

The NASB95 reads:

"For Messiah is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Many readers immediately conclude that Paul is teaching the Torah has come to an end.

Yet this conclusion raises an important question.

How could Paul write that the Torah has ended when, elsewhere, he says:

Romans 3:31 (NASB95)

"Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law."

Likewise,

Romans 7:12 (NASB95)

"So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."

And again,

Acts 24:14 (NASB95)

"...I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Torah and that is written in the Prophets."

If Paul consistently speaks positively of the Torah, should Romans 10:4 be understood as announcing its abolition?

Or is another meaning possible?

The Meaning of Telos

The Greek word translated "end" is:

τέλος

(telos)

Like many words, telos possesses several meanings.

It may refer to:

• an end or termination;

• a goal;

• an objective;

• a culmination;

• a purpose;

• an intended outcome.

English uses the word "end" in much the same way.

Suppose someone says,

"The end of education is wisdom."

No one imagines education ceases once wisdom is attained.

Instead, wisdom is education's intended goal.

Likewise,

"The end of a journey is home."

Home is both the destination and the purpose toward which the journey moves.

This broader understanding of telos is well attested in Greek literature and lexicons such as BDAG and Liddell-Scott-Jones.

The question, therefore, is not whether telos can mean "end."

It certainly can.

The question is which nuance best fits Paul's argument.

Reading Romans as a Whole

Romans is a carefully constructed letter.

Paul spends the first several chapters demonstrating that both Jews and Gentiles stand in need of God's mercy.

He then explains justification through faith.

At no point does he suggest that the Torah itself is defective.

Rather, the problem lies in sinful humanity.

The Torah reveals and defines sin, but it does more than merely identify humanity’s guilt. For many unintentional sins and specified offenses, the Torah provided acts of repentance, confession, restitution, and sacrifice through which atonement was made and forgiveness was granted (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:5–6; 6:4–7). It would therefore be inaccurate to suggest that the Torah could do nothing about the guilt of sin. At the same time, not every transgression had a sacrificial remedy; deliberate, high-handed rebellion required something more than ritual observance (Numbers 15:30–31). Shaul’s point is not that the Torah was defective, but that it was never intended to become an independent means by which sinful human beings could establish their own righteousness apart from repentance, faith, and the mercy of The Almighty.

Consequently, when Shaul arrives at Romans 10, he is discussing Israel’s pursuit of righteousness—not announcing the termination of the commandments. The Torah’s provisions for atonement, its priesthood, its promises, and its instruction all belong to the larger redemptive purpose that reaches its culmination in the Mashiach.

Many sought righteousness through covenant membership while failing to recognize the One toward whom the Torah itself pointed.

Thus he writes:

Romans 10:3–4 (NASB95)

"For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Messiah is the telos of the Torah for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Notice the subject.

Paul is discussing righteousness, not whether the commandments remain God's instruction for covenant living.

The Torah Points Toward the Messiah

Paul's argument is not unique.

Yeishua himself taught:

John 5:39 (NASB95)

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me."

Likewise,

Luke 24:27 (NASB95)

"Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

The Torah was never an end in itself.

It pointed beyond itself.

Its sacrifices.

Its priesthood.

Its festivals.

Its promises.

Its covenants.

Its prophetic hope.

All anticipated the coming work of the Messiah.

In that sense, Messiah is indeed the telos of the Torah.

He is its destination.

A Jewish Way of Thinking

Paul's language would have sounded familiar within first-century Judaism.

Jewish literature frequently speaks of creation itself moving toward its intended purpose.

One striking example appears in Genesis Rabbah, where Rabbi Hoshaiah comments:

"The world was created only for the sake of the Messiah."

Likewise, other rabbinic passages connect creation with the coming redemption and the reign of the Messiah.

Although these writings were compiled later, they preserve traditions reflecting ideas already circulating within Judaism.

The point is not that Paul quotes these traditions.

Rather, they demonstrate a distinctly Jewish way of thinking.

History moves toward God's appointed goal.

Creation itself has a purpose.

The Torah likewise possesses a purpose.

It prepares the way for the Messiah.

If this conceptual background formed part of Paul's worldview, then describing Messiah as the telos of the Torah would naturally mean that he is its intended goal rather than its cancellation.

The Promise to Abraham

Paul makes this connection elsewhere.

Galatians 3:24 (NASB95)

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith."

The Torah functions as a teacher.

A teacher does not become worthless because the student graduates.

Rather, the teacher has accomplished his purpose.

Likewise, Messiah fulfills the Torah's redemptive purpose without rendering God's instruction obsolete.

Fulfillment Is Not Abolition

Yeishua himself declared:

Matthew 5:17 (NASB95)

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."

Fulfillment does not imply destruction.

A prophecy is fulfilled.

It is not abolished.

A promise is fulfilled.

It is not cancelled.

Likewise, the Messiah fulfills the Torah's purpose while simultaneously revealing its deepest meaning.

Paul's Continuing Respect for the Torah

Throughout Acts, Paul repeatedly demonstrates respect for the Torah.

He purified himself in the Temple.

He participated in vows.

He testified:

Acts 25:8 (NASB95)

"I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against Caesar."

James likewise describes thousands of Jewish believers as

Acts 21:20 (NASB95)

"...zealous for the Torah."

If Paul believed the Torah had ended, these statements become difficult to explain.

If, however, Messiah is understood as the Torah's intended goal and fullest revelation, the pieces fit together naturally.

Righteousness Through the Messiah

The final phrase of Romans 10:4 is often overlooked.

Paul writes:

"...for righteousness to everyone who believes."

This is the key.

The discussion concerns how righteousness is obtained.

The Torah was never intended to function as an independent means of earning justification before God.

Its sacrifices anticipated forgiveness.

Its priesthood anticipated mediation.

Its promises anticipated redemption.

All ultimately find their fulfillment in the work of the Messiah.

Paul's concern is therefore not whether believers should continue valuing God's instruction.

His concern is that righteousness comes through faith in God's Messiah rather than through confidence in human achievement.

Conclusion

Romans 10:4 has often been understood to teach that the Messiah brought the Torah to an end.

Yet when the verse is read within its literary, linguistic, and Jewish context, another picture emerges.

The Greek word telos certainly may mean "end."

But it also denotes a goal, purpose, or intended destination.

Paul consistently speaks positively about the Torah throughout his letters.

Yeishua declares that the Torah testifies concerning him.

The Torah itself points forward to redemption.

Creation moves toward God's appointed purpose.

The Messiah therefore stands not as the destroyer of the Torah, but as the One toward whom it has always pointed.

In that sense, Paul proclaims a profoundly Jewish truth.

The Torah finds its goal in the Messiah because the Messiah reveals the Torah's fullest purpose.

Far from abolishing God's instruction, he embodies it, teaches it, and calls his followers to live it through faithful covenant relationship with The Almighty.

Word Study: τέλος (Telos)

Greek: τέλος

Transliteration: telos

Lexical Range

• end

• goal

• objective

• culmination

• fulfillment

• purpose

• outcome

Representative Uses

Romans 6:22

"...the outcome (telos), eternal life."

Here telos means result, not termination.

1 Timothy 1:5

"But the goal (telos) of our instruction is love from a pure heart..."

Paul himself uses telos to mean goal or aim, not cessation.

This usage provides an important clue to how he may also be employing the word in Romans 10:4.

Selected References

Bauer, W., Danker, F. W., Arndt, W. F., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Dunn, J. D. G. (1988). Romans 9–16. Word Biblical Commentary.

Jewett, R. (2007). Romans. Hermeneia.

Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., & Jones, H. S. (1996). A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Wright, N. T. (2002). Romans. In The New Interpreter's Bible (Vol. 10).

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