The apostle Paul declares a transformative truth: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4, ESV). In Christ, the Law’s requirement for righteousness finds its perfect terminus and fulfillment. A believer, therefore, is severed from the old covenant of statutes and ushered into a new reality of grace. One cannot dwell in both realms; genuine faith in Jesus necessitates a decisive departure from the old self, embodying a life aligned with His teachings. As Christ was wholly devoted to the Father’s will, so must His followers demonstrate an undivided commitment to Him. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be a believer.
Grace in the New Covenant, unlike the law, frees us from depending on our own efforts, which can easily lead to pride. If entering God’s Kingdom were based on personal achievements, salvation might be possible, but pride lies at the root of all sin. This means that someone who kept the law perfectly could still become proud of doing what others cannot.
Since all have sinned, the debt had to be paid by Jesus Christ, whose perfect sacrifice made it possible to wipe away humanity’s sins. God’s standard values compassion over self-serving actions. At the core of Christianity is taking responsibility for the sins of others, just as Jesus did, which is why His teaching emphasizes serving others over seeking personal glory.
Though Jesus took on flesh, His mind and mission were anchored entirely in the Spirit. The Mosaic Law, given in view of human weakness and sin, holds no jurisdiction over those who live by the Spirit’s power. This divine Spirit operates on a plane far above the flesh-bound ordinances. Thus, Christ Himself embodies the righteousness we could never achieve, becoming the sole conduit of salvation’s good news. Apart from Him, humanity remains under eternal condemnation. Comparing yourself to others is pointless, as it only pulls you away from Christ.
Israel’s history under the Law was a provisional chapter, a shadow cast before the coming light. The Law demanded compliance but could not impart the life to fully grasp its depth. The kingdom of Israel merely prefigured the eternal Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus. This is heralded in the angel’s proclamation to Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33, ESV).
This truth challenges human constructs. The child born to Mary was truly human, designated the Son of the Most High. Yet, through faith in Him, humanity’s original destiny is restored. We were all created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), a reality fractured by sin but redeemed in Christ. Paul’s radical declaration underscores this: the temporary law given through Moses cannot compare to the eternal restoration offered in Jesus. The Jewish scriptures themselves point to a Prophet like Moses to whom all must listen (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
If this Prophet is Jesus—and He is—then any theological system that obscures His unique mediatorial role must be re-examined. In His act of sacrifice, Jesus never demanded worship from humanity. Jesus did not come into this world through some supernatural manifestation. Though He was God, He came through the simplest and most humble of human systems.
This raises a pivotal question: upon what foundation does our faith rest? Jesus warned of building on the sand of human teaching versus the rock of His words (Matthew 7:24-27). There is a profound distinction between applying theologians’ commentaries and applying the direct teachings of Christ. The Gospels provide a clear portrait of Jesus for those who seek Him. Even Paul, the erudite Pharisee, subsumed his scholarship under the supreme revelation of Christ crucified and risen.
Why, then, is Christ the end of the Law? The Law’s purpose was to define holiness and expose sin, but it could not cure the fatal flaw within humanity. Christ, the perfect and sinless one, fulfills its demand and transcends its curse. The central human dilemma is not a lack of rules, but a resistance to the Light Himself. Since Adam, humanity has grown accustomed to darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5, ESV). Pride and self-reliance cling to this darkness, rejecting the Light that exposes pretense.
Jesus offers not a novel philosophy, but the restoration of the primordial blueprint. He returns us to the “image of God” from which we have fallen. Today’s broken humanity stands in stark contrast to this divine image, necessitating a deliverer. That deliverer is Jesus. As John proclaims, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, ESV).
To believe in His name, therefore, is to transfer the full weight of our trust onto Him—to build our entire existence upon His person and promise. This is the crisis of faith: light invades darkness, and one must choose. The Law belongs to the realm of shadow; it has no power over those who walk in the Light of Christ.
This tension divides many. Some Christians, rightly citing Jesus’ words that He did not come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17), struggle to distinguish between its spiritual principle fulfilled in Christ and its fleshly administration. Others, rightly proclaiming we are “not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14), sometimes fail to articulate the call to the Spirit-empowered holiness that grace produces. Both can stumble by confusing the realms of flesh and Spirit.
Following Christ is not an intellectual adjustment but a total surrender. It requires forsaking all, even oneself (Luke 14:33). One cannot genuinely believe in Jesus while clinging to the world’s value systems. This is the pitfall of excessive reliance on theological systems: they often seek worldly credibility and mutual glory, rather than the glory that comes from God alone. Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees remains pertinent: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me” (John 5:46, ESV).
True belief in Jesus means trusting His words absolutely, even when they appear as confounding human logic. It is the surrender of self-reliance so that Christ may live His life through us. Those who strive wholeheartedly to align with His standard, relying solely on His grace, are those He is not ashamed to call brothers. In Him, and Him alone, the search for righteousness finds its end, and the soul finds its rest.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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