Christ; the End of the Law
A Sermon on Romans 10:4
Originally preached May 31, 1963
Scripture
4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Romans 10:4 titled “Christ, the End of the Law,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that this Scripture is the charter for all Christians and it sets them free. In this verse, Paul proclaims that Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness. He means that the law was not temporary but it is eternal. God is not doing away with the law but rather upholding the law. It is an expression of God’s holy character and what He expects of the human race. So how is Christ the end of the law? Christ has fulfilled the law and done this for all who believe in Him. He came into the world as a God-man born under the law, lived a life of perfect obedience to the law, and died to satisfy the punishment of the law. The fulfillment is true because God raised Him from the dead. No one else was able to do this. Christ is the end of the law for all who believe. The moment a Christian believes in Christ, all that Christ has done for them becomes true of them since they have been united with Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Jews were right to realize the seriousness and importance of the law.
- Any teaching of salvation that does not express itself in terms of the law is false.
- Christ is absolutely central and crucial to salvation.
- Christ is the end of the law, not by abolishing it, but by fulfilling it through living a perfect life and dying on the cross.
- The law is eternal and still expresses God's character and what He expects of us.
- Christ alone fulfilled the law; no one else could.
- Christ is the end of the law only for those who believe in Him. There is no universalism.
- To believe in Christ means to recognize you are condemned by the law, but rely on Christ alone.
- When we believe in Christ, all He is and did becomes true of us. We died with Him, so we are dead to the law and not condemned by it.
- There is no condemnation for those in Christ; we are secure in Him.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.