Dispensational Law

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Clearly the point here is regarding the sinless character and righteousness of Christ. Paul makes the same point in Romans 3 and in Galatians 3 – the Law was never intended as a means for the lost to become saved or to become righteous -- as if one could “honor parents enough to make up for having sinned”. Rather the Law points to Christ - and points to our need of Christ for it is FROM Christ. The Law does not direct us to itself but it directs us to our need of Christ as the means of righteousness. It is only as we have true understanding of sin (And the Law of God defines what sin is 1John 3:4, Romans 7) and of our coming short of the requirements of God (for the Law is the WORD of God according to Christ pre-cross Mark 7:13).

Commentaries - http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/
Rom 10:4
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown and published in 1871.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown –
4. For Christ is the end--the object or aim.
of the law for--justifying
righteousness to every one that believeth--that is, contains within Himself all that the law demands for the justification of such as embrace Him, whether Jew or Gentil


John Calvin – Geneva Study Bible
10:4 3 For Christ [is] the c end of the law for righteousness to d every one that believeth.
(3) The proof: the law itself points to Christ, that those who believe in him should be saved. Therefore the calling to salvation by the works of the law, is vain and foolish: but Christ is offered for salvation to every believer.


Matthew Henry (concise)
Verses 1-4 The Jews built on a false foundation, and refused to come to Christ for free salvation by faith, and numbers in every age do the same in various ways. The strictness of the law showed men their need of salvation by grace, through faith. And the ceremonies shadowed forth Christ as fulfilling the righteousness, and bearing the curse of the law. So that even under the law, all who were justified before God, obtained that blessing by faith, whereby they were made partakers of the perfect righteousness of the promised Redeemer. The law is not destroyed, nor the intention of the Lawgiver disappointed; but full satisfaction being made by the death of Christ for our breach of the law, the end is gained. That is, Christ has fulfilled the whole law, therefore whoever believeth in him, is counted just before God, as much as though he had fulfilled the whole law himself. Sinners never could go on in vain fancies of their own righteousness, if they knew the justice of God as a Governor, or his righteousness as a Saviour.

A.T. Robertson, a renowned scholar of the Greek New Testament
Robertson – Word Pictures – NT
The end of the law (telo nomou). Christ put a stop to the law as a means of salvation ( James 6:14 ; James 9:31 ; Ephesians 2:15 ; Colossians 2:14 ) as in Luke 16:16 . Christ is the goal or aim of the law ( Galatians 3:24 ). Christ is the fulfilment of the law ( Matthew 5:17 ; Romans 13:10 ; 1 Timothy 1:5 ). But here (Denney) Paul's main idea is that Christ ended the law as a method of salvation for "every one that believeth" whether Jew or Gentile. Christ wrote finis on law as a means of grace.


This explains how that discussion in Acts 21 could even take place. The post-pentecost New Testament apostolic church in Jerusalem was the church urging Paul to partake in the ceremonial "in order to prove" that the accusations against him were false.

in Christ,

Bob

 

2 Cor 3
2 you are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Paul makes the point of telling us in 2Cor3 that the subject is the contrast between the use of the law in the Old Covenant and the new - notice that both the old and New Covenant are the subjects of 2Cor3.

2Cor 3
vs 6 "who also made us adequate as servants of a New Covenant"

vs 14 "until this very day at the reading of the Old Covenant the same veil remains unlifted because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. But whenever a man turns to the Lord the veil is taken away"
(notice it does not say whenever they stop reading Moses the veil is taken way - rather when they turn to the Lord (the one true God) they can read Moses with the veil taken away.)

This contrast of outward focus in the Old Covenant and inward in the New Covenant is amplified in these words regarding the law

"you are a letter of Christ cared for by us written not with ink, but wih the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone (the law of the Old Covenant - 10 Commandments) but on tablets of the human heart" 2Cor 3:3

that which is written outwardly on "tablets of stone" in the Old Covenant (God's law) is written inwardly "on tablets of the human heart" under the New Covenant.

God further makes the same New Covenant point in Hebrews 8 "I will write my laws upon their hearts" Heb 8:10 --- which is a repeat of Jeremiah 31:33 where the term law in it's highest purest form is the law for Jeremiah written on tablets of stone (as Paul tells us).

So when God speaks these words to his prophet about writing inwardly that which the infinite unchanging creator God calls "law" (inwardly on the heart) - the context demands that we consider the 10 Commandments as the primary reference. James 2 is in full agreement with this giving us examples of the "law" of God - as "the law of liberty" - and the examples are simply excerpts from the law written on tablets of stone. (do not murder, and do not commit adultery).

Romans 2 makes it clear that real Christians "show that the work of the law is written on their hearts"


Romans 2:15. Regarding pagans who have no scripture but "do instinctively the things of the law" ..."for when gentiles who do not have the law - do instinctively the things of the law..."
clearly it is the same law
of the infinite unchanging creator God which they do not have outwardly, but do have it written on their heart inwardly. That same law is expanded and shown to be the same outward law of the Jews in this same chapter "if therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And will not he who is physically uncircumcised if he keeps the law will he not judge you though having the letter of the law and physically circumcised - as a transgressor of the law"

"for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that which is of the heart - by the spirit -- not by the letter". Rom 2:26-29