"Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Romans 10:1-4)

We have been discussing the fact that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. What Jesus meant by this is that our personal obedience is not sufficient to merit a place in eternal glory. It is Christ's righteousness counted to us that justifies us for heaven.

This passage from the Roman letter shows the proper emphasis and importance of belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul is praying for children of God among his natural Israelite brethren. Remember, he told us in Romans 9:6 that he uses the term "Israel" in reference to God's elect not natural Israelites. Paul is not referring to Scribes and Pharisees in this passage.

These people have a zeal to serve God but they have embraced a false doctrine that teaches they must work to gain merit for heaven. Paul prays for their salvation from this ignorance. They have placed themselves in a bondage of works that can never be satisfied. This is very similar to many of the works/ceremony based systems in modern Chrisitanity as well as the perseverance systems that require men to maintain righteousness.

Those that truly trust Jesus as their sovereign Savior do not cause their own personal eternal salvation to become effective but they are saved in a gospel sense. They are made free from a system of doing works to get or maintain the favor of God. For these, Christ has become the "end of the law for righteousness." They are now at Liberty to do,good works out of thankfulness because of sovereign grace.

Believers in the sovereign Savior feel the freedom Paul teaches us in Romans 8:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8:2, 15)