Telos vs Plēroō — What Jesus and Paul Mean by “End” and “Fulfill”

On this page

A) Snapshot: Definitions
B) Side-by-Side: How They Differ
C) Key Texts (Law/Kingdom)
D) Hebrew/LXX Background
E) Synthesis: How They Work Together
F) Quick Study Pack (Verse Lists)
G) Related Studies

A) Snapshot: Definitions

τέλος (telos) — noun: goal / aim / consummation / outcome (and in some contexts, “duties/taxes” in the plural). Think destination or aim.

πληρόω (plēroō) — verb: to fill, make full; to complete; to fulfill (esp. prophecy/Law). Think bring to full measure / realize.

↑ Back to top

B) Side-by-Side: How They Differ

Feature	τέλος (telos)	πληρόω (plēroō)
Part of speech	Noun	Verb
Core image	Destination / aim / outcome	Filling-up / completing / realizing
Law/Kingdom nuance	Names the aim/culmination (e.g., Christ as the Law’s goal, Rom 10:4; love as aim, 1 Tim 1:5)	Describes bringing Law/Prophets to full expression (Matt 5:17–20; Rom 8:4; Rom 13:8–10)
Misread risk	“End” ≠ “abolition”; more often goal/consummation	“Fulfill” ≠ “abolish”; it means fill up / complete

↑ Back to top

C) Key Texts (Law/Kingdom)

CLAIM

“Telos in Rom 10:4 means the Law was terminated.”

ANSWER

Romans 10:4: “Christ is the τέλος of the Law for righteousness…” In Paul, telos commonly means goal/aim/consummation (cf. 1 Tim 1:5; 1 Pet 1:9). Paul himself denies that faith nullifies the Law: “We establish the Law” (Rom 3:31). On-site summary: “Far from being abolished, faith in Christ confirms and upholds the Law.”

CLAIM

“To ‘fulfill’ (Matt 5:17) means abolish/replace.”

ANSWER

Matthew 5:17–20 contrasts καταλύω (“abolish”) with πληρόω (“fulfill”): Jesus did not come to abolish but to bring to full measure the Law and the Prophets. You phrase it: “Jesus consummates Scripture—He embodies Torah’s intent, teaches its true demands, and brings prophetic promises to their goal.”

Paul mirrors this: “The righteous requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk by the Spirit” (Rom 8:4), and “Love is the fulfilling of the Law” (Rom 13:8–10; cf. Gal 5:14).

Kingdom location: Jesus ties doing and teaching even the least commandments to status in the Kingdom (Matt 5:19). See studies showing Jesus’ Torah continuity:
“Jesus’ Teachings about Sabbath” and
“Jesus Taught Torah – list here.”

Representative Telos texts

Rom 10:4 — Christ as the Law’s goal for righteousness to believers
1 Tim 1:5 — The goal of our instruction is love
1 Pet 1:9 — The goal of your faith is the salvation of your souls
1 Cor 15:24 — “Then comes the end (consummation)”

Representative Plēroō texts

Matt 5:17–20 — Jesus came to fulfill (not abolish) the Law and the Prophets
Matt 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23 — Prophecy “fulfillment” formulas
Rom 8:4 — The Law’s righteous requirement fulfilled in us by the Spirit
Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14 — Love fulfills the Law

↑ Back to top

D) Hebrew/LXX Background

Telos often maps to Hebrew ideas of end/goal (e.g., qēṣ, Dan 12). Related Greek “finish” verbs (τελέω / συντελέω) surface in covenant/consummation language, and in John 19:30 (τετέλεσται, “It is finished”).

Plēroō often carries the force of filling/bringing to completion (Heb. male’), hence its prominence in “fulfillment” formulas and in Matt 5:17.

↑ Back to top

E) Synthesis: How They Work Together

One-liner: Telos names the Law’s aim; plēroō describes how that aim is realized—in Jesus’ teaching/mission and, by the Spirit, in His people.