The Law Is Good If Used Lawfully – 1 Timothy 1:8-11

What is the purpose of the Law?  This is the question Paul addresses here in short.  We need his clarification.  Return to a wrong use of the Law is a big temptation for the church.  How do we use the ten commandments?  Do we keep them in order to have salvation and right relationship with God?  We do not. 

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.  (1 Timothy 1:8-11 ESV)

The “law” here refers to the Law of Moses, contained in the 10 commandments, the application of those commandments to daily life in Israel, and the laws concerning sacrifice and ritual.  Christians are not under the law (Romans 7:6; Galatians 2:16; 3:19-26) but we are under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21).  The law of Christ has some of the same laws (nine of the 10 commandments, with the law of sabbath reprincipled, Romans 14:5,6).

The law of Moses, if seen as a means of gaining God’s favor and salvation, is deadly because no one can keep its requirements fully.  This is the failure of thinking among the false teachers.  Paul is correcting them here by explaining that the law is not for those who are just before God but for sinners.  It exposes the hearts of sinners and makes them realize that they are condemned before God no matter how hard they try to be obedient.

Believers benefit from the law of Moses as it reflects the character of God (it is “good”) and helps us see how to honor Him, but we don’t need it as a means of salvation.  We have come already to see that we are bankrupt before God and have found our solution in the merits of Christ’s life applied to ours.