Rules Are Made FOR the Broken

“Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but 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” (1Tim 1:9-10).

Rules were made to be broken. Come on, even the most goody-goody types among us feels that way many times. I admit it. Too often it seems like laws and regulations are just the Man trying to keep me down. To keep me from having fun. To keep me from getting to work on time when leaving from home ten minutes late. Just the idea of somebody trying to tell me what to do suddenly gives me the urge to do just the opposite. I’m sure that’s never happened to you.

Here in a letter to his buddy Timothy, Paul wants him to know that God’s rules aren’t for the rule followers. “Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and the 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” (v9-10). God is NOT trying to harsh your mellow. He gives us His law in order to show us how badly we need a Savior. His rules weren’t made to be broken. His rules are made FOR the broken.

Let’s take a moment and set the scene. Tim is in Ephesus, a large port city on the west coast of what we know today as Turkey. This place is a real cultural, racial, and religious melting pot. The apostle and his posse planted a church there a few years back (Acts 19). It was a whole scene. A huge fight at the local synagogue where rabbis gave Paul the boot. The man from Tarsus sets up shop for two years at a local meeting hall in order tell everyone who will listen about Jesus. The Gospel rolled through the city like a tsunami. Even the apostle’s hankies cured diseases! There’s a crazy story about seven exorcist wannabes trying to get in on the action and then getting their tail kicked by demon. The Good News was bad news for the occult. One day everyone who turned to Christ for salvation burned all of their magic books. Things really got wild when the Gospel had a huge economic impact on the local idol-making industry. We’re talking Ferguson-like riots. 

Fast forward about 15 years later. Paul is finally out of prison after 5 years of being held on trumped up charges. He’s back on the road around the Mediterranean Rim planting more churches and telling people about the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. He’s handpicked his sidekick Timothy to pastor what is now a megachurch in the big port city (1Tim 1:3). But it’s anything but smooth sailing. A team of spiritual con artists are stirring up trouble in the church. It’s Tim’s job to shut them up and shut them down (1Tim 1:3-7). These false teachers are completely misusing the Bible to bully believers. Chances are they were peddling a false gospel and telling folks that Jesus may have gotten them into God’s kingdom but it’s up to them to stay in. You’ve got to follow the rules. You’ve got to check all the boxes. One false move and God is just waiting to zap you with a lightning bolt for your disobedience. I’m sure you’ve had the displeasure of running into some of these same kind of religious law enforcement officers in your life too. Talk about police brutality!

Paul tells Tim, “Now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (1Tim 1:8). Clearly the false teachers are NOT using God’s rules and regs in the right way. Not in the way Paul and Tim use it. The apostle goes on to write, “The law is not laid down for the just” (v9). In other words, if you think you don’t need Jesus, He won’t ever come to your rescue. Dr. Luke tells the story about how Christ tells a bunch of self-righteous religious thugs, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:31-32). John Burke likes to say that no perfect people are allowed in the church. The so-called perfect people don’t understand the real purpose of God’s law. They’re working a system of self-salvation. They are their own judge. They personally set the standard for what it means to be good and what it takes to be saved.

The apostle wants us to know without a doubt that the purpose of God’s law is to diagnose and reveal our sin. I might think I’m doing pretty stinkin’ great. I believe I’m a good person. Then suddenly I hold my life up to God’s perfect standard. It’s readily apparent I have sinned by omission and commission. Oh, I might do a decent job for a while, but Scripture eventually shines a spotlight on my crimes and misdemeanors. And it’s everywhere I look. Old Testament. New Testament. Ten Commandments. Sermon on the Mount. If my situation’s not desperate enough, then I read this. “For all who rely under the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them’” (Gal 3:10; Dt 27:26). Even Jesus’ kid brother if I simply fail to keep one little law, I break the whole book (James 2:10). If I’m not 100% perfect in my obedience, I’ve completely failed. God gives us His rules to drop us to our knees. His commands don’t save. They don’t even come close. They diagnose. They don’t heal. They drive us to get help. You see, God’s rules are made FOR the broken.

Meanwhile back in Paul’s letter to Tim, the man from Tarsus lets his protege just who’s to be on the receiving end of God’s law. “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” (v9-10). Well, that’s quite a roster. Looks like it might be a description of some sort of evil team of super villains like the Suicide Squad. 

The first six in the list all travel in pairs. According to John MacArthur, these dastardly duos describe direct sin against God mentioned in the first half of the Ten Commandments (Ex 10:1-8). The rest of the gang basically tick off the remaining rules in God’s Top Ten one by one. Is there really any reason to go through each one of them? Didn’t think so. Oh, did you see yourself anywhere in the list? Look again. As they say on the surveys, “Check all that apply.” If you’re like me, you’ll probably find yourself checking more than one box. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. A VERY good thing. Because God’s law drives us to our knees. It breaks us and points us to the Good News. God’s rules are made FOR the broken.

There are a couple of GREAT stories from the life of Jesus that explain this idea. After Christ saves a Jewish traitor named Levi and makes him a disciple named Matthew, a bunch of religious bullies get their undies in a bundle when they see our Savior partying with some unsavory characters. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Lk 5:31). Once we’ve been diagnosed by God’s law, we realize we’re very, very sick. Otherwise, we don’t have a clue about the cancer of sin that’s ravaging our body. God’s rules are made FOR the broken.

A little later in Dr. Luke’s biography of Jesus, the Son of God says did you hear the one about the Pharisee and the tax collector who walk into the temple (Lk 18:9-14)? As a superstar in the Jewish faith, the Pharisee thinks he can save himself. He’s got this thing knocked. He has the gall to look around and compare himself to the rest of the rabble who’ve come to worship. In comparison to the creeps in this crowd, he’s an absolute rock star. Not so fast, my friend. Jesus points out someone over in the corner who’s easy to miss. It’s a tax collector. The Jewish people consider these folks so filthy that they classify them as a special kind of sinner. But Christ says take a closer look at what culture calls a scumbag. The dude is so broken that he can’t look up. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Lk 18:13). Jesus makes it clear that of the two, the tax collector understands that God’s rules are made FOR the broken.

God’s law will reveal the disease of my sin, but His Gospel is the ultimate miracle drug. Maybe you think you’re too far gone if you find yourself on that list. You’re not alone. Check out Paul’s letter to one of the craziest collections of Christians the world has ever seen. It’s the church in Corinth. He not only runs down God’s “do not save” list, but then adds a crazy twist at the end. Check it out. “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor 6:19-11). Did you catch that? “And such WERE some of you” (1Cor 6:11 emphasis added). Past tense. They used to be. That’s before God’s grace turned everything around. His Gospel is a game changer. 

If you haven’t figure it out yet, we’re ALL on that list. We just haven’t realized it yet. Take a look around. Who do you see? Every single person out there has fallen short of God’s perfect standard (Rom 3:9-10, 23). Now take a look at the person in the mirror. Yeah, I’m talking to you. You and I are no exception. God’s law sets the bar so incredibly high that none of us are able to meet it. Not you. And certainly not me. The law of God makes it obvious that I’m horribly broken. We desperately need to place our faith in the only One who lived the perfect life and took the punishment for our rebellion. Trust in who Jesus is. Trust in what He’s done. 

God’s rules are made FOR the broken.