“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1Tim 1:8).
Fire can help and it can hurt. It can be helpful and it can be hurtful. The same flickering flames in the fireplace that warm you up on a frosty night can also burn your house to the ground and kill your family. When we use fire properly, it’s wonderful. But it’s deadly when mishandled. Timothy is dealing with a similar situation in Ephesus. No, the middle school kids aren’t playing with matches at a lock in. (On the other hand, if your middle schoolers are spending the night at the church, you probably need to make sure none of them brought a lighter.)
A team of false teachers have infiltrated the Ephesian church and their counterfeit gospel is damaging believers (1Tim 1:3-6). Paul already kicked two of these bad teachers to the curb (1Tim 1:21). Clearly, a few more of these spiritual snake oil salesmen are still around. They think they’re hot stuff when it comes to teaching God’s Word but don’t have a clue what they’re talking about (1Tim 1:7). They are totally misusing Scripture and abusing the followers of Jesus. The apostle contrasts their way of teaching and tells Tim, “Now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (v8). When the law of God is used correctly, it’s constructive, not destructive. It’s helpful, not hurtful. These bad teachers are simply playing with fire and somebody’s going to get burned.
Paul begins by reminding Tim, “Now we know that the law is good” (v8). By “we,” he’s drawing a distinction between themselves and the false teachers. Let’s be clear on the teams involved. You’ve got the good guys who are good teachers teaching the Good News. That would be the “we.” That would be Paul and Tim. On the other side of the field are the bad teachers teaching bad news. The reason the apostle has left his protege in Ephesus is because he’s a teammate. Paul trusts Tim. It’s important to remember that we’re not alone. Following the Lord isn’t a long, lonely ride like your some mysterious High Plains Drifter for Jesus. We do it together. We do it as a team. So who are your teammates you can count on? Who is your “we?”
As partners in grace, this dynamic duo knows “that the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (v8). A quality carpenter always uses the right tool for the right job. Paul and Tim know when, where, and how to use the law of God. The apostle makes it clear that it’s “good” (v8). This is the Greek adjective kalos, which can mean beautiful but can also describe something as useful and practical. Paul goes out of his way to tell the church in Rome about how incredibly awesome God’s law really is. “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Rom 7:12). God’s law is a handy dandy tool when used in the right way. It’s helpful, not hurtful. It’s constructive, not destructive.
You can be sure that’s NOT how bad teachers are using the law. They misuse God’s commandments to crush and cripple Christ followers. Let’s be honest, you’ve seen it for yourself. Maybe you’ve personally been on the business end of a 10 pound Bible. This is when some bully appoints themselves as a religious law enforcement officer. They are more than happy to call you out and condemn you every time you get out of line. Think of them as biker gangs. Jesus dealt with thugs called the Pharisees during His earthly ministry. Now Paul and Tim are ready to rumble with similar hoods in Ephesus. These jerks are carelessly throwing the law around, trying to make folks believe it’s up to us to maintain our place in God’s kingdom. According to their twisted teaching, if we want to stay saved we need to follow every single rule and regulation. Jesus may have gotten us in, but it’s up to us to work to stay in.
If you’re wondering, THAT’S A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL!!!! We place our trust in what Jesus has done on our behalf. He does the work that we could never do for ourselves. Christ perfectly obeyed every single commandment in the Old Testament so that we aren’t held accountable for it. I’ll be the first one to admit that reading through OT books like Leviticus and Numbers makes my head spin. It’s just rule after law after commandment. Let’s read them differently. Read them with the revelation that Jesus did all of that. Every single one of them. For you. For me. We trust in Jesus’ perfect life of obedience, His death for our sin, and His spectacular resurrection on our behalf. If you’re wondering what else you need to do in order to maintain your place in God’s family, Jesus shouted the answer from the cross. “IT IS FINISHED!!!” (Jn 19:30 emphasis added with pleasure!).
Meanwhile Paul reassures his boy Tim that God’s law is awesome “if one uses it lawfully” (v8). The original language here describes God’s good law as legitimate and correct according to proper use. A few years after this letter, the apostle will write Timothy a second time and use this same word (Gr. nomimos). “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules (Gr. nomimos)” (2Tim 2:5). So it also pictures an athlete who follows the rules of athletic competition. They don’t cheat. There’s no Deflategate scandal. No Spygate controversy. No suspicion of steroids or PEDs. This isn’t NASCAR where if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Good teachers and pastors use God’s law as it is supposed to be used. There’s no cheating. No fudging the truth.
So what does it mean to use the law of God “lawfully” (v8)? The best illustration is one from medicine. Think of the law like a diagnostic device like a CT scan, MRI, or x-ray. What incredible tools they are to health care professionals. These machines allow doctors to look inside our bodies and diagnose the disease. Once they’ve figured out what’s wrong, they know exactly what sort of treatment plan to pursue. No matter how many times you get a CT scan, it doesn’t treat the disease. The law is a diagnostic tool. God gives us His law in order to see our desperate need for a Savior. It points out just how much we need the Gospel.
Look at it this way. The law is the diagnostic. The Gospel is the treatment. Without God’s good law, we wouldn’t know how bad our condition is. Going back to the law over and over again doesn’t provide the treatment for our sin. Only the grace of Jesus does that! Or in the words of Paul, “For by the works of the law no human begin will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). When used correctly in combination with the Gospel, God’s commandments have incredible healing power. King David had a hit song all about it’s rejuvenating ability. “The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul” (Ps 19:7). The law can’t save. But it can tell us how badly we need to be saved. The law is used for our diagnosis, not the cure.
When God’s commandments are used as intended, they’re awesome. When they’re used a weapon, they’re awful. Knowing when, where, and how to use His wonderful Word is incredibly important. Or in the Message paraphrase of verse 8, “It’s true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say” (v8 The Message). Use God’s rules and regulations carefully and graciously. He gives them to us for our own good. Just like a loving dad tells his kids to not play with matches, He gives them to us for our own protection. It’s NOT to be used to hammer and hurt people. Stop bullying people with your 10 pound Bible.
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