WWUTT 571 The Law is Good?

Many Christians are uncomfortable talking about the law. They might say, well, we're not under the law, we're under grace. But the Apostle Paul says the law is still good if one uses it lawfully, when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt .com.

Opening the Program and Reading 1 Timothy 1:3-11

Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky.

And greetings, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I am still a little bit under the weather, if you can kind of tell by the sound of my voice. I was sick all day, Thanksgiving Day, didn't eat a bite.

On Friday, I had a banana and peanut butter sandwich. That was all I ate all day. Then on Saturday, I had some French fries. Yesterday, I actually had a couple of good meals. So I'm on the upswing here, but I'm losing my voice now.

I kind of spent it all during the sermon and didn't save any for later in the day when I had to record Monday's podcast. So bear with me as we struggle through 1 Timothy together. I'm going to be in 1 Timothy 1, and starting in verse 3, reading through verse 11.

The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, says, as I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus, so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

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.

The Law Is Good When Used Lawfully

So here at the start of this, verse 8, Paul says we know that the law is good. So remember at the close of the last section, he says that these teachers who have swerved from teaching the sound gospel desire to be teachers of the law.

That's an important distinction, because if you're not teaching the gospel, but you're still trying to teach scripture, what do you have left if you're not teaching the sound gospel of Christ? You're teaching law.

That's what you're teaching. Do this, do this, do this. Don't do this, don't do that. And that's what these teachers ultimately end up teaching when they're not presenting everything in light of or out of the gospel of Christ.

So they desire then to be teachers of the law, which is not really a good thing when all they're doing is burdening people with the law, but they're not resolving it with the message of the gospel, that Christ has fulfilled the law and the prophets, and through Christ, we are saved.

We are not under the yoke of slavery that is placed upon us by the law, which we cannot keep and even if we could, it would not save us. But it is only by Christ that we are saved from the wrath of God because we have broken God's law.

So these people who have abandoned the soundness of the teaching of the word of Christ desire to be teachers of the law, but they don't understand what they're saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

So they're not teaching the gospel, they're teaching law, but even there, they don't understand what they're talking about. They don't even do the whole thing with the law properly. And so that's when Paul gets to verse 8 and says, now we know that the law is good.

So he's basically saying, I'm not dogging on the law because we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully. And the guys who are teachers of the law instead of proclaimers of the gospel are not using it lawfully.

They're not using it to bind the conscience to bring a guilty heart by the conviction of the spirit so that a person would then realize, I've broken the law of God and I am under his wrath. What can I do to be saved?

This is what the people at Pentecost said to Peter in Acts chapter 2 after proclaiming the gospel to them and showing them how they had gone against what was said in the law and the prophets. It says they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers, what can we do?

And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized. And so that's what teaching the law is supposed to do. It is binding the conscience so that a person is conditioned now. The heart has been tilled, the soil has been opened up to receive the seed of the gospel of Christ.

So Paul here is saying in verse 8, we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully. I'm still surprised at the number of times that I have to remind a Christian that the law is still good because a lot of times our minds go to something like Romans 6 .14, sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace.

And so there are many Christians out there that have this attitude of why are we even talking about the law? We're not under the law anymore. We're under grace. Well, no, you are still under law. You're just not under the mosaic law because there are other ways in which you are under law.

It's just what kind of context is that word law being framed in? There's the law of Christ. First Corinthians 9 .21, Paul says to those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ that I might win those who are outside the law.

He's talking about the way that he would evangelize to Gentiles. And he's saying here, I'm still under law. I'm under the law of Christ who fulfilled the mosaic law and everything that was written down by the prophets.

You also have the law of the spirit. Romans 8 .2, for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. You are under the law of Christ. You are in the law of the spirit.

There is still a law that governs you. But what law are we talking about? So again, we have to be clear as to the context, what law we're framing in the argument or in the in the presentation from the scriptures that we are studying.

And in this particular case, we're talking about the law of Moses, but more specifically, the Decalogue, which is the Ten Commandments, Deca meaning ten, the Ten Commandments, which is the that ultimate framing of all of the law that was presented in the Pentateuch, those first five books of the Bible.

So that law being represented by the commandments that were given to the Israelite people at Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 20. Now, how do I know that that's the context that Paul is talking about here when he uses the word law?

Well, because he proceeds to give the Ten Commandments in verses nine through eleven. Let's look at how he does that. I'm going to come back and break all these things down, but let's just go through this so we can summarize the commandments here.

Paul says, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just, but for the lawless and disobedient. That's kind of the overview. Everything that proceeds from that is going to describe those who are lawless and disobedient.

For the ungodly and the sinners, what are the first two commandments? First commandment is, I am the Lord your God, you will not have another one. Second commandment is, don't raise up any graven images.

So for those who are ungodly and sinners are disobeying those first two commandments. For the unholy and profane, what are the next two commandments? Next two commandments are, do not disrespect or misuse my name.

Don't speak blasphemy. Don't take the name of the Lord in vain. Do not disrespect the day of the Lord. You will keep the Sabbath holy. For those who are unholy and profane, they break those next two commandments.

And then the next one, for those who strike their fathers and their mothers, well, you know the fifth commandment then, right? You will honor your father and your mother. That's the next commandment. Then the next one, for murderers, what's the next commandment?

It is, thou shalt not murder. To the sexually immoral and men who practice homosexuality, what is the next commandment? Do not commit adultery. To enslavers, what's the next commandment? Thou shalt not steal.

A person who enslaves another person robs their freedom from them. They take everything from them, their entire lives, and enslave them to another person or another group of people. So those who are enslavers are thieves.

And then the next one, liars and perjurers, do not bear false witness, is the next commandment that is in there. And whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine. So anything that someone would desire other than or apart from the sound words of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are coveters.

If the gospel is not good enough for me and I need this other thing, they are coveting, which is that last commandment, the tenth commandment. So you see how all of the things that Paul has listed here are examples of how those ten commandments are broken in the lives of those who are lawless and disobedient.

And pointing out also with that tenth one, that all of these things go against sound doctrine. So if a person lives their life that way, they are going against the sound doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember I mentioned last week, according to 1 Timothy 6 .3, that godliness flows out of the gospel. The gospel produces obedience. It produces right living, godly character. That is why we must continue to proclaim the gospel.

It's not just something that you heard once, but it is still preached from our pulpits each and every single Sunday. Not just for those who need to hear it because they have not yet come to follow Christ, but even those who are following Christ now.

We still live in this flesh. We are still forgetful people. We are still weak. And we need constant reminders, cleansing out the toxicity of the world and being refreshed and renewed in the hope and promises that have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

I mean, just being reminded that our sins are forgiven, that's a constant reminder that I need as well. The enemy will get in your ear. He'll remind you of all of the ways in which you are not good enough.

But I know that God loves me because of what Christ has done for me. Not because of my inadequacies, but because Christ is adequate. And I have been covered by his blood and clothed in his righteousness.

And so it is this reminder and it is all the teaching that flows out of that, that produces godliness in the lives of those who listen to it, of those who hear it. So anything that is apart from the gospel is contrary to sound doctrine.

And Paul says in verse 11, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I've been entrusted. See, I could have read that and then explained it because that's basically what I just said.

So sound doctrine is the gospel. It is in accordance with the gospel, the glory of the blessed God. And Paul entrusted with that message. And he's telling Timothy, you've been entrusted with it as well.

And so therefore, you must teach it. So let's go back up. Let's jump back up then again. Verse 8, now we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully. And again, using it lawfully means that it binds the conscience, makes it subject to the message of the word of God, realizing that we've sinned against God, we've broken his law.

Because as the book of Proverbs says, every man thinks that he is right in his own eyes. It is the teaching of the law that makes us realize we're not good. And this is Paul talking out of Romans chapter 7.

I didn't know what it was like to covet. I didn't know that I was a covetor until I read in the law, do not covet. And then it made me aware that I'm a lawbreaker because I've heard the law and realized I've broken that law and therefore have fallen short of the glory of God.

Paul says in Romans 3 20, by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin. So we use the law to bring a person to a knowledge of their sinfulness before God.

I remember one time sharing the gospel with a man at a gas pump. He had asked me for fuel. And I said, sure, I'll buy you some fuel. And so while I was filling up his tank, I was sharing the gospel with him.

And in the course of conversation, I think my icebreaker was even something like, it was something very simple. Do you know Jesus? Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? And I remember at one point very early in the conversation, him saying something to the effect of, well, I'm a, I'm not a religious person, but I'm a, I'm a spiritual person.

And have you ever had that before? You would be talking to somebody, even somebody, you know, or a coworker and their response might be, well, you know, I'm not religious, but I am spiritual, a very spiritual person.

Well, don't let them off the hook when they say something like that, because Romans 7, 14 says the law is spiritual. And you could even tell them that you can say, well, Romans 7, 14 says the 10 commandments are spiritual.

So if you say that you're a spiritual person, do you mind if I kind of test you in that? You know, the 10 commandments will probably say, oh yeah, I know the 10 commandments. They're posted in front of the courthouse, you know, downtown.

It's like, okay, well, let me, let me test you according to the commandments. You ever told a lie before? Have you ever stolen anything before? Have you ever lusted after somebody in your heart? Well, Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, if you've lusted after someone in your heart, you've committed adultery with them in your heart.

Have you ever hated someone? Matthew five, again, Jesus says you've committed murder against them in your heart. If you've even called them names, you're guilty of the fires of hell. Have you ever used the Lord's name in vain?

And sometimes I'll ask that question and they'll even do it right there on the spot. And, uh, and so then I'll say, well, you've blasphemed God's name. That's, that's the third commandment. It's very, very important.

God is so holy and so righteous. He won't even allow his name to be blasphemed. So just right here in this conversation, we've gone through five commandments and you've broken all five. So if you stood before God today, based on the 10 commandments, which are spiritual and you being a spiritual person, do you think that God is going to let you into heaven or send you, send you to hell?

Have you kept his law or have you broken it? And, and so that's what I shared with this man as well. So when somebody says that they're, they're not religious, but they're spiritual, remember that passage, Roman seven 14, that the law is spiritual.

And here, Paul saying 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 the disobedient. And so there you have that again, where somebody might say, well, see there, it says, you know, and I'm, I'm just because I've been justified in Christ Jesus.

So why are we talking about the law? If sin will have no dominion over me, I'm not under the law, but I am under grace. Well, the point that Paul is making here, when he says that the law is not laid down for the just, those who are just, or those who are, have been justified in Christ, those who are walking in the spirit, who have the fruit of the spirit, Galatians chapter five, you don't need the law as a restrainer.

Now the law is still a teacher. And I'll tell you, one of the ways that it teaches me is showing me just how wicked and sinful my heart really is. And why I need a savior and the, and the sinfulness I was guilty of before Christ came into my life.

And the more that I realized that about my own sinfulness and depravity, the more amazing God's grace is to me. And so that's one way that the law teaches me, but it doesn't need to restrain you because you are actively pursuing the things of God.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control and against such things, there is no law. So if you are growing in those things, if you're producing that kind of fruit, if that's what it is that you are pursuing, then what do you need to be restrained from?

You don't need to be restrained from anything. If you are pursuing God and growing in godliness, but those who would act unjustly, they need the law to restrain them from pursuing those things that would otherwise be lawlessness.

So the law is laid down for those who would otherwise break the law, who have a spirit that would break the law for the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners again, and on and on it goes. So these things would draw attention to the person, would draw the person's attention to the sins that they have committed against God.

And the way that Paul specifies those sins there in verses 9 through 11 is so that whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile, they'll realize that they've broken the law. So a person who's not a Jew would be going, well, I'm not a Jew.

So what does the Jewish law have to do with me? Well, because have you committed sexual immorality, which would be any kind of sex outside of marriage or practice homosexuality? Well, then you have broken the law of God.

You ever enslaved anybody? You ever lied? Have you ever committed perjury? And perjury is is basically a person who thinks that they are above the law, that the law does not apply to them at all. And that's a summary of everybody who doesn't follow the law of God.

They think they're above it. I know better than God. That's everybody who is in rebellion against God. We're all committers of perjury before Christ came into our lives and cleansed us from that sinfulness and unrighteousness and made us right before the father.

And so these are the kinds of things that get pointed out to a person when, again, the law is used in a right way. And it's almost like Paul is even giving Timothy an example of how you can use the Ten Commandments to bind the conscience of a person, be they Jew or Gentile, so that they would realize they stand condemned before God and are needing a savior to save them from their sins in accordance, verse 11, with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Once the conscience is bound, resolve it with the gospel. Share the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is good news. That's what the word gospel means. And it's especially good news when you know the bad news, that you stand before God condemned and you are under his wrath.

And it is only Christ who is satisfied the wrath of God with his death on the cross and guaranteed our eternal inheritance with his resurrection from the grave. Let us pray. Our Lord God, we thank you for the law.

May we be able to pray as David did in Psalm 119. Oh, Lord, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. It shows us your holiness, your perfect and righteous standard, and how amazing and awesome a God you are, how loving you are to send your son who fulfilled the law, who lived in holiness in a way that we never could.

He was our substitute in life, as well as in his death and in his resurrection, so that all who believe on his name will receive that very righteousness from Jesus Christ. And then we desire to obey the gospel, to follow in the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, to pursue love, which is above all else.

It is the summary of all the law and the prophets, that we would walk in love and pursue love, this love of God that has been demonstrated through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So continue to teach us the gospel, the glory of the blessed God with which we have been entrusted, so that we might also share the gospel with others.

And they would realize they have broken the law of God, and it is through faith in Jesus Christ that they are forgiven their sins. Continue to teach us in these things as we go. Let the message of the gospel fill our mind and hearts as we go throughout our day, and we pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Closing Prayer and Podcast Sign-Off

Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text. Pastor Gabe is the author of several short books on the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Topics include the deity of Christ, original sin, resurrection, Christ's incarnation, and many more.

Find these books in our bookstore when you visit www .wutt .com. Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in God's Word when we understand the text.