“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.” (1 Tim. 1:8)
Weak Christians, as well as those wanting to appear “Christian” who have no relationship with God, often quote Romans 6:14 as an excuse to sin.
After all, Paul did tell the believers at the church in Rome, “you are not under the law, but under grace.” And if you isolate this truth and give it a bit of a twist – saying that the New Covenant places a believer under grace and not under the Law as an obligation to live worthy before God – then, by all means, you could conclude the thing to do would be to go out and sin… and sin big! Because if the Law does not matter, then lying does not matter. If the Law does not matter, stealing does not matter. If the Law does not matter, adultery does not matter… and on and on.
But is this what Paul really had in mind when He said we are not under Law but under grace… so the more we sin, the more grace abounds? He answered this argument in the same passage with a resounding, “God forbid!” (Rom. 6:15). So, what does this verse mean then?
Robert Shaw explains, “Christians are under the obligation of the Law as a rule of life, not to be justified by it through their works, but to live by it after they are justified. Paul further shows that the Law of God is of manifold use to the Christian, as well as to others, ‘The law is good,’ he says, ‘if a man use it lawfully,’ (1 Tim. 1:8). This means that the Law is good if he uses it in a suitable way to the state in which he lives, either as a believer or an unbeliever.”
It is quite true that God’s people are completely delivered from the judgment of the Law, as a covenant of works. Christ, our representative and surety, kept the Law fully to its utmost extent and endured the curse of the Law in all its bitterness in His sufferings to death. In doing so, He set us completely free from the Law’s condemning power (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 8:1).
In that way, and that way alone, Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believes. In addition, those same believers are not under the Law, but under grace regarding our justification (Rom. 7:4, 10:4, 6:14). But the Law of God, the reflection of His perfect holiness, commands obedience from His children in order to “be holy as He is holy.” This is how we grow to adore God as we become more like Him in our sanctification.
The Law of God serves many important purposes, both to the unbeliever as well as the believer.
To the unbeliever, the Moral Law of God is useful in the following ways:
- Restrains them from much sin (1 Tim. 1:9).
- Convinces them of their sinfulness and misery (Rom. 3:20, 7:9).
- Demonstrates their absolute need of Christ as their all-sufficient Savior (Gal. 3:24).
- Renders them inexcusable if they continue in their sins and reject the Savior (Rom. 1:20, 2:15; John 3:18, 36).
To the believer, the Moral Law of God is of useful as it:
- Renders Christ more precious and excites our gratitude to Him for both fulfilling the Law and suffering its penalty on our behalf (Gal. 3:13, 4:4, 5).
- Reveals the will of God and regulates our conduct (Mic. 6:8).
- Serves as a standard of self-examination to lead us to a constant dependence on Christ, and to guide us to grow in holiness (Phil. 3:10-14).
- Serves as a test of our sincerity and assures our heart that we are born of God because we delight in the Law of God (1 John 3:19; Rom. 7:22, 25; 2 Cor. 1:12).
Is the Law of God your rule of life? Or do you discount those biblical passages that cause you grief and hold only to those that bring comfort? Do you simply dismiss those verses that command obedience because they’re not convenient?
If you desire God’s best, then you must love His Law and live by it – “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law he meditates day and night,” (Ps. 1:1-2).
- Lord, You are a Righteous Judge who cannot be bribed or corrupted. You hold fast to Your Law, and You expect me to do the same. Yet how often do I accept the bribes of sin while dismissing Your commandments. Keep me in the spirit and practice of obedience to Your Law, so that I uphold that which You love. Help me to be spiritually courageous, and do justice, and I know that You will be with me (2 Chron. 19:11).
- I know that the law is good if a man uses it rightfully. It is the “schoolmaster” that leads me to Christ (Gal. 3:24) because it is only by the law that I am convinced of my sin (Rom. 7). As the Law is a mirror of Your character, it reveals the “exceeding sinfulness of my sin,” and the terrible damnation that awaits me apart from salvation through the blood of Christ.
- The law is good, but the gospel is glorious. The law cannot give me peace of conscience and reconciliation with You; it only reveals my need, as I am far from innocent. But Your glorious gospel pardons the penitent sinner. Christ, who is perfect righteousness satisfies what the Law requires. And then, on account of the gospel, You cover me with His righteousness the moment You save me. Only in Your Son can I find holiness and reconciliation to You.
Further References for 1 Tim. 1:8
Rom. 7:12; Ps. 19:7; Rom. 7:14-16; Ps. 93:5; Rom. 12:2
