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8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. ~ 1 Timothy 1:8-11
The Apostle in the previous verses highlighted the believer's need for love to be our motivation behind correcting false teaching. False teachers were using the Old Testament law to teach doctrines which were leading people away from the grace of God which is the access point to His love. And, through their false teachings, these false teachers were causing division among the believers in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul used the word "conscience" twenty-one times in all of his writings, and six of these references are in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.
The word conscience means “to know with.” Conscience is the inner judge that accuses us when we have done wrong and approves when we have done right. It is possible to sin against the conscience so that it becomes “defiled” according to Titus1:15. Repeated sinning hardens the conscience so that it becomes “seared” to the truth, like scar tissue.
The false doctrine in the church at Ephesus was due to the misuse of the Old Testament law. These false teachers did not understand the content or the purpose of God’s law.They were leading believers out of the freedom of grace into the bondage of legalism, a tragedy that still occurs today. The flesh (the sinfulness that is still within us) loves religious legalism because rules and regulations enable us to appear holy without really having a change of heart. It is only in the context of grace do we best understand the love of God for us which determines how much we are enabled to love others.
The lawful use of the law is to expose, restrain, and convict the lawless. The law cannot save us, it can only reveal our need for the Savior. When we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we were freed from the curse of the law, and the righteousness of Christ was applied to our account before God. The law and the gospel go hand in hand, for the law without the gospel is diagnosis without remedy. And the gospel without law is only salvation for people who don’t believe they need to be saved.
In v.8 we read, “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.” God gave man the law for a reason; to hold our sinfulness in check. However, these false teachers were using it as a means of salvation. The false teacher believes the law is the standard by which mankind merit God's favor which we know is impossible for any of us. And, of course, this is why the Lord Jesus came in the first place. Only He could bridge the huge gap created by our rebellion against God.
In v.9-10 we read, “9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.”
The law is for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for those who are trapped in their sinful behavior that is contrary to God's definitions of things,. The law is good but the law alone is not the good news. The law alone is bad news. The law condemns, preparing us for the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The law crushes the sinner. Then, by the gospel, God lifts up the broken who have been made willing to cry out for grace and mercy.
In v.11 we read, "the
sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me."
A proper understanding of the law is rendered by the gospel, which declares mankind is separated from God by our sinfulness and man cannot redeem himself. But Jesus Christ came into the world, God in human flesh, died on the cross, was raised the third day for our justification, and by faith in him and the grace of God we can be forgiven of our sin. That is the gospel.
To rightly define the law is part of the gospel; that’s why the Apostle Paul then writes in v.11, “the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel.” We show love in various ways. The Apostle, in our text, reminds us that we love people when we tell them about the reality of their sinful condition so that they can be saved. Many today say that this is not loving, telling others of their sinful condition. They would see the love in this if they were to die and spend eternity in hell. I mean, what is more important than where one spends eternity?
Finally, notice the final phrase in v.11, "which he entrusted to me." This means that we get the message right. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple; mankind is separated from God, God sent His Son to bridge the separation, and if one believes in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, he shall be saved. Christianity is not about good people getting better. The Gospel is good news for helpless people who can not be good enough to earn God's favor. And, it is out of our helpless posture that we see God's enormous love for us and we grow in our love for Him and others.
