This sermon explores the true purpose of God’s law based on 1 Timothy 1:8-11, warning against the trap of legalism that treats the law as a ladder to earn salvation. Instead, it explains that the law is meant to act as a diagnostic tool that exposes our sinfulness, demonstrating our need for the grace found in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Transcript
Last week we continued our study in 1 Timothy by reading verses 3 to 11, and we considered the Apostle Paul’s argument for the necessity of sound doctrine for maintaining a healthy church. We saw that true biblical teaching acts as a spiritual foundation, protecting a congregation from the sickness that comes from false teaching and superficial myths that these heretical teachers were teaching in the church at Ephesus. So Paul talks about the contrast to the heretical leaders, legalism, and the novelty, and all those things that they were teaching. The contrast to that is that the truth of God’s word should be taught for the glory of God, and the truth of God’s word produces in listeners who receive it in faith a Christ-like love that arises from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Healthy doctrine nourishes the soul and ensures that a church can become a vibrant pillar and a foundation of the truth. And that’s what we strive for. We are seeking to explore the truth of God’s word.
Now today, I’m going to begin, I’m going to read verses 3 as I mentioned a moment ago, we’ll read 3 to 11, and then we’ll begin our study with verse 8 so that we can understand what is the purpose of God’s law. That’s the topic we want to consider this morning. Why did God give us his law?
This is God’s Holy Word:
As I urged you upon my departure from Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculations rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
Let’s ask God to bless his word to us.
Father, we thank you for the richness of this passage that we have just read. We thank you, Father, that you have given this book to us, to know how to protect our church, Mayflower Hills Baptist Church, from wrong teaching, from wrong doctrine, to keep us a healthy people before you. We ask, Lord, for your help today. Father, as we study this passage from verse 8 to verse 11, so that we can understand the purpose that you have given for law, I pray, Father, that you bless this to our heart. That you help us to comprehend it by the power of your Spirit, and Father, that you apply these truths to our soul that we may be changed so that we would live out and grow in the love that we have for you, and Father, for the love that we have from each other. Bless us in this way, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
The Danger of “Good” People
Well, I’m going to begin this morning by talking about the danger of good people. The danger of “good people,” and you have to put that in quotes. The people who have come into the church at Ephesus are people who are accepted and who look good to the people. They come to them looking like good Christians. In fact, they probably present themselves as people who aren’t just ordinary Christians, but they are superior in some ways. And they know the truth. Paul, when he is writing this letter, the conflict that he has is not with atheists on the outside. The conflict that he is having is with Bible teachers in the church. These are people who claim to believe the Bible and who want to teach the Bible. They have framed themselves as experts in the word of God. So in Ephesus, these false teachers believe themselves to be experts in the law of God.
So that’s who he’s talking about. But the problem is, they were using the word of God, the law of God, to present speculative ideas and vain or empty discussions. They were very confident in their understanding of the purpose of God’s word. They believed that they knew what it meant, and yet Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that they want to be teachers of the law but they do not understand what they are saying. So the issue here that we are dealing with is people who are teaching and instructing people and have positioned themselves as authorities in the church at Ephesus who are teaching the Old Testament law to them, and they have misinterpreted God’s word. And they’re teaching the church a misinterpretation of the word of God. They’re reading the word of God, they’re quoting the word of God, and then they’re saying what they believe that word means, but they don’t know what it means. They don’t understand the purpose of the law.
The Purpose of God’s Law
But then that begs the question for us, do we understand the purpose of the law? And so that’s where we’re going today. We want to explore, why did God give us the law? Why did he give us the Ten Commandments? Why did he give us the moral law that we find in scripture?
Now the false teachers that Paul is addressing believe that the law is good. And so when Paul begins to explain the purpose of the law, he agrees with them. Notice that in verse 8.
But we know that the law is good, if one use it lawfully.
The law is good. We know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. And he says the same thing pretty much in Romans 7:12, that the law is holy and righteous and good. And he is expressing the truth of that because what the law actually does is it represents the unyielding, perfect character of God. The law shows us the pure character of God, his holy standard for all of mankind. It reflects his holy nature. So it’s good.
Misconceptions About the Law
Now if you read the Bible, the New Testament, there are passages in the Bible, particularly from the Apostle Paul, that might make you think that Paul doesn’t believe that the law is good. Let me remind you of a few of those. For example, 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 6 through 9. In that passage, Paul calls the law the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone. He’s talking about the finger-written Ten Commandments. The ministry that is brought death, which is engraved in letters on stone. Now, is a ministry that brought death, is that something that’s good?
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. (Galatians 3:10)
In other words, the law brings a curse. Is a curse a good thing? In Galatians 3:13, he talks about the curse of the law, and it is a curse that we need to be saved from. And when you’re thinking about the law of God in that way, well, it doesn’t sound very good, does it? So here Paul says that the law is good.
There are other passages in the Bible, a passage where Paul talks about the law provoking people to sin. That’s an interesting observation that Paul has. Romans 5:20:
The law was brought in so that the trespasses might increase.
That’s interesting, isn’t it?
For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us. (Romans 7:5)
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:56)
So he’s saying that the law, there’s a sense in which the law stirs people up to sin. It’s like you walk into a building, and next to the wall there’s a sign that says “Wet Paint.” And there’s something about that sign saying “Wet Paint” that makes you want to touch the wall and see if it’s really wet paint. When the law spells out something, real often it stirs people up to do the very thing. To do the thing. Augustine in his famous memoir, he writes that he talks about how when he was a boy, he stole apples, not because he needed them, but I guess because it was prohibited. The main reason is because it was something he shouldn’t do. And something stirred up in him to cause him to want to steal something just for the sake of stealing it. There’s that aspect, and the law of God can stir us up to desire to sin. It’s kind of an interesting thing Paul points out. That causes us to come to an end to ourselves really.
So Paul, do you really believe that the law is good, if you believe these things about the law? And Paul’s answer to that question, do you believe that the law is good, is: Yes, we know that the law is good, if you use it lawfully. So how does this fit together?
Using the Law Lawfully
In verse 9, Paul begins his explanation for us.
Realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person.
The law is not made for a righteous person. Now what does that mean? There’s a couple of possibilities of who the righteous person is when you’re studying this. There’s a couple of possibilities that are both true. For example, there are many that understand this in the first way: the law is not made for the righteous person. And they’re talking about the fact that if there were no sin in the world, if everyone was righteous, there would be no need for the law. That’s true, isn’t it? That certainly is true. I mean, if everybody drove perfectly safely on the highway, we wouldn’t have any laws for reckless driving. There would be no need for them. Nobody, no state legislator would worry about enacting such a law. So if everybody were righteous, the reason that we have the law in the Bible that God gave it, is because people sinned. Because of sinners. And that’s a truth that this passage could be the main focus of this truth.
But there’s another good possibility that’s also true. And Bible teachers like John Stott and John MacArthur view the passage in this way, and it is also true, so it could be the primary meaning. I think probably it is. That Paul is using this word “righteous,” the righteous person, in an ironic way. In a way similar to the way Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” And so if that’s the case, then the righteous here are not people who are truly righteous, but people who are using the law as a means of righteousness. To gain righteousness through the meticulous keeping of the law. They’re using the law as a ladder to climb their way to heaven. So that’s a very strong possibility. Because what comes next is a list which is the target for the law. Paul lists this long list of lawless behaviors in verse 9.
Realizing the fact that law is not made for the righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God.
The Law and The Ten Commandments
So look at this list. That’s the purpose of the law, Paul says. The purpose of the law is because of these people. And something that I should point out here that many people point out when they’re teaching this passage is that this list is interesting because it corresponds basically to the Ten Commandments.
- The First and Second Commandments: “No other gods before me” and “No graven images or idols.” This would correspond to the ungodly and sinners. Because they fail to love God exclusively. They’re practicing idolatry or living without regard to Him.
- The Third Commandment: Taking God’s name in vain. The term unholy corresponds to all those who fail to sanctify the Lord’s name.
- The Fourth Commandment: Sabbath keeping. The word profane represents or describes people who trample on things that are sacred. And so it corresponds to not recognizing what God has set aside as holy.
- The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and mother. And so on this list you have those who strike or kill their fathers and mothers. And that’s a pretty flagrant violation of not honoring your father and mother.
- The Sixth Commandment: Do not murder. And then he lists murderers.
- The Seventh Commandment: Do not commit adultery. And he lists here immoral men and homosexuals and those who violate the biblical boundaries of sexual purity.
- The Eighth Commandment: Do not steal. And this is interesting, because Paul lists kidnappers, enslavers, is what the word could mean. People who would kidnap someone, usually a child, and sell them into slavery. Horrible, horrible sin. If you’re talking about the sin of stealing, what could be worse than stealing the life of a person?
- The Ninth Commandment: Don’t bear false witness. Liars and perjurers directly break that commandment.
- And whatever else: Which would certainly include covetousness. But covetousness is a sin that is committed by everyone who has committed any of these other sins. It’s preceded by covetousness. So it’s a foundational sin.
He’s actually singling out the extreme examples of people who would be violating the Ten Commandments.
The Standard of Righteousness
So it’s a list. I had to ask myself, why does he use these extreme examples? And I’m pretty sure he’s using the extreme examples so that we understand that what they are doing, they’re guilty and deserve the punishment that is due them. For justice to be done. You know, it’s easy for us to recognize that a person who comes and steals a child, sells them into slavery, deserves what they’re going to get.
Other lists in the Bible reflect this, lists that Paul gives. For example, in 1 Corinthians 6:9:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
You see, that’s a pretty dire penalty. You’re on this list, you’re not going to heaven, is what it says. Let me give you another list. This is in Revelation 21, beginning in verse 5. It is God the Father, the picture is in the future at the last judgment, when God is passing judgment on people.
And he who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And he said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
See, that list corresponds to this list. That list corresponds to people who are sinning against God and deserve eternal judgment, eternal justice.
The True Purpose Unveiled
So how do we see this? I’ll tell you how the false teachers were likely looking at this in their thinking about the law of God. They see the law as the ladder that they are using to gain perfection before God, to climb to heaven. And they look at lists like this in the Bible and they think to themselves, “I am really glad I’m not on that list.” It’s easy to do that. It’s so easy for us to do that. And some of us might be thinking the same thing, it’s quite possible. This is where we get the true purpose of the law. The purpose of the law is to show us, you and me, that we are on this list. Do you notice how the list becomes so general towards the end? It includes all these sins framed in the grossest way, but it also talks about anything contrary to sound teaching. It talks about people who lie. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever told more than one lie? What do you call a person who lies? We call them a liar. Revelation, what God says at the end, all liars. Are we on this list? The purpose of the law is to teach us that we’re on the list.
If you go to the doctor and he is suspicious that you might have a serious illness, so he suggests that you go get checked out with an MRI machine. And so you agree to do that, and they put you in that little chamber and slide you in, and the magnets whirr, and you’re in that really dark, confining spot for a while. And then you slowly come out of the thing finally after a long time of listening to loud noises, and your body has just been radiated with lots of radiation, and they use that to create these scans of your body, and they come out and eventually they show you or tell you, “You’ve got this tumor in your lung,” or wherever it is. You’ve got this tumor. What if you say to the doctor, “Hey, put me in there again. Put me in that MRI machine again, because I want to be radiated a little more so that I can eliminate this cancer.” Well, that’s crazy, isn’t it? If your doctor suggested such a thing, then you would know you need to see a different doctor because it makes no sense. The law diagnoses the illness. The law of God exposes our sinfulness. And we recognize our sin, but the law of God has no ability to remedy that sin. No ability. That’s why all those things that Paul is describing about the law becoming a curse for the person who is trying to keep it, climbing to use it as a ladder to heaven, it’s true. The law is good. The MRI machine is good.
I do some woodworking as a hobby every now and then, and I can look at a board and think, “Well, that’s a perfectly straight board.” And then I can take a steel straight edge and lay that against the board and say, “Well, that board needs some work to be corrected before I can use it,” because the curves, the twists begin to show up. Only when you put it against the straight edge. And so that’s what the straight edge is like, the law of God. It’s God’s holy, perfect standard. It’s His righteousness. And when we are measured against it, all of our crookedness shows up. The Apostle James used the imagery of a mirror. You look in a mirror and you see all the dirt that’s on your face. But you don’t use the mirror to try to scrape it off. It’s of no use there; it drives you to the basin where your dirt can be washed away.
So what happens is that people look and think about the law of God and they measure themselves based on the law of God by themselves, real often. They’ll say, “Well, I wasn’t doing too good a few years ago, but now I’m doing pretty good. Compared to the way I was doing before, I think I’m doing really well now.” Or they compare themselves to other people. If they compare themselves with other people, they can truly look good. They look at themselves and they look at that person over there and they say, “Wow, look at me. I am so glad I’m not like that publican over there. I’m so glad I’m not like these people on this list.” But you know what the standard is? The standard is the perfect righteousness of God. God’s perfect righteousness. That’s what you have to put on the scale on this side. You’re going to put your righteousness over here? Well, on this side of the scale, God’s golden, perfect righteousness, which is infinite. And over here on our side of the scale, we put in our little featherweight righteousness, and we think that that’s going to balance this scale. Not going to balance the scale.
The Glorious Gospel
You see, the point of this passage is that if we are going to protect the church from the heresy of legalism, we will do that only when we use the law as a means to expose our sin, rather than as a ladder to earn our way to heaven. The purpose of the law is to show us that we’re sinners deserving of God’s eternal judgment, but the wonderful purpose of the gospel, this gospel in verse 11, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. The purpose of the gospel is to tell you that yes, you’re a sinner, but Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 1:21 says that Jesus came to save His people from their sins. If you’re not a sinner, He didn’t come for you. For people who have a false righteousness, they never hear the truth of the gospel.
What Jesus did when He came is He actually lived the perfect life. His record book was perfect. And ours is a huge deficit. The perfection of Christ’s life He gave over to us. And the debt that we owed is paid by the blood of Christ on the cross at Calvary. He paid the debt that we owe, and He credits us with His own perfect righteousness. So Paul calls it the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Because He’s the blessed God. God is satisfied in Himself, in His glory. He is completely content, and He is absolutely rich in His goodness. And He doesn’t need us trying to keep that law, climbing that fake ladder to make Him happy. Not at all. What He offers is grace to us. Overflowing, out of His goodness, He offers goodness to us. Not because we’re good, but because He is extraordinarily, overflowingly good.
The question is, are you trusting the free gift of grace that comes to us through Jesus Christ, or are we still trying to climb that ladder? Only the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ meets the demands of righteousness that the law requires. I will close with that. Let’s pray.
Father, thank you. Thank you so much for the abundance of your grace to us. We thank you, first of all, that you gave us sinners the law of God so that we recognize that we’re sinful. Otherwise, we would never know it. We thank you, Father, that it is a means to diagnose the deep illness that we have, the fact that we’re on a list and doomed for an eternity apart from you. But Father, just as you wrote to the Corinthians, such were some of you, but you were washed. Father, we thank you for the washing of the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin. We thank you that because of the work of Christ, our sins are put behind your back, never to be remembered anymore. Father, we thank you for the promise that when we sin against you, if we confess our sin, you’re faithful and just to forgive all sin. We thank you, Father, for the richness of your precious gospel, your precious gospel to us. I pray, Father, for the whole counsel of God. And we ask, Father, that because of this, because of what you’ve done for us in Christ, Lord, let us live for you out of the love that grows in our heart. Let us strive to please you in every way because of the rich grace which we have received. Thank you, Father, for all you’ve done for us. We praise you and ask Father that you bless this church and bless each person, everyone who hears this sermon. Father, we pray that you give a special blessing to them, that they may glorify your name, that they may bring glory to you by the power of your grace, by the mercy that you’ve shown us. We ask this to the glory of Christ our Savior. Amen.
