1Ti 1:8-11 “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”
Paul clearly teaches here that we who know the law of God know that His law is good. While we may not be under certain aspects of the law any more (such as pertained to temple service or the tabernacle), we still recognize that the principle of those laws is still good. We may not be bound to the letter of many of the Old Testament laws, but we are still bound to the law that God has put in our hearts and written in our minds (Heb 10:16). In keeping His law, we have the opportunity to display our love for Jesus to the world (John 14:15).
We are blessed to know that the law is good. With that blessing comes the responsibility to use it legitimately. If God has put His law in our hearts, it is because we need His law. God did not place it there for us to stand in judgment of our brothers and sisters. He put it there because we need His law for us: only applying that law to others is not using it lawfully.
Remember that the law is not made for a righteous man. We are told in God’s word that there is none righteous (Rom 3:10). Without the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us, we are all lawless and disobedient. We have God’s law put in our hearts because we are the ones who need His law.
If I truly believe and love the law of God, I am going to use that as a guide through life. To use His law in my life, I must first acknowledge that I am otherwise lawless and disobedient at the very least. We may feel that some of the things that Paul mentioned here do not apply to us (murder, prostitution, slave-trading). Yet, if we are guilty of any part (disobedience, lying, contrary to sound doctrine) then we are guilty…period.
In the glorious gospel of the blessed God, we find the conviction that we are sinners. In the conviction of our sins, we find the deep need for a Savior. When we feel our need of a Savior, we cry out unto God and confess that we are wretched and undone. When we cry out to Him because of our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive them (1John 1:9).
It is amazing that the God of heaven would entrust to some of us His glorious gospel! Having been entrusted with the gospel of the blessed God, we have a responsibility to declare (with our lips and our lives) those things that are becoming to sound doctrine. We were not given the gospel to beat others into line. We were entrusted with the gospel so that we might declare the glory of God and trust Him to administer that glory according to His own will and purpose.
May we be blessed to be faithful stewards of the gospel of the blessed God!
