1 Timothy 1:8 Commentary and Bible Study

Paul is primarily referring to the moral law of the Ten Commandments, but yes even the ancient ceremonial law is good; ‘excellent’ would be an even better translation: very good is implied. The law is perfect; it flows from the character of God; it reflects his own holy character. The ceremonial law too is good if a man use it lawfully. How do you lawfully use the ceremonial law? You leave it in its context in the Old Testament. It provided visual aids of the coming Christ. He has fulfilled the ceremonial law: now it is at an end. If you use it by looking back at the Old Testament to see the light it throws on the work of Christ, then you use it lawfully. The focus of our worship is Christ not the use of the ceremonial law. It has done its job; it has finished. To actually enact the rituals of the Old Testament in the present day would be to say that Christ has not come. He has not fulfilled it and done the perfect work to which it all pointed. So it's good if you make use of it to throw light on the work of Christ. How do you use the moral law of the Ten Commandments unlawfully? The Judaizers used it unlawfully in this sense: they used it as the way to gain the favour of God. ‘Here is God's law. If I keep the commandments,’ they said, ‘then God will be pleased with me and reward me and I will live as his child and I will have a heavenly hereafter. My obedience to the law will earn my salvation for me.’ But that is to use the law absurdly, unlawfully because it cannot be done. The purpose of the law is not to give us a way to earn righteousness by our own works. Rather it is to show us that we cannot achieve righteousness in that way. Because we are sinners, we need the forgiveness of God. The law condemns us. We are guilty before God and we need pardon and new life. That is the legitimate use of the law: to use it to convict us, to cause us to seek the grace of God and free salvation, a new birth and power from on high, a new life. ‘We know that the law is good, if [and only if] a man use it lawfully’, legitimately, properly. First to bring down, to condemn, to convict, to show our true state, the fallen state of mankind and the human heart, and then to be the code by which we live after we have been freely forgiven and saved and empowered to obey God from the heart.