The Lawful Use Of The Law
THE LAWFUL USE OF THE LAW
1 TIMOTHY 1:1-11
How easy it is to become more interested in controversial issues and novelties than in actually doing God’s work.
A first-century letter usually began with the name of the writer, a short description of him, the name of the recipient(s) with a similar brief description and a short prayer. Paul breathes life into this conventional framework by making it the means of bringing out important Christian teaching. Here we see something of the nature of apostleship (a man does not say, “I think I’ll be an apostle”; he must first be commanded by God and Christ), the close relationship between God and Christ (none else could be joined together as they are), the tender relationship between Paul and his convert Timothy and the primacy of such as grace, mercy and peace. Paul usually has grace and peace in his greetings, but in his two letters to Timothy “mercy” is also included.
In the letter itself, the first thing emphasized is the importance of sound doctrine resulting in upright living. “The law is good,” Paul says, “if anyone uses it lawfully” (1:8). It is for the restraint of wickedness of all kinds (1:9f.). This might be expressed in another way, as when Paul speaks of the aim of his charge to Timothy as love (1:5). The use of both ideas shows that he is not arguing for the kind of situational ethics close to some modern thinkers. He agrees that love is the important attitude for Christians, and that it proceeds “from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith” (1:5). But this does not mean that the law can be disregarded. Elsewhere Paul tells us that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10) and this is much the thought here. This is not in contradiction of the gospel, but in accordance with it (1:11). And it is something given, something entrusted, to Paul (1:11) and indeed to all Christians.
But it is always easier to get into an argument than to live the Christian life. It is human nature to prefer vigorous discussion to sacrificial living. “Certain persons” (1:3) whom Timothy confronted were using the law the wrong way. Clearly they were using some form of allegorical interpretation which made the Bible yield “myths and endless genealogies” (1:4); they had “wandered away into vain discussion” (1:6). It is still quite possible to use the Bible not as the source of “the divine training that is in faith” (1:4), but as the starting point for the exposition of our own pet theories. Calling these “Christian,” “orthodox” or “sound doctrine” does not make them so. For that there must be a real submission to what God has revealed.