1 Timothy 1.8-Paul Affirms The Spiritual Principle That The Mosaic Law Is Useful If One Uses It Lawfully
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 1, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 1:8-Paul Affirms The Spiritual Principle That The Mosaic Law Is Useful If One Uses It Lawfully
Lesson # 17
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1:1.
In 1 Timothy 1:8-11, Paul rebukes the misuse of the Mosaic Law by certain unidentified pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of it.
1 Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. 5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, 7 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. 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 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 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. (NASU)
Verse 8 begins a series of statements that end in verse 11 that stand in direct contrast with his statements in verses 3-7.
In verses 3-7, Paul describes certain unidentified pastors in Ephesus who desired to be teachers of the Mosaic Law and were teaching false doctrine by being occupied with Jewish myths and the pointless application of the genealogies of the Old Testament.
So the contrast is between Paul’s apostolic teaching with regards to the proper use and accurate application of the Mosaic Law with the improper use and misapplication of it by these unidentified pastors in Ephesus.
The misapplication of the Law by these pastors makes it absolutely imperative that he presents the proper application of it.
1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully. (NASU)
“We know” is the first person plural perfect active indicative form of the verb oida (οἶδα) (ee-tha) which means, “to know as an accepted fact, to affirm as an accepted fact.”
The word means “to affirm an accepted fact” in the sense that what Paul is asserting about the Law in verses 8-11 is inspired and confirmed by the Holy Spirit and accepted by the apostles.
The first person plural form of the verb is an “exclusive we” referring to Paul and his fellow apostles, associates like Timothy and those who read this epistle who were in agreement with him in contrast to those pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law and were not using it properly.
“The Law is good” is composed of the articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun nomos (νόμος) (no-mose), “the Law” and the nominative masculine singular form of the adjective kalos (καλός) (kah-loce), “good.”
The noun nomos means “law” and refers to the Mosaic Law and specifically to the moral code or Ten Commandments, which is indicated by the context.
First of all, when Paul uses this term he usually has the Mosaic Law in mind or the Old Testament as a whole.
Secondly, when he speaks of the law in verses 8-10, it has the same ethical concerns as those of the Mosaic Law.
The list of vices in verses 9-10 is similar to the Decalogue as Knight points out (page 81) who also points out that “when Paul elsewhere speaks of ‘law’ and gives ethical lists, it is the Mosaic moral law that is in view” (cf., e.g., Rom. 13:9ff.)” (Page 81).
Thirdly, in verse 4, Paul has already mentioned that these pastors in Ephesus were occupied with myths and useless genealogies, which we noted were Jewish in nature.
The noun nomodidaskalos means “teachers of the Law” which is another clear indication that nomos in verse 8 refers to the Mosaic Law.
The fourth reason why nomos is referring to the Law is that Paul is contrasting his use of the Law with these unidentified pastors who misused the Law and wanted to be teachers of the Law.
The reference to genealogies in verse 4, which occur in the narrative portion of the Law or the Pentateuch indicate that nomos refers to the Mosaic Law.
Lastly, the word’s articular construction indicates to the reader that nomos is “well-known” to them and not Roman law or law in general.
The adjective kalos in 1 Timothy 1:8 is making an assertion about the Mosaic Law and describing it as “useful” which is indicated in that Paul is contrasting his use of the Law with that of those pastors in Ephesus.
Also, this word appears in the apodasis of a fifth class condition which affirms the spiritual principle that the Law is useful if it is used correctly.
1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully. (NASU)
“If one uses it lawfully” is composed of the conditional particle ean (ἐάν) (ah-ahn), “if” and the nominative masculine singular form of the indefinite pronoun tis (τις) (teece), “one” and the third person singular present middle subjunctive form of the verb chraomai (χράομαι) (crah-oh-meh), “uses” and the dative third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός) (awf-toce), “it” and the adverb nominos (νομίμως) (no-mee-noce), “lawfully.”
The conditional particle ean is employed with the subjunctive mood of the verb chraomai, “uses” to form the protasis of a fifth class conditional statement that teaches a spiritual principle that the Law is useful if one uses it correctly.
The indefinite pronoun tis means “one” and speaks of any member of the human race without exception and distinction.
In 1 Timothy 1:8, the verb chraomai means “to make use of, to apply” the Mosaic Law since Paul is addressing the misapplication of the Mosaic Law by a certain group of unidentified pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law.
This is indicated in that these pastors were occupied with Jewish myths and genealogies in the narrative portions of the Pentateuch.
They were not using the Mosaic Law properly.
They did not understand its three-fold purpose and were thus misapplying it.
The present tense of the verb is a “gnomic present,” which is used to describe something that is true “any” time and “does” take place.
Therefore, the “gnomic” present says that the Law is useful if one “does at any time” use it correctly.
The middle voice of the verb is an indirect middle indicating that the subject acts for himself or in their own interest.
It indicates that if any member of the human race does apply the Mosaic Law correctly, they are acting in their own interests or in other words, they are benefiting themselves.
The adverb nominos is a play on the words nomos, “the Law” and nomodidaskalos, “teachers of the Law.”
It means “lawfully” in the sense of being in accordance with the intended three-fold purpose of the Law.
It indicates that the Law is useful if a person “correctly” or “properly” uses it.
In other words, it is useful if one understands and applies its three-fold purpose.
In particular if one understands that it reveals God’s perfect standards, personal sins committed by man and his sinful nature as well as his need for the Savior.
This usage of the Law is reflected in Paul’s statements in verses 9-10.
The protasis of this fifth class condition that helps to compose verse 8 indicates that for the Mosaic Law and in particular the moral code aspect of the Law to have its proper result it must be used in accord with this three-fold purpose.
This principle helps to expose the error of those pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Mosaic Law.
In the study of the Bible, there are three specific purposes that surface in the proper use of the Mosaic Law.
First of all, in a general sense, the Mosaic Law was given to provide a standard of righteousness (Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 19:7-9) and in the process, it revealed the righteousness, holiness, and goodness of God (Deut. 4:8; Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; Rom. 7:12-14).
The Law given at Mount Sinai to Israel was to reveal a holy God and to demonstrate the reality of an infinite gulf that separated man from Him.
Secondly, the Law was given to identify sin and reveal man’s sin and bankrupt condition as guilty before God (Rom. 3:19f; 7:7-8; 5:20; Gal. 3:19).
As J. Hampton Keathley Jr. states, “Like the blood alcohol test is designed to prove men are drunk, so the Law is designed to prove men are sinners, under the wrath of God.”
God’s holy Law reveals to man just who and what he is, namely, sinful and separated from God by an infinite gulf that he is unable to bridge in his own human strength.
Lastly, the Law was given to shut man up to faith, i.e., to exclude the works of the Law (or any system of works) as a system of merit for either salvation or sanctification and thereby lead him to Christ as the only means of righteousness (Galatians 3:19-20, 20-24; 1 Timothy 1:8-9; Romans 3:21-24).