1 Timothy 1:8-101 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the
law is good if one uses it
lawfully,
9 knowing this: that the law is
not made for a
righteous person,
but for the lawless and insubordinate,
for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for fornicators, for
sodomites, for
kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is
contrary to sound doctrine, The first thing I like to point out in verse eight is that Paul states the law is good. Paul has made this statement before where he claims that without the law he would not know when he was sinning. And it stands to reason without the law it would be impossible for us to be convicted of our sins.
The second thing in verse one is it the fact that the law can be used unlawfully. We see Christ accusing the Pharisees of this throughout the Gospels.
Question; is the law still being used in an unlawful manner in today's world, the church.
In verse nine Paul points out that the laws not made for a righteous person but for the lawless and insubordinate person. Of course Paul and other text points out to us that there is none no not one that is righteous. Is there a conflict here? I don't think there is a conflict when we consider that the cross has made our sins invisible to the Lord. For all purposes we have become righteous persons, even though we have never been deserving of the righteousness we have received in Christ.
Further on down in verse nine and on into verse 10 Paul gives us some examples of the ungodly and the unholy. The church may well take notice of these examples because later on down at the verse Paul explains that these acts are contrary to sound doctrine.
Why do I make this last point well if you look at the word kidnappers, this is what slavery as we know it was described in the Old Testament. In our recent history and even still in some parts of the world today slavery is still condone. This is not to be confused for when the Old Testament uses the word slavery to refer to indentured servants. The other word what strikes me is the word sodomite which of course are referring to homosexuals. If this practice is contrary to sound doctrine many of our modern churches that practice this in their church (gay marriage, gay preachers) have fallen into the clutches of Satan.
