Chapter 15, The Law and the Gospel, The Reformed Reader

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Right and Wrong Uses
of the Law
“We know that the law is good ~f one
uses it lawfully.” (1 Tim. 1:8)

EARLY IN HIS FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY, the apostle Paul warns
the young evangelist of certain false teachers on the prowl in
Ephesus.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain
in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no
other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless ge-
nealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edi-
fication which is in faith. Now the purpose of the com-

mandment is love from a pure heart, from a good
conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some,
having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring
to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what
they say nor the things which they affirm. (1 Tim. 1:3-7)

Immediately following this warning, verse 8 begins with the
affirmation, “But we know that the law is good if one uses it
lawfully,” that is, not as the aforementioned false teachers have
Used it. That affirmation sets forth the first theme of Paul’s let-
ter to this young preacher.
Erroneous and unlawful teaching of the law is still with us.

The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law

I am convinced that the present widespread contempt for civil
laws is the inevitable Outgrowth of disregard and disrespect for
divine laws. Adding to this is the appalling ignorance in the
church on this subject—the fruit of silence in the pulpit, or
worse yet, false teaching.

At Stake—the Meaning of the Cross
False teaching on the law in the form of antinomianism robs the
cross of its very foundation. The base of the cross is eternal jus-
tice, demonstrated in Christ’s satisfying the just demands of God’s
holy law. The first message of the cross is not “God loves you,”
but “God’s law has been broken.” Viewing the cross without the
law is like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle in thin air. With no
base on which to connect the pieces, a clear picture of God’s grace
never takes shape. Yes, the spirit of the cross is eternal love, but
the base of the cross is eternal justice. Preaching and teaching the
law will save the gospel and Christianity from sentimentalism,
emotionalism, and a superstitious perversion of the cross.
We must view the cross not only from the human side but
also from the divine side. From the human side, we learn that
God loved and demonstrated that love by giving His Son to die
for sinners. From the divine side, we see God the Father thrust-
ing the sword of divine justice into the heart of His Son.
The cross did not catch God by surprise. It was not an acci-
dent; it was part of the divine plan. “Him, being delivered by
the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts
2:23). The apostles Peter and John reflected this truth in their
prayer, “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You
anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and
the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever
Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done”
(Acts 4:27-28).
Among the purposes of the cross was God’s plan to “mag-
nify the law and make it honorable” (Isa. 42:21). The cross does
not make sense apart from the law.
The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law
V
15
An unbalanced emphasis on grace has led many people t
neglect certain vital functions of the law In its accusing and con
victing function, the law is a schoolmaster to lead men to Chrisi

The absence of this dimension in preaching today has resultec
in a truncated gospel, rushed “conversions,” and shallow reli
gious experience. The Jaw prepares the way for the gospel. It i~
the sharp needle of the law that makes way for the scarle~
thread of the gospel. Ignorance of the nature, design, and func-
tions of the law is at the bottom of a great deal of religious erroi
today (cf. I Tim. 1:7).
Throughout this book we have been trying to answer the fol-
lowing questions concerning the relationship of the law to the
gospel.

1. Should someone who is under grace have regard for the
law of God?
2. Is the person who is led by the Spirit obligated to keep
the commandments?
3. To what kind of moral conduct does the Spirit lead a
Christian?
4. Does the gospel nullify the law?
5. What function does God’s law have in bringing lost sin-
ners to Christ?
6. What function does God’s law have in the Christian
life?

In this chapter we shall give special attention to the proper
function of God’s law (5 and 6), along with some common mis-
USes of the law.

1 Timothy 1:1—11
What does it mean to use the law “lawfully” (1 Tim. 1:8)? A brief
commentary on verses 1—11 will help us answer that question.
The whole epistle to the young evangelist Timothy could be
called Paul’s Directory for the Church of God. In verses 3 and
4 the apostle gives his reason for writing. He tells Timothy to

The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law 161
160

charge certain men not to teach different doctrine. Paul does not
name names in verse 3, but later, in verse 20, he identifies Hy-
menaeus and Alexander.
The false teachers were propagating something new— a dif-
ferent doctrine. They had what has been called an “Athenian
spirit.” What is an Athenian spirit? It is described in Acts 17:21:
“All the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent
their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new
thing.” They were “novelty teachers.” As I’ve mentioned be-
fore, a good rule of thumb is to beware of anyone who teaches
what is contrary to the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer,
the Apostles’ Creed. And so Paul warned Timothy of those
who “give heed to fables and endless genealogies” (1 Tim. 1:4).
In verse 5 Paul gives the purpose of that commandment to
oppose false teachers. The purpose is love, which can only
come from a real experience of the grace of God. Paul gives a
three-fold description of its source: It springs (1) from a pure
heart, (2) from a good conscience, and (3) from sincere, un-
feigned faith. Having strayed from these three evidences of
grace, the false teachers have drawn others into profitless spec-
ulation and vain talk (v. 6).
In verse 7 we see that those who were in error wanted to be
teachers of the law but had no insight into its meaning. Their
teaching was born of stubborn ignorance.
It is in this context of Paul’s opposition to false teaching con-
cerning the law that we come upon verse 8: “But we know that
the law is good if one uses it lawfully.” Two observations that
should strike us: (1) The law is good if a person uses it lawfully.
(2) The law of God may be used unlawfully. And so, we need
to focus on what those lawful and unlawful uses are.
Verse 8 begins with the strong affirmation, “We know...
One of my past mentors used to say:

• if a man does not know and thinks that he knows, he is
a fool. Stay away from him.
• If a man does not know, and knows that he does not
know, he is ignorant. Teach him.
]
• But when you find a man who knows, and knows that
he knows, he is wise. Follow him.
1’

4.g

I,
Paul is that man. He says with full confidence, “We know that
the law is good.” What follows is not a comprehensive exposi-
tion of the law but, rather, a corrective statement concerning
particular abuses of it by false teachers. Paul, of course, has
much more to say about the law than he says here.
In this passage he says that “the law is not made for a right-
eous person” (v. 9). Before explaining what he means, let me
state emphatically what verse 9 does not mean. It does not
mean that the Christian has nothing to do with the law, or that
the law has nothing to do with the Christian.
Paul begins verse 8 by contrasting what “we know” with
what the false teachers do not understand (vv. 6-7). “We know
that the law is good.” He goes on to indicate that the law must
be handled lawfully (not mishandled or abrogated). What law
is Paul talking about in I Timothy 1:1—11? He obviously has in
mind the moral law. Space does not allow us to demonstrate all
the evidence that the moral law is intended. The list of sins in
verses 9—10 should be enough to establish that. Those sins fol-
low the same order as the second table of the Ten Command-
ments (cf. Ex. 20:12—16). It would be natural for Paul, with his
training in the law, to follow that order. (Compare this list with
his lists in Rom. 13:8—10 and I Cor. 6:9—10. They also follow the
order of the Ten Commandments.)
In order for the law to accomplish its proper intent, it must
be used lawfully, the way our Creator intended it to be used.
But 1 Timothy 1:9 mentions that the law is not made for the
righteous. Who are the righteous in the world? They are Chris-
tians in the process of being conformed to the moral require-
ments of their Creator, objectively set out in the Ten Com-
mandments. This is being accomplished by the work of Christ
wrought in them by the Holy Spirit: ..... that the righteous re-
quirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).

We must always remember that the law was written on

The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law

Adam’s heart when he was righteous and innocent. It did not
curse or condemn before Adam sinned. We must also remem-
ber that the angels were under law, otherwise they could not
have sinned. “Where there is no law there is no transgression”
(Rom. 4:15). “. . . God did not spare the angels who sinned, but
cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of dark-
ness, to be reserved for judgment.. .“ (2 Peter 2:4).
The picture we get from 1 Timothy 1 is that the law is good,
but difficult to teach and subject to misuse. Just as it is hard to
teach free will without denying free grace, or to teach free grace
without denying responsibility likewise it is hard to give the
law its due and not seem to prejudice the gospel, or to teach the
gospel and not prejudice the law.

Unlawful Uses of the Law
When is the law used unlawfully?

1. It is an unlawful use when it is misinterpreted as it was
by the scribes and Pharisees.
2. It is unlawfully used when it is set up as opposed to
Christ, opposed to grace, or opposed to the gospel—one
of the errors of the Jews.
3. Jhe most dangerous and damning unlawful use is
when men look to the law for justification—seeking ac-
ceptance before God by law keeping. This ove~throws
the very nature of grace, opposes Christ in His fullness,
and overthrows justification by faith alone.
4. It is an unlawful use of the law to use it to discourage
the brokenhearted sinners. This is why the law and the
gospel must be preached together.
5. It is an unlawful use of the law to overthrow the grace
of hope (cf. Rom. 5.)
6. It is an unlawful use of the law to take away the glory due
to God in the great and marvelous work of justification.
7. It is an unlawful use of the law to overthrow the doc-
trine of sanctification. There is no power in the law to
The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law 163

justify or sanctify The power must come from the Spirit.
That is why we must never separate the Spirit from the
law or gospel. Each will be powerless without the Spirit.
8. It is an unlawful use of the law to use it merely as am-

munition in unfruitful and unprofitable disputes. If
preachers and teachers do not teach Christ by the law,
it is an unlawful use of the law.

How the Law Is Good
Our text says the law is good if it is used lawfully The law is
good in respect to the matter or content found in the Ten Com-
mandments. All Christian duty can be traced to the Ten Com-
mandments, as can all sin.
The commandments are good concerning the authoritt~
stamped upon them by God, whereby they have become a rule
of life for us. We see in Matthew 5 that our Savior does not ab-
rogate the law but shows the comprehensive authority of the
law over spiritual issues far beyond the Pharisees’ expectation.
The law is good because it is the instrument that the Spirit of
God uses to convict of sin and to quicken believers to duty “You
have quickened me by Your precepts” (Ps. 119:50). It is unrea-
sonable to separate the law of God from the Spirit of God. Paul
said in Romans 7:14 that “the law is spiritual.”
The law is good in respect to its acts.

• It acts to declare the will of God for moral conduct.
• It acts to command obedience to the will of God.
• It acts to invite by promise—or to compel by threats.
• It acts to condemn transgressors.

The law is good in respect to its end or purpose, which is
Christ. We have a noble calling, proving that the law in all its
parts aims to bring us into conformity to Christ. It has the right-
eousness of Christ as its scope.

Some Lawful Uses of the Law
When is the law used lawfully?

The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law 165
164 The Right and Wrong Uses of the Law
1. The law is used lawfully when it is used to inform all
creatures—Christian and non-Christian—of the nature
and will of God. The law stems from His nature, re-
flecting in its perfection the perfection of God. “The law
of the LORD 15 perfect, converting the soul” (Ps. 19:7).
2. The Law is used lawfully when it informs all creatures
of their duty to God and man.
3. The law is used lawfully when it binds all creatures to
walk according to the Creator’s revealed will.
4. The law is used lawfully when it is used to convince be-
lievers and unbelievers of their inability to keep it apart
from the Spirit.
5. The law is used lawfully when it is used to convince
men, women, and children of the sinful pollution of
their natures, hearts, and Lives, thus driving them to
Christ for forgiveness.
6. The law is used lawfully when it is used to humble men
and women in the sense of their sins and misery.
7. The law is used lawfully when it is used to help men
and women to a clearer sight of their need of Christ and
the perfection of His obedience.
8. The law is used lawfully when it helps men and women
to have proper esteem for the matchless character of
Christ.

The Use of the Law Peculiar to Christians
A special use of the law among Christians is that it makes Christ
more precious to us. He perfectly obeyed all of its precepts for
us. This shows us how much we are bound to Him for doing
what we could not do, both in His life and in His death. “For
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Know-
ing this produces love and thankfulness.

The Use of the Law for Non-Christians

1. It is a lawful use of the law when it is used to restrain
the spirits of wicked men. A great old Puritan Samuel
Bolton said,
Blessed be God that there is this fear upon the spirits of
wicked men; otherwise we could not well live in the
world. One man would be a devil to another. Every man

would be a Cam to his brother, an Ammon to his sister,
an Absolom to his father, a Saul to himself, a Judas to his
master; for what one man does, all men would do, were
it not for a restraint upon their spirits. (True Bounds of
Christian Freedom [London: Banner of Truth, 1964], 79)

The Ten Commandments curb evil in the world.

2. It is a lawful use of the law when it is used to inform
sinners of their duty to God and man. The law con-
demns and convinces the unconverted of their sin and
misery.
3. It is a lawful use of the law when it is used to render sin-
ners inexcusable if they reject God’s promise and rem-
edy in Christ. “For since the creation of the world His in-
visible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by
the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

The commandments were originally written perfectly on
Adam’s heart, and he had perfect, sufficient knowledge of the
Creator’s will, as well as the power to obey. Although this clear
view of the law was defaced by the Fall, it was not totally oblit-
erated. Romans 2:14—15 teach us that some faint impressions of
the law still remain on the hearts of reasonable men. On Mount
Sinai, God was graciously pleased to give a new, written copy
of the moral law, summed up in the Ten Commandments.

WE HAVE SEEN that when one becomes a Christian, a new cre-
ation, God writes that same perfect law on the heart. The one
who makes good and lawful use of the law is the person who
has Christ and grace in his heart as well. It is he who can sing
with the psalmist, “Oh, how I love Your law!” (Ps. 119:97).

The Reformed Reader Home Page