Tuesday, July 25, 2017

1 TIMOTHY 1:8-14 LAW IS FOR THE LAWLESS AND PAUL TESTIFIES OF TRANSFORMATION

1 TIMOTHY 1:8-14
LAW IS FOR THE LAWLESS AND
PAUL TESTIFIES OF TRANSFORMATION

1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

Susie: Paul is writing to Timothy concerning the Mosaic Law rather than law in general. The Mosaic Law was good, of course, because it was given directly to Moses by God.

Susan: The Mosaic Law and the other Old Testament books were the only Bible the first century believers had.

Susie: These letters were recognized as authoritative because they were written by an apostle but would not be accepted as a part of the canon of the New Testament until about the fourth century A.D.

1 Timothy 1:9-11 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

Susan: The Law is for the lawless person, to point out his/her unrighteousness in order to convict the person and point out their need of a Savior.

Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Susie: The false teachers were, in part, Judaizers, who taught that Christians must be circumcised and keep the law as a prerequisite to salvation. In order to discuss verses 9 and 10 further, it will be helpful to have a list of the Ten Commandments in front of us:


The 10 Commandments List, Short Form
1.        You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.        You shall not make idols.
3.        You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4.        Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5.        Honor your father and your mother.
6.        You shall not murder.
7.        You shall not commit adultery.
8.        You shall not steal.
9.        You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10.  You shall not covet

Susie: Those who are lawless and insubordinate, ungodly and sinners, unholy and profane would be breaking the first four commandments that address man’s relationship to Holy God. The rest of the couplets Paul uses to describe the lawless ones relate to commandments six through ten concerning relationships between people.

Susan: Murderers of fathers and mothers are definitely in violation of the fifth commandment to honor you parents. Those who kill a person, manslayers, disregard the sixth commandment, the commandment not to take a human life.

Susie: Fornicators, those who have sexual relations outside of Biblical marriage, and sodomites which is another term for homosexuals are against the spirit of commandment number seven. A Biblical marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Adultery encompasses any sexual act that is not between a husband and his own wife or a wife and her own husband.

Susan: In Paul’s day, the kidnapping (stealing) of children was rampant. When we think of stealing, we think of one’s personal possessions; but nothing is more personal than your God-given children.

Susie: Stealing definitely breaks commandment number eight, but taking a child from its family—Wow! Liars and perjurers are bearing false witness as condemned in commandment number nine. And many of these sins are directly related to coveting which is covered in commandment number ten!

Susan: In case the ten commandments did not encompass everything, Paul made the broader category of anything that does not line up with sound doctrine.

Susie: Paul had taught Timothy and the Ephesians sound doctrine as taught to him by the Lord Jesus. God had commissioned Paul to preach the gospel and instruct the believers. False teachers were contradicting the sound teaching they had received from the apostle Paul.

1 Timothy 1:12-13 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Susan: Paul praises God for His empowerment and the fact that the Lord considered him trustworthy, calling him into ministry. Paul acknowledges that he is God’s instrument and could not preach in human effort. It is only by the Spirit of God who works in and through him.

Susie: This reminds me of what Paul stated in his letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Susie: Paul also notes that God put him into ministry. He did not choose this occupation for himself but was appointed to it by the Lord.

Susan: Paul testifies about himself that he was all about bringing misery to Christians. He captured them and turned them over to their tormentors. All these are things Paul did before his encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Damascus.  Paul received pardon for his actions because he trusted the Savior, Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Susie: Paul was fully aware that the man he had become was completely due to the grace of God. The Lord’s mercy and loving forgiveness had brought about a change in him.

Susan: The Lord had not simply restored aspects of Paul’s life but had given him a total transformation!

Susie: God had transformed Paul from a persecutor of believers to a proclaimer of the Gospel characterized by faith and love.



QUESTIONS:

1.       The law is for what category of people?
2.       What purpose does the Mosaic Law serve?
3.       Do the examples of unrighteousness given by Paul only encompass a person’s relationship to God? Explain:
4.       According to Paul’s own testimony in this chapter, what was he like before he trusted Jesus?

5.       To what does Paul attribute his ability to have faith, to preach, and to love?

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