A Mirror and a Map (1 Tim. 1:11)

"according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust." (v.11)

Paul ends his urging to Timothy for his church's adherence to sound doctrine and the relationship between its teaching and the law with a praise to God. Paul states that the law is according to, or comes from the Good News, the Gospel. What Paul means is that the Gospel is the fulfillment of the law. Jesus Christ said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matt. 5:17, NKJV). Our wonderful God knew that his created beings would not be able to live by the law. One gives a commndment to another because that person is prone to break it. For instance, when I worked at the YMCA I was contantly 'commanding' my kids to not do certain things. Why? Because, if I didn't they would do exactly what they did not need to be doing. The commandments are there because we need them.

Our relationship with God is a lot like the above example. He created us and He knows what is best for us and so he has given us a map to follow in His law. He has also given us a mirror in that when we look at the law we know that we cannot live up to it. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Therefore, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to our sinners' death so that we may have everlasing life (John 3:16). How 'blessed' and wonderful our Lord is!

Who Needs the Law? Everyone (1 Tim. 1:9-10)

"...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, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine," (1 Tim. 1:9-10)

After instructing that Timothy much teach "no other doctrine," Paul lists a lengthy amount of actions that are contrary to sound doctrine. Before he lists these grievences, however, Paul states that the law is not made for a righteous person (i.e. someone who has never broken God's law). He then lists the actions that the law was made for which all mankind is guilty of:

1) the lawless - those who literally abide by no laws

2) the insubordinate - those who rebel against governing authorities

3) the ungodly - those who live their lives without regard to any of God's law

4) sinners - those who are constantly living against God's will

5) the unholy - those who defile what is sacred

6) the profane - those who defile what is holyand set apart

7) murderers of fathers, mothers, manslayers - those who kill mankind which was created in God's image

8) fornicators - those who are sexually immoral (sex outside of the marriage/covenant relationship)

9) sodomites - those who commit homosexual acts

10) kidnappers - some also translate this as 'slavetraders'

11) liars - those who are consistently deceitful

12) perjurers - those who break promises or the law.

To sum it all up, Paul adds, "or anything else that is contrary to sound doctrine." What are we to make of this? Who then can keep the law? No one can keep the law. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law in that he came to rescue mankind from breaking God's moral law because not one can keep it. "There is none righteous, no not one." (Rom. 3:10) Thank God for his choosing to send His Son to save mankind! Without the law we would not know that we are sinners and have attacked God's perfect character. Thank God for his law! Who needs the law? Everyone.