Ｉテモテ1:8-17 『律法を正しく用いる』 2018/07/22 David Hawley

Passage 1 Timothy 1:8-17
Other passages James 1:22-25, Romans 1:10, 7:4, Gal 2:19, Titus 2:11-14
Background The Law and Christians
Synopsis of the passage The Law is good if used properly; the law is made for the unrighteous.
Paul declares he has been entrusted with the gospel, despite his past, and that he is an poster child for the unlimited depth of Jesus’ patience.
Message Outline Cardinal error of the teachers of the Law: using it improperly
Explanation: Thinking about the Mosaic Law
○ Who: The Law is for unrighteous, not righteous
○ What: The Law is for what?
■ Not for salvation
■ Not a storehouse we can pull Laws from
■ Not for Christians, who are dead to the Law
■ Three functions: Standard of life, A mirror to our behaviour, a personal tension driving us to obedience and sacrifice
○ Christians and Law
■ There is a Law for Christians, the Law of Christ
■ This Law is perfect in content and power
■ Cf the Mosaic Law, what is this Law of Christ for
● A way of life, based on the model of Christ
● A mirror, which is expresses hope and calls us onwards
● An impetus to draw us to God for comfort and help
○ Wrong way: Surprised and crushed by sin
○ Right way: The example of Paul
Application Using the Law as a means of grace
Title Using the Law properly / 律法を正しく用いる
[Reading on slide 2-6]
8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I. Introduction (2 min)
1. Started series in 1Tim
a. Part of the Pastoral epistles, the last letters Paul wrote, near the end of his life.
In this letter Paul is giving responsibility for Eph church to his young coworker Timothy.
b. The purpose and content of the letter is to teach ‘how to conduct ourselves in God’s church’.
c. Last week, we saw that some men in the church were teaching wrong or useless things.
i. These teachers had lost their focus, which should have been a sincere faith in the gospel of Jesus, a pure singleness of heart and a good conscience, which results in the love which is the goal.
ii. As well as losing the focus on the gospel, these false teachers had got some core teaching wrong.
iii. Their intention was to be teachers of the Law, but they didn’t actually understand what they were talking about. So it seems one error that these teachers was making was related to the Law of Moses, and how to use it.
2. This week, we’ll be looking at the OT Law, the Law through Moses, and how we should relate to it.
a. Who is the Law for?
b. What is the Law for?
c. And finally, how should Christians use the Law?
3. So let’s get into it.

II. Who is the OT Law for? (5 min)
1. v8 The (Mosaic) Law is good, but you have to apply it properly.
2. v9 So first of all, Paul tells us who the Law applies to。
3. The Law is not for righteous people, but for unrighteous.
a. And here in v9-10 is a seemingly random list of things that people do, everything from being ungodly to lying to sexual immorality to murder.
i. Actually, the list follows the 10 commandments, more or less in order.
b. So the unrighteous are those who break the Mosaic Law.
Therefore, according to Paul, the Law is for those who are the law-breakers.
4. OTOH, who are the righteous people?
a. The bible says there is none righteous, not one. (Romans 3:10, Psalm 14:3)
b. The bible says that if we commit one sin, we have broken the whole law. (James 2:10, Matt 5:18-19)
c. That seems a bit harsh, doesn’t it?
i. But imagine if I give you an nice shiny apple, but it has one ugly brown spot from a bruise or maybe a little tiny worm.
● Would you take that apple, and eat it?
● Would you put it on your table as a decoration and leave it for a few days?
● No! The bruise will spread, and the apple become completely disgusting.
ii. Would you buy a drinking glass with a tiny crack on the rim?
● No! you might cut your lip, and it would soon break from daily use.
iii. So there are two examples of where a little flaw is a deal breaker.
iv. As for people, we also have flaws. Why is that a problem?
v. Firstly, we people are meant to live forever with a holy God
● How could a holy God live with us when we have some moral defect?
● And without God, how can we be fully human without God’s presence?
● So even a little sin stops us from being fully human.
vi. Secondly, we are to represent God on the earth and rule it for him, forever.
● Just consider how people go bad when they get power, and cause huge problems.
○ A worker becomes a power-harassing manager
○ A singer becomes rich and falls into drug use and dies
○ A utopian dreamer becomes a murderous tyrant
● Even a tiny flaw is unacceptable and dangerous with power & infinite amount of time.
vii. So in both these ways, we are unfit for God’s purpose for us.
viii. So no one is righteous.
5. So this is odd: it says here that the Law is not made for the righteous. But there is no such person!
a. But in v11, we have a possible answer. It is the gospel.
b. The gospel says that there is a righteousness that is not earned, but bestowed by God.
And we obtain it by faith in Jesus.
Romans 1:10 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed–a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
c. Through the gospel, God can change unrighteous people into righteous people.
i. We need to be forgiven and connected to God, so that he can restore us.
ii. God has provided for this in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ into a new kind of life, and the gift of his Holy Spirit who works that new life into us.
6. Could Paul be saying that the righteous are those who believe in Jesus, and therefore that the Law is not for us?
.
III. What is the role of the Law? (4min)
1. So we have seen who the Law is for. It’s for law-breakers, not for the righteous.
2. Secondly, let’s consider what is the role of the Law.
3. What the Law does NOT do:
4. The Law is not the power of God to save (Romans 1).
a. As we’ve seen, it is the gospel that is the power of God to save us.
b. The Law does not provide:
i. Justification – making us acceptable
ii. God’s life in us
iii. Holy Spirit indwelling, strengthening, leading and empowering us
iv. Sanctification – progressively making us more like Christ
c. Essentially, the Law is not able to restore us.
5. Also, the Law is not a storehouse of rules that we can pick and choose
a. The Law is often separated by Christians into
i. Moral Law
ii. Civil Law
iii. Ceremonial Law
b. But the Law is a unit
i. The Law is one thing, the human responsibilities under the Mosaic covenant.
As we saw, a failure in part is a failure in all.
ii. We cannot pick out what we want to keep and what we do not.
6. The Law is not the rule of life for Christians. Christians have died to the Law
a. Romans 7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
b. Gal 2:19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.”
7. So those are roles the Law does not have
8. OTOH, what roles does the Law actually have?
a. It gives a standard to show what kind of life God expects and will be rewarded
b. It shows how well we meet God’s standards, and how God views our performance
i. It is a kind of mirror to see ourselves
ii. This is the role Paul is probably thinking about in v9, that the Law condemns those who break it
c. It causes an awareness within us, which is guilt and shame and fear
i. That is meant to drive us to repent, and to seek God’s forgiveness

IV. How should Christians use the Law? (9min)
1. So that is what the Law is for, and who it is for.
a. For the unrighteous
b. To make them see their unrighteousness
2. How should Christians use the Law? In v8 we read the Law is good if we use it properly.
a. In v9 we read that the Law doesn’t apply to the righteous.
b. We said that maybe Paul means that the Law doesn’t apply to Christians, because we are the righteous through faith.
c. But now we have looked at the roles of the Law, let’s make sure.
3. First of all, recall that Jesus and the apostles gave us commands as to what we should be doing and not doing.
a. E.g. Not only not committing adultery, but you must not lust.
b. E.g. ‘A new command: love one another’ (John 13:34)
c. That seems to indicate the first role of the Law – giving us a standard – applies to Christians.
4. Now, let’s look at that ‘epistle of straw’, James, 1:22-25, which talks about Law and Christians.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
a. So here, we learn that
i. Christians have a law, that we need to obey
● It is a ‘perfect law’ which ‘gives freedom’.
● James is not talking about the Mosaic Law.
● He is talking about a different Law, the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2), also referred to as the Royal law (James 2:8), Law of the Spirit (Romans 8:2).
● So this is a standard, the way God wants us to live.
ii. By not avoiding but facing the law, keeping it in mind, and obeying it, we will find freedom.
● Like the Mosaic Law, this is about the Law of Christ being a mirror.
b. But isn’t this just the Mosaic Law all over again? No!
i. What is the difference?
ii. The Law of Christ is ‘perfect’. Why is it perfect?
● First, it is based on a person, Jesus, who is a perfect representation of God’s intention for humankind.
○ The law of Christ is not a set of (613) rules that only keeps us from egregious sins
○ The goal of the Law of Christ is to conform us to the image of the perfect human, Jesus.
○ Jesus and the apostles do draw out specific implications, which they command
■ E.g. #160 Don’t commit adultery -> Don’t lust
■ E.g. #532 Don’t demand collateral from widow -> Take care of widows
● Secondly, because it has power to change us
○ Romans 8:1-2 It is not like the Mosaic Law which was powerless because of our sinful nature. The Mosaic Law makes us want to sin, because we are rebels.
○ It is powerful because of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, who teaches, enables, and motivates us to obey
○ It sets us free to be what God intended.
c. But isn’t James’ teaching opposed against Paul’s salvation by faith? No!
iii. Here is Paul in another pastoral epistle, Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
d. The goal of James and Paul’s instruction is the same: godly lives arising from faith.
5. But let’s go back to our question about how to use the Law.
How could we use the Law of Christ, wrongly?
a. Here’s an example: How do we react when we do something we shouldn’t?
i. We are told to love, but we hurt instead.
ii. We are told to forgive, but we can’t
b. Often we are shocked and dismayed.
i. But that is because we think we are better than that.
We have heard we are sinners, but we don’t know it.
ii. But we are not better than that.
We are saved by grace, but we are also still sinners.
c. We become ashamed before God and before others.
d. We withdraw from people and from God <= both are bad ideas
i. God is our source of strength to change!
ii. We are commanded to love God and people.
Neglecting that just adds more sin.
e. If it happens enough times, we lose hope in ever being better.
f. This is using the Law of Christ wrongly. We recognize our sin, but respond sinfully.
6. By comparison, look at what Paul says about himself:
a. v12 God graciously honored me with a task, and gave me the strength to do it.
God believed in what he could make of me.
b. v13 Even though I was a terrible person, and did things I am ashamed of having done
c. v14 But God just forgave all of that, and gave me the ability to respond with trusting faith and love
d. v15 This is what it is all about: God’s purpose to save sinners of every kind, through Jesus
e. v16 And so my horrible sin used by God to show his glorious grace; he can save anybody!
f. v17 So I shift my gaze away from my sin to God and give him praise!
7. So here is the answer on how Christians should use the Law
a. We are dead to the Law of Moses
b. Instead, we have the Law of Christ, which is a way of life based on the gospel
c. We face our sin, but in the wonder of God’s gracious forgiveness
d. We look to the hope of becoming like Jesus.
i. This is our standard.
ii. The Spirit makes it possible, progressively and finally at the resurrection.
e. The scriptures are a mirror showing us where we still need to change
f. Our need drives us to God for comfort and help

V. Conclusion (2min)
1. The gospel is the focus of church teaching and of how we think about our lives
2. There is a Law for us, but it is not the Law of Moses that brings condemnation, but the Law of Christ that brings life and hope based on the gospel.
3. The gospel gives us:
a. a realistic view of ourselves, as sinners
b. a sense of wonder at the grace of God shown to us
c. a desire to please God in response
d. a hopeful view of ourselves, because of God acting in our life, despite our failures, lingering sins, and weaknesses
e. a motivation to turn to God, in our good and bad times

Read together: 1 Tim 1:15-17
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SOME QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER THOUGHT
Old Testament Law
1. How do you use the Old Testament?
2. How is the OT different than the NT?
a. How is the gospel in the NT different from the Law of Moses taught in the OT?
b. Can you think of OT laws that are changed or not reflected at all in the NT?
c. Why do you think that is?
d. How would you explain these differences to a believer? To a non-believer?
The gospel in life
3. How does the gospel affect how we should live?
4. What is the Law of Christ?
What advice would you give to a Christian w