1 Timothy 1:8 Law good

1 Timothy 1:8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly

Paul's first concern at the beginning of his first letter to Timothy is for Timothy to command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These false teachers, Paul says, want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. This leads him to say a few things about the law. The first of these is found in verse 8. The word law has several meanings. Presumably at this point Paul is speaking about the law in a broad sense - instruction on what God wants us to do. He makes the point that the law is not a bad thing. Quite the opposite - it is a good thing. Anyone who decries the law is certainly suspect. The crucial issue is that the law be used properly. It is a bit like a hammer or an axe or fire. Are these bad things? Not as such. They can do great harm if misused but if they are used properly then they can do great good. Although there is nothing wrong with the law, it is possible to misuse it as the false teachers were misusing it by suggesting that it was a means of salvation. No, as a means of salvation it is absolutely useless to us - not because it lacks anything in itself but because we do. The proper way to use the law then is to allow it to convict us of our sins. Initially it will convict us of our need for a Saviour and then on a regular basis it will remind us of our sins and of the fact that only Christ can save us. All honour to the law then, as long as it is used properly. All honour to those who preach the law - provided that it is preached properly.