1 Timothy 1:8-9. 8Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient…
The proper use of the law continues to be something that trips up so many Christians. Even many entire churches. What is the proper use of the law? And, if it’s not the law, then what is my motivation for obeying Jesus?
The law, used rightly, is meant to expose the sin that resides in our hearts and drive us, in repentance, to the glorious and abounding grace of God in Jesus Christ and his cross. This is why Paul tells Timothy that the law’s standard, though perfect, is not for the just. Why would those who are already made righteous by the gracious gift of the Spirit, need to return back to a standard that we could never keep in the first place, and still can’t keep? And why on earth would we want to return our brothers and sisters in Christ to the ever-accusing, death-inducing, standard of the law, and turn them away from the ever-loving, life-bringing, ministry of union with Christ?
But Pastor Timothy’s problem in Ephesus still remains – Christians that insist on putting each other back under the law. Or, even more common, Christians mixing the law and the gospel together into a sweet and salty mix. But this is a tragic backward move away from faith alone in grace alone.
So what does this mixing of the law and the gospel sound like in real life? Here are a few examples:
- Jesus gave his life for you (gospel), and now you owe him your life in return (law).
- You have the Holy Spirit (gospel), now you can keep God’s law (law).
- Jesus is coming back for us (gospel), and he will judge our unrepented sins (law).
- You can commune with God (gospel), and the more you do, the closer you’ll be to him (law).
- You have the Holy Spirit (gospel), and you should be experiencing him this way fill in the blank. (law).
- Now that you’re a Christian (gospel), you must show it by giving up fill in the blank (law).
You may notice that in each of these the gospel is stated first, and then the law is added on at the end. “You are…but you must still…” “Jesus saved you…now try to…” “You have the Spirit…and he will bless you if you…”
But in the Bible, it is always the other way around. God’s first word to us, the law, is stated to expose our sin, then his second word to us, the gospel, is stated, not as an add-on, but as an about-face taking us from condemnation into the compassion and comforts of our Savior.
It is this gospel word alone that can ever produce anything good in us. It is grace alone that stirs up the life of Christ in us. Never law. Why? Because being told what to do only stirs up sin and resistance. That is unless you have first been told who you are. How loved you are. How accepted you are. How alive you are in Christ. So now, in Christ, God’s first word to us is always grace. And his second word to us is faith. “I love you…so trust me…” “Christ is alive in you…so to live is Christ.”
You: Where are you still mixing law and gospel?
You in Christ: How does God’s grace in us free us from the law?
Christ in you: What’s the difference between living from faith and living from law?
To Live is Christ 