1 Timothy 1:8

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; BUT - "Now we know" (; ): as an admitted principle. LAW IS GOOD - accordant with God's moral goodness. IF A MAN - primarily, a teacher; then, every Christian. USE IT LAWFULLY - in its lawful place in the Gospel economy; namely, not as a means of a "righteous man" attaining higher perfection than by the Gospel alone () (the perverted use to which the false teachers put it, appending fabulous interpretations of it to the Gospel), but to awaken the sense of sin in the ungodly (1 Timothy 1:9: cf....

8_Now we know that the law is good _He again anticipates the calumny with which they loaded him; for, whenever he resisted their empty display, they seized on this shield for their defense “What then? Do you wish to have the law buried, and blotted out of the remembrance of men?” In order to repel this calumny, Paul acknowledges that “the law is good,” but contends that we are required to make a lawful use of it. Here he argues from the use of cognate terms; for the word _lawful _(_legitimus _) is derived from the word _law _(_lex _). But he goes still further, and shews that the law agrees excellently with the doctrine which it teaches; and he even directs it against them....

5-11 Whatever tends to weaken love to God, or love to the brethren, tends to defeat the end of the commandment. The design of the gospel is answered, when sinners, through repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, are brought to exercise Christian love. And as believers were righteous persons in God's appointed way, the law was not against them. But unless we are made righteous by faith in Christ, really repenting and forsaking sin, we are yet under the curse of the law, even according to the gospel of the blessed God, and are unfit to share the holy happiness of heaven....

Verse 8. _BUT WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS GOOD_] The law as given by God, is both _good_ in _itself_ and has a good _tendency_. This is similar to what the apostle had asserted, Romans 7:12: _The law is holy; and the commandment is holy, just, and good_; where see the note. _IF A MAN USE IT LAWFULLY_] That is, interpret it according to its own spirit and design, and use it for the purpose for which God has given it; for the _ceremonial law_ was a schoolmaster to lead us unto Christ, and Christ is the end of that law for justification to every one that believes. Now those who did not use the law in reference to these ends, did not use it _lawfully_-they did not construe it according to its original design and meaning....

BUT WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS GOOD - We admit this; it is that which we all concede. This declaration is evidently made by the apostle to guard against the supposition that he was an enemy of the law. Doubtless this charge would be brought against him, or against anyone who maintained the sentiments which he had just expressed. By speaking thus of what those teachers regarded as so important in the law, it would be natural for them to declare that he was an enemy of the law itself, and would be glad to see all its claims abrogated. Paul says that he designs no such thing. He admitted that the law was good. He was never disposed for one moment to call it in question. He only asked that it should be rightly understood and properly explained. Paul was never disposed to call in question the excellency and the utility of the law, however it might bear on him or on others; compare...

EXPOSITION 1 TIMOTHY 1:1 _Christ Jesus _for _Jesus Christ_,_ _A.V. and T.R.; _according to _for _by_,_ _A.V.; _Christ Jesus our hope _for _Lord Jesus Christ_,_ which is our hope_,_ _A.V. and T.R. For the inscription, comp. Romans 1:1, Romans 1:5; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1;...

BUT WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS GOOD,.... The apostle says this to prevent an objection that might be made to him, that seeing he bore so hard on such who were fond of being teachers of the law, he was himself against the law, and the preaching and proper use of it; but this he would not have concluded, for he and his fellow labourers in the ministry, and all true believers know, from the Scriptures of truth, from the agreement of the law with the Gospel, and from their own experience, that the law is good, provided it be used in a lawful way, and to lawful purposes: and this is to be understood not of the ceremonial law, which was now disannulled, because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it, so that there was no lawful use of that; but of the moral law, which must needs be good, since the author of it is God, who is only good; and nothing but good can come from him: the law, strictly...

1 Timothy 1:1. _Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;_ Christ is our hope; we have not a shadow of a hope apart from him. I remember, when on the Continent, seeing on a cross the words «Spes unica,» the unique, the only hope of man; and that is true of the cross of Christ, and of Christ who suffered on it, he is our hope. 1 Timothy 1:2. _Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord._ Notice the apostle's triple salutation, «Grace, mercy, and peace.» Whenever Paul writes to a church, he wishes «grace and peace»; but to a minister he wishes «grace, mercy, and peace.» Ah! we want mercy more than the average of Christians; we have

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. CONCERNING DOCTRINE CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The salutation (1 Timothy 1:1)_ 2. The charge concerning false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3) 3. The law, its use, and in contrast with grace (1 Timothy 1:5) 4. Exceeding abundant grace (1 Timothy 1:12) 5. The charge to Timothy, and the danger of shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:18) 1 Timothy 1:1 Paul writes as an apostle and mentions the fact t

(_b_) 1 Timothy 1:3. REMINDER OF PAUL'S VERBAL CHARGE. 1 Timothy 1:3. The False Teaching, and a Digression on the Law. Some years before, Paul had foretold that error would assail the Church in Asia (Acts 20:29 f.). His fear had now been realised. On his recent visit to Macedonia (Intro. § 5) he had already given Timothy instruction concerning it, and this he here renews. The authority of the errorists to teach is not disputed. Perhaps all Christian men could engage in teaching; Zahn, INT, ii. 96: it is the content of their doctrine that is challenged. This seems to have taken the forra of a speculative Judaism its exponents posed as teachers of the law dealing with legendary matter (_e.g._ the Haggadah)