1 Timothy 1:9

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, LAW IS NOT MADE [ keitai (G2749 ): FIXED: ENACTED] FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN - standing by faith in the righteousness of Christ, put on him for justification, and put in him by the Spirit for sanctification: so not judicially amenable to the law. For sanctification the law gives no inward power. Alford goes too far in saying the righteous man does 'not morally need the law.' Doubtless, in proportion as he is led by the Spirit, the justified man needs not the outward rule (Romans 6:14;...

9_That the law is not made for a righteous man _The apostle did not intend to argue about the whole office of the law, but views it in reference to men. It frequently happens that they who wish to be regarded as the greatest zealots for the law, give evidence by their whole life that they are the greatest despisers of it. A remarkable and striking instance of this is found in those who maintain the righteousness of works and defend free-will. They have continually in their mouth these words, “Perfect holiness, merits, satisfactions;” but their whole life cries out against them, that they are outrageously wicked and ungodly, that they provoke in every possible way the wrath of God, and fearlessly set his judgment at naught. They extol in lofty terms the free choice of good and evil; but they openly shew, by their actions, that they are the slaves of Satan, and are most firmly held by him...

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 9. _THE LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN_] There is a _moral law_ as well as a _ceremonial law_: as the object of the _latter_ is to _lead us to Christ_; the object of the _former_ is to _restrain crimes_, and inflict punishment on those that commit them. It was, therefore, not made for the _righteous_ as a restrainer of crimes, and an inflicter of punishments; for the righteous avoid sin, and by living to the glory of God expose not themselves to its censures. This seems to be the mind of the apostle; he does not say _that the law was not_ MADE _for a_ _righteous man_, but ουκειται, _it does not_ LIE _against a_ _righteous man_; because _he_ does not transgress it: but it _lies_ _against the wicked_; for such as the apostle mentions have broken it, and grievously too, and are condemned by it. The word κειται, _lies_, refers to the custom of writing laws on boards, and han...

KNOWING THIS - That is, “If anyone knows, or admits this, he has the prover view of the design of the law.” The apostle does not refer particularly to himself as knowing or conceding this, for then he would have uses the plural form of the participle (see the Greek), but he means that anyone who had just views of the law would see that that which he proceeds to specify was its real purpose. THE LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN - There has been great variety in the interpretation of this passage. Some suppose that the law here refers to the ceremonial laws of Moses (Clarke, Rosenmuller, Abbot); others to the denunciatory part of the law (Doddridge and Bloomfield); and others that it means that the chief purpose of the law was to restrain the wicked. It seems clear, however, that the apostle does not refer merely to the ceremonial law, for he specifies that which condemns the unholy and...

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;...

KNOWING THIS, THAT THE LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN,.... No man is naturally righteous since Adam, excepting the man Christ Jesus: some that are righteous in their own opinion, and in the esteem of others, are not truly and really so; none are righteous, or can be justified in the sight of God by the works of the law; those only are righteous men, who are made so through the imputation of Christ's righteousness to them: and such a righteous man is here intended, who believes in Christ with the heart unto righteousness, who lays hold on Christ's righteousness, and receives it by faith; in consequence of which he lives soberly, righteously, and godly, though not without sin, since there is no such just man upon earth. Now for such a man the law was not made; which must be understood not of its original constitution and make, for it was certainly made for, and given to Adam, who was...

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)