1 Timothy 1:9-11

1 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 1 Timothy 1:9 the law is not laid down for the just. People who are “just” do not need the law to restrain them, but those who are lawless and disobedient need such restraint. Paul does not deny that the law has a purpose in teaching Christians how to live, for he has said it is “good” (v. 1 Timothy 1:8) and in vv. 1 Timothy 1:9 he mentions several of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1). Exactly how the law applies to the NT believer is, however, a matter of some debate. Some say that the Mosaic law has been entirely superseded, and what remains is the “Law of Christ” (see note on 1 Cor. 9:21). Others say there is an ongoing authority of certain aspects of the Mosaic code. Paul elsewhere affirms that Christians are no longer under the Mosaic law (see Romans 7:6; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:19), and that fits well with what he writes here. As in those passages and also in these verses, one purpose of the law is to expose sin. In addition, though believers are no longer under the Law of Moses, they are, as noted, under the Law of Christ and are governed by the Spirit (Romans 7:6). All interpreters agree that the Mosaic laws, rightly understood, still give Christians wisdom about righteous living. See notes on 1 Cor. 9:21; Galatians 4:10; Galatians 6:2.