We turn to God's Word again in
the first epistle of Paul to Timothy in chapter 1 and reading
from verse 8 to verse 11. First Timothy chapter 1 verses
8 to 11, But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully,
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, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves
with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons,
and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine
according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was
committed to my trust last time we were considering in particular
the eighth verse in this portion and we sought to say something
then with regards to what the Apostle Paul calls the lawful
use of the law but we know that the law is good if a man use
it lawfully and thinking of that lawful use we observe both a
negative and also a positive negatively we see quite clearly
what Paul is saying concerning this law that it is not made
for a righteous man It is not made for a righteous man. We
said that the righteous man is that one who is justified, the
justified sinner. The just shall live by faith,
says Paul. He's quoting, of course, from
the Old Testament, the words of Habakkuk. Three times in the
New Testament he makes that statement, the just shall live by faith. There in Galatians chapter 3
and verse 11, and the following verse he goes on to say, and
the law is not of faith. The just shall live by faith,
the justified man shall live by faith, and the law is not
of Faith therefore the law is not that man's rule of life,
rule of conduct. Again in Galatians he says that
I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto
God. Clearly then, we have to observe
this statement, this negative statement with regards to this
law that it is not made for the justified sinner. It doesn't mean that that person
who is saved because he has justifying faith and sees all his righteousness
in the Lord Jesus, it doesn't mean that that man is a lawless
man. Again, writing in his first epistle
to the Corinthians, remember how Paul says of the believer
being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. There in chapter 2 and verse,
sorry, chapter 9 and verse 21 of that first epistle to the
Corinthians, not without law to Christ, But it's interesting that really
the definite article is not to be found in that little parenthesis. When he says that that man is
under the law to Christ, more literally it says he's under
law to Christ. He's not under the law in the
sense of the law that we have in the Old Testament, the law
that was given at Mount Sinai, He's not under that law, but
he's under Christ's law. As Gatsby says in the hymn, the
gospel's the law of the Lamb. How God deals with his people
so differently under the gospel than he deals with the sinner
under the law. When Paul writes in Hebrews chapter
8, he speaks of that new covenant. and what God does for the sinner
in that covenant of grace. He says there, verse 7, If that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second. But finding fault with them,
he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house
of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, that was the covenant at Sinai, the
Ten Commandments, because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people." As we have it in 2
Corinthians 3, God has written that law, the law of Christ,
on the fleshy tables of the hearts of his people. They're not written
now in tables of stone. The believer though is not under
the law in the sense of some legal codes. Yet he is not lawless. The truth is as we have it stated
quite clearly here in the epistle to Timothy. The lawful use of
the law knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous
man. But then the positive. We have
that word bath. Who is the law made for? For
the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for unholy and profane. This law is for sinners. This is the lawful use of the
law to convince the sinner of the great evil of his sin, to
show a man what he is. Oh, the Lord is that that condemns,
since to convince and to condemn is all the law can do, says the
hymn. As many as are of the works of
the Lord are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things, written in the
book of the law to do them. There's the lawful use, the ministry
of the law. Whosoever shall keep the whole
law, says James, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all." One transgression, and the man has despoiled the Holy
Lord of God. He's broken it, and he's under
the curse of it. He's condemned by it. We often
quote those words that we read in our reading in Romans chapter
3. We know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world become guilty before God. There's a lawful use of
the law. We see that in the salvation
of sinners that Lord of God is made to serve the gospel of the
Lord Jesus. The Lord, in that sense, is clearly
subservient to the gospel, the gospel as the priority. And again, see how Paul speaks
of these things, writing to the Galatians in chapter 3 and verse
17, this, I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the Law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul,
that it should make the promise of none effect. The promise is
first. The covenant confirmed before of God in Christ, that's
the covenant God made with Abraham, that's the context, which was
430 years before the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. The promise
has the priority. And the Lord is given to serve
that promise of God in the gospel. He goes on, Before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. For ye are all the children of
God, he says, by faith in Jesus Christ. Oh, how we see then this
truth concerning the lawful use of the law, that it's not that
rule of life for the justified man, for the believer, but it
is that that is meant to serve the gospel, to show the sinner
what his condition is, his real need, and to bring him to the
Lord Jesus Christ. And so Tonight I want us to move on
from verse 8 and to consider more particularly the content
of these three verses that follow, where we see something of the
law in relation to the sinner. It's not made for the righteous
man, he says, there in verse 9, 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, for whoremongers,
for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers,
for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing
that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel
of the blessed God which was committed to my trust." Here
are the words in that I want with the Lord's help us to consider
for a while tonight the Lord and the sinner. First of all,
to say something with regards to the strength of the Lord of
God, the strength of the Lord of God. You'll observe here in
verses 9 and 10 that we can say that in a sense it is a reference
to all of the Ten Commandments. All of the Ten Commandments.
There in verse 9 we, in a sense, have the first table. Remember
how the law can be divided into those two tables. The first four
commandments speak of relationship to God and duties to God. And
then the last six commandments speak of relationships with our
fellow men and our duties one to another. Now, Can we not say
that here in verse 9 we see the first table in what the Apostle
says concerning this lawful use. It is made not for a righteous
man, he says, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly
and for sinners, for unholy and profane. all of these transgressions
might be summed up in those first four commandments. But then he
goes on to speak of the fifth commandment. What is the fifth
commandment? Exodus 20 verse 12, honor thy
father and thy mother. But here we read of those who
are murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers. There is
a transgression of the 5th commandment. And then he goes on to speak
of the 6th commandment, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt do
no murder. And he says that this law, end
of verse 9, is for manslayers. And then the 7th commandment,
Thou shalt not commit adultery. And this is spoken of in verse
10, where we read how the law is for whoremongers, for them
that defile themselves with mankind. In a sense we can say that here,
what Paul is speaking of is the gravest transgressions of the
holy law of God. He's speaking, is he not, of
the most gross immorality. is speaking of such wicked perversions,
whoremongers, them that defile themselves with mankind. The
very things, of course, that in Our Day Alas are now legalized. We have the wicked perversion
of the so-called marriage of people of the same sex. complete
undermining of that that God has instituted from the very
beginning out of the man is to leave his father and his mother
and to cleave to his wife and those two shall be one flesh.
We have here the most vile of abominations as Paul is speaking
of this law of God and what it does. The eighth commandment
says they shall not steal. And what do we have? in verse 10, for men-stealers,
men-stealers, the most wicked transgression of that commandment,
the ninth commandment, thou shalt not bear false witness. And so the law is said to be
for liars, and for perjured persons and then of course the 10th commandment
thou shalt not covet not mentioned specifically but he says if there
be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine according to
the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my
trust and it was that that 10th commandment thou shalt not covet
that so found out Saul of Tarsus as he says in Romans chapter
7 Well, this law of God, you see, it is the strength of it,
it exposes all sorts of sins. The strength of sin, the strength
of sin is the law. It just exposes sin, it shows
sin for what it is. The most wicked and perverse
of behavior is being spoken of by Paul as he is unfolding what
the law is about and how the law is to be used in a lawful
way. And we see how none are exempted.
None are exempted. The law finds the sinner out,
even sinners of the Gentiles. When he writes in the second
chapter of his epistle to the Romans, look at what he says
there at verse 12 following. speaks of many as have sinned
without law he says shall perish shall also perish without law
as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law
for not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers
of the law shall be justified and he goes on for when the Gentiles
which have not the law do by nature the things contained in
the law these having not the law are a law unto themselves
which held the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts, the meanwhile
accusing or else excusing one another. The law was given to
Israel there at Mount Sinai. God had told them they were the
only nation that he knew. He brought them out of Egypt,
he brought them to himself, he entered into covenant with them
and he spoke to them the words of the Ten Commandments. They
have the Lord of God. But what of the Gentiles? Well,
he speaks of these Gentiles, you see, which have not the law,
but they do by nature the things contained in the law. And he
says they are a law to themselves. They show the work of the law
written in their hearts. God's law is impressed upon the
hearts of men. None are exempt. Even those who've
never heard the Ten Commandments God has so constituted man. It's
not man's conscience that he's being spoken of there in Romans
chapter 2 because the conscience bears witness to that law. He
doesn't think that he's speaking there of man's conscience. It's
something more than man's conscience, it's the law of God that the
conscience of man would appeal to. But of course man's conscience,
like every other faculty of the soul of man, has been spoiled
by sin and conscience isn't all it should be but there is a law
even in the hearts of those who never heard the Ten Commandments
as we find it contained here in Holy Scripture all are condemned
all are condemned as sinners by God's holy law and the law
is clearly the strength of sin And we see that for at least
three reasons. What does the law do with regards
to sin? Well, isn't it the law that reveals
sin? Isn't it the law that exposes
sin? Isn't this what the law is all
about? Where no law is, there is no transgression, says Paul
in Romans 4 and verse 15. If there's no law, how can there
be a transgression of the law? And he says, or not Paul, but
John says in his first general epistle, "...whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression
of the law." By the law is the knowledge of sin. It reveals sin. Here is the strength
of the law then, in that it exposes sin for what it is, it's a transgression. And it's a transgression of God's
law, and God's law is holy, and God's commandment is holy and
just and good. But then it doesn't only reveal
sin, the strength of the law is seen in this also, it condemns
sin. It condemns sin. Yes, it exposes
sin for what it is, but it goes further than that. It condemns. Where there is no law, there
can be no condemnation. Again, Paul, writing in Romans
chapter 5 and verse 13, says sin is not imputed when there
is no law. What is imputation? It's reckoning
to someone's account. Well, there's no reckoning sin
to anyone's account without the law of God. Because sin is the
transgression of the law. And when the law is transgressed,
why the charge is brought against that transgressor? The law condemns
him. And that's the significance of
those oft-quoted words that we have in Romans chapter 3. We
know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world become guilty. There's the law, you see. It
stops the mouths of men. They can't in no way excuse themselves. They're condemned. They are condemned
by that Law of God. It reveals their true condition. More than that, it condemns them. It declares that they are worthy
of the penalty of the broken Law. And the penalty of that
Law is death, the soul that sinneth it shall die. God can by no means
clear the guilty. The Law is a A revelation of
God, is it not? It's a revelation of God in all
His holiness and righteousness and justice. And God cannot wink
of sins. No sin must be condemned. And
so the transgressor is condemned by that holy law of God. It reveals sin, exposes sin. It condemns sin. And then thirdly, we're thinking
still of the strength of the law of God. Thirdly, it excites and exasperates
sin. Now, Paul says that. Paul found
that in his own experience, did he not? Writing in the 7th of
Romans, In Romans chapter 7 and verse
8 he says, Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in
me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law
once, but when the commandment came sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was
ordained to life I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. For sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence." The
word literally means all manner of evil desire. Sin was stirred up in him by
the law of God. Sin was so irritated within him. so infuriated within the breast
of this man who once thought himself to be such a righteous
man, a sinless man. You see what the Lord does then
when it excites sin. It makes sin a reality and it makes sin such
a dreadful reality, such an awful thing. We sometimes sing those
lines in Joseph Hart's hymn, to cease in smarts but slightly,
to own with lip confession is easier still, but all to feel
cuts deep beyond expression when we feel it. And that was Paul's
experience as he's writing there in Romans chapter 7. He felt
it. when he understood the reality
of the law of God, what God's law really is. And it stirred
up all this evil that was within him. It irritated. And sin, therefore,
to Paul was an awful monster. And it was himself, really. Part
of his very nature. He speaks of the body of his
death. You know the content there in
that seventh chapter of Romans. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death, he says. How he is so much aware of his fallen nature. The good that I would I do, not
the evil that I would, not that I do. Without sin within him.
Knowing this, that the Lord 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, for whoremongers,
for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers,
for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing
that is contrary to sound doctrine according to the glorious gospel
of the blessed God which was committed to my trust says Paul
now as I said we have the most gross of transgressions of the
Lord of God being spoken of in that catalogue we might say well we're not guilty
of those things surely we're not guilty of those things
We're not those who are, we might disobey our parents, we have
to say to our shame, but we're not murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers. We may even have been guilty
of stealing, but we're not men-stealers. I think there may be the references
to the very idea of the evil of slavery. we're not guilty
of these things surely all among us them that defile themselves
with mankind but you see there's not only the strength of the
Lord of God that we have to take account of we must also remember
this is where Paul teaches us and he teaches us of course under
the Under the hand of God, as the Lord deals with him in his
own experience, he teaches us something of the spirituality
of the Lord of God, does he not? Besides law's strength, there
is also its spirituality. The law isn't just concerned
with the actions of men, but the law is also concerned with
the attitudes of men. the Lord is concerned with inward
things as well as outward things. Of course, it's not really Paul. Paul is simply unfolding the
doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember how Christ preaches
there in the Sermon on the Mount where he disabuses the Lord of
God of all the various glossies and so forth that the Pharisees
had put upon him. Here were those of the Pharisees,
as a man spoken of in the Gospel, who was a lawyer. He was a Pharisee,
but he was an expert in the Lord of God. That's what it means
when he speaks of him as a lawyer. Oh, they thought they understood
all about the Lord of God, just as Saul of Tarsus, when he was
a Pharisee, reckoned that touching the righteousness of the Lord
he was blameless. Do you remember how Christ preaches?
and preaches there the need of a righteousness exceeding that
of the righteousness of scribes and Pharisees. It must exceed
their righteousness. Their righteousness is all on
the outside. It's all show and really it's
not righteousness at all, it's pride. And Christ comes and he
speaks of the Lord of God, he speaks of that sixth commandment.
thou shalt not kill thou shalt do no murder and you know the
passage there in Matthew chapter 5 speaks of a man's attitude
to his brother that unjust hatred and how is that unjust hatred
manifested sometimes we speak ill of another we assassinate
the character of another person because we're angry with them
and the Lord said you're killing the man you're killing the man
And he speaks of the seventh commandment, thou shalt not commit
adultery, and he tells us quite plainly what of the wanton look,
what of the wanton thought, or the Lord of God, how it finds
us out, how it condemns us. Now those Pharisees, you see,
they were righteous, but they were self-righteous. That was
what we see with regards to the apostle. And he writes about
his experiences there, in the epistle to the Philippians, why
he can speak of his pedigree, can he not? Writing in Philippians
chapter 3, I might also have confidence in the flesh, he says. If any other man thinketh that
he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcise
the eighth day of the stock of Israel. of the tribe of Benjamin,
and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee."
Oh, he had a Pharisaic view of the law, and he was so proud
of that when he was a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church, touching the righteousness which is of the law, blameless.
This is all that he was. I know he goes on to say, what
things were going to me, those I counted lost, for Christ, yea,
doubtless I count all things but last for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." Oh, he was delivered
from all that. Delivered from all that. Now
is one great desire to be found in Christ, he says, not having
mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith. No more a self-righteous pharisee,
but a humble follower of the Lamb. And how did this come about? Well, it was when the Lord began
to deal with him. It was in his conversion. He was made to feel something
of the inward strength of the Lord of God. Here's the Lord's
strength. It's a spiritual force. and it
so came into the life of that man that he was convinced of
his sins as we've already seen there in that seventh chapter
a tremendous chapter of scripture Romans chapter 7 verse 7 what
shall we say then he asks is the law sin? God forbid Has he
not previously spoken of the Lord as that which is holy and
the commandment as that which is holy and just and good? Is
the law sin? God forbid. It's not the law,
it's himself, he's the sinner. I had not known sin but by the
law, for I had not known lust except the Lord had said thou
shalt not covet. But sin taking occasion by the
commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, all
that evil desire. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law
once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. For he dies to all confidence
in himself." How is it? It's that 10th commandment. It's
that 10th commandment. I had not known lust except the
law said thou shalt not covet. It's a heart sin, you see. It's
a heart sin. Where is the seat of covetousness?
It's in the hearts of men. And this is how this man who
becomes the Apostle Paul is found out. He's made to feel the spirituality
of the Lord of Gods. The Lord is spiritual, he says
there in Romans chapter 7. The Lord is spiritual. But I
am carnal, sold on the scene." And remember this, with regards
to the Apostle, as we've said before, he is a pattern. He is a pattern of what it is
to believe. He is a pattern of saving faith.
He is a pattern of what it is to be a true believer. And it's
in this chapter, is it not? He goes on at verse 15, This
is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained
mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting. How the Lord dealt with him,
in me first, In me first, Jesus Christ. He speaks of Christ showing
forth all long-suffering, all the long-suffering mercies of
God towards sinners. And he's a pattern, he says.
The type to them which should thereafter believe. there is
that in his experience that is so typical of the experiences
of the people of God not the same detail, not the same depth
of experience we're not called to be apostles as this man was
there are principles and we see it with regards to his understanding
of the Lord of God but we're not only to have clear understanding
with regards to the doctrine of law and gospel, and this is
what Paul is speaking of here, it's all in verse 11, according
to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, he says, which was
committed to my trust. We don't only need to have a
clear understanding with regards to this doctrine of law and gospel,
what we also need is what Paul had, and that's an experimental
knowledge of these things, how vital it is. how vital it is
to have an experimental knowledge of these things, true religions
more than notion. Something must be known and felt,
and Paul felt these things. He felt something of the spirituality
of the Lord of God, he felt something of the strength of the Lord of
God, as it condemned him, as it excited and exasperated sin
within him. And it was so irritable and so
infuriating. He felt these things. We read
there at the end of Romans chapter 3, do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid, Jay, we establish
the law through faith. You see, we don't make void the
law. We're not saying there's no ministry of the law. There
is a ministry of the law. There's a lawful use of the law.
We don't make it void at all. We establish the law. How do
we establish the law? we establish it by faith. That's
what he says. Yea, we establish the law through
faith. Faith has to do with the law,
just as well as faith has to do with the gospel. Dear old John Rusk, He makes
this observation. It struck me some years ago. Simple statement, he says, there
is but one faith. He's speaking of justifying faith,
saving faith. There is but one faith. And the
difference lies wholly in the objects. The difference lies
wholly in the objects. Faith has to do with the law.
Faith has to do with the gospel. And there are different effects,
are there not? There are different emotions. When we believe the
law of God, how it condemns us. That was Paul's experience. How
he was made to feel what he was as a sinner. How he was brought
to the end of himself. Convinced of his complete and
utter depravity, the impossibility of doing anything for his own
salvation. despairing of himself and then
of course there's that faith that has to do with the gospel
or the different effects when we're brought to that trust in
Christ and to see Christ as that one who was honored and magnified
the Lord in the place of his people who has come and by the
obedience of that sinless life He has fulfilled all righteousness.
To know what it is to be clothed with that robe of righteousness,
but to see also the obedience that extends unto death, even
the death of the cross, and there in dying how He is still honoring
and magnifying the law, but now in terms of all its penalties,
bearing in His own person that punishment that was due to His
people. Faith has to do with these things.
and if we have faith, we'll feel something of these things, we'll
be those who rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not enough,
is it, to know we're sinners. Sometimes I'm troubled by that
thought, I think, well, I know I'm a sinner. I have to confess that, I have
to acknowledge what I am, I'm a sinner. But it's not enough,
we're not to come short. Or surely the great thing is
that the sinner must come to Christ. We must not only know
the dark side, but we have to also know something of the bright
side of Christian experience it's not just law is it? it's
gospel also and that's what we have here ultimately all that
Paul has been saying with regards to this law and it's useful use
it's lawful use brings us to this in verse 11
that all he has said is according to the glorious gospel of the
blessed God, which was committed to my trust." And then he goes
on to speak of himself as that one who was called to be a minister
of the Gospel. And what he was previously, a
blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious. Oh, but now he obtained mercy.
Oh God grant then that we might be those who know that mercy,
that grace of God. and understand something of the
difference between law and gospel. May the Lord be pleased to bless
to us His Word.