THE NEEDY. 1st Timothy 1:9. The following verses list those for whom the law was given. The people listed encompass all kinds of perversions that can be committed and are summarized by the phrase “contrary to sound doctrine,” which means not according to correct teaching. It is called “sound” because it builds us up in the faith in Christ Jesus and protects us from the evil, corrupting influences of false teachers. Soundness in speech, faith, and doctrine was a concern of the apostle Paul in the pastoral epistles. He used the word “sound” eight times in the epistles of Timothy and Titus.
I look over this list and see many crimes that people commit and think, “What a shame!” until I come across “disobedient” and think, “That’s not too bad!” because I’ve done that a lot and forgotten that I had! Even in this list of moral decay, some things leave nothing to set me apart and say, “I am different!” For every sin listed, each one needs grace that’s sufficient to handle the problem and, at the same time, satisfy God’s righteous claims.
One of the worst things men can do is to be “liars.” That condemns me and probably others who, like me, try to stay away from those people and their actions, only to find that we also have nothing in ourselves we can claim as innocence. I read the bad news I hear and get upset about what people do and the light sentences they receive even when they are found guilty. But if God dealt with me the way I think of them, I would be hopelessly lost along with the worst of men.
When good news is given, men often respond with sadness driven by guilt, which then turns into joy because of God’s gracious forgiveness. Some have been raised no differently than the scum on a pond, but when a light shines and they learn of God’s grace and willingness to forgive, some hear, listen, repent, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and God saves them through faith.