1 Timothy 1:8-11 SOUND DOCTRINE The command Paul urged Timothy to pass on was clear teaching, as opposed to speculation that confuses and misleads the people. The command relating to "sound doctrine" promotes love, purity of life, and a good conscience that is guided by the scriptures, not men's opinions. The Holy Spirit instructs us and gives us faith that is real and lasting, instead of leaving us condemned as does the law. To turn aside from the command of love as our guiding principle in life leaves us with only words that lead us to interpret the scripture wrongly. The law is good in itself, but can be used improperly
Those who "want to be teachers of the law" misunderstood the purpose of the law, which is to bring conviction of sin, curb the actions of sinners, and promote that which is right. The misuse of the law brings people into bondage, and that was what was being taught by the false teachers. The "charge" Timothy was to give to them was strict orders from one who is superior, as in a superior military officer, to stop teaching false doctrine based on their opinion of the law. Their teaching was to use Old Testament law and genealogies to come up with unusual and novel ideas that were leading people astray, by raising questions and not answering them scripturally. To stop this drift, Timothy was to stay on the job there in Ephesus. .1st Timothy 1:8. “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;”
USE IT LAWFULLY. Don’t use it for an ego trip Or try to convince others and yourself that you are fit For heaven or even a special service you desire, So that others get the impression your Christianity is for hire.
No, it is given so we all know The righteousness of God is perfect, so We face the fact that in ourselves we fail To meet by ourselves all that righteousness does entail.
When we use the law lawfully, we understand, The righteousness of God is far higher than sinful man Can ever attain by any and all the work he does, For by our own efforts or claims our soul we will lose.
When we use the law lawfully, our conscience is stirred To face a sinful nature and sinful acts that have occurred That leaves us aware of our guilt and our need; And we long in our souls from sin’s consequence to be freed.
The law has done its work, and God’s free grace appears; Revealing God’s character through the Gospel, we hear – And His righteousness reveals that we cannot attain Acceptance with Him until we are born again.
The law’s lawful use brought us to admit our guilt; It has gone beyond legalism to where we honestly felt Our need of God’s grace, in ourselves we are unable To make us acceptable to God because of needed righteousness we are not capable.
“I do thank Thee, Holy God, for giving me a holy, perfect, righteous standard to awaken me to my need. By learning not to attempt self-righteousness to come to Thee, I came just as I was and found You freely give a righteousness that is Christ’s. I praise and thank Thee for this, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
"Sound doctrine," "sound words," "sound in faith," and "sound speech" are words used to convey truth that is healthful, like a medical term. Certain things we do promote good health, and similarly, these things promote good spiritual health in God's people. Sound doctrine has to do with the teaching we give. It is not correct doctrine, but "sound" doctrine - and there is a difference. Correct doctrine can be held in an unhealthy condition of the soul and in the wrong way. There were those who "held the truth in unrighteousness." Sound doctrine is health-giving teaching that produces healthy saints who produce godliness in life and walk.
Instructed believers can say, "We know" what the law is and its purpose. It is our conscience that "we know" with. This idea is used 21 times in Paul’s epistles. Six times it is used in the pastoral epistles. It condemns us when we do wrong. It approves when we do right. These teachers are contrasted with the false teachers who were only speculating about fables and genealogies. There is nothing wrong with the law itself, but when used in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons, it produces wrong results. The law referred to in verse 8, identifies the ten commandments as it closely follows the words of the commandments that condemn law-breakers. The proper use of the law is for the lawless who have a flagrant disregard for God's will. The Insubordinate are disobedient people, both reflecting the attitudes and actions of lawbreakers. The ungodly have no reverence for God, and their conduct makes that plain. That is the obvious condition of sinners who fail to meet the standard of God's righteousness and deliberately break the law. The unholy are polluted by their words and character. The profane reject sacred things, and the law condemns them as well as their actions. The next five descriptions follow the last five laws quite closely. They are those who smite their parents. Those who fit all categories of homicide, those involved in all kinds of sexual sins, those who steal, including kidnapping, and those who perjure themselves with lies and false oaths.