The Law Is Good, But The Gospel Is Glorious

The Law Is Good, But The Gospel Is Glorious

“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 menstealers, 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.” (1 Timothy 1:8–11) 

            Brothers, the law is good. It is just and holy. The law shows us our sins and opens our eyes to our condemnation before God (Romans 3:19-21;Galatians 3:22). The law is from God. It is definitely good and has a good use.

            The greatest use of the law is to point us to Jesus. The law is like a school teacher in that it is designed to educate us regarding our need of a Savior, and then to show us that Savior (Galatians 3:24).

            This being so, the law is good; but the gospel is glorious. The law is a means to an end; but the gospel of Christ is the end to which the law points. That is why Jesus tells us that the Scriptures testify of Him (John 5:39).

            This being so, let us teach and preach the law; but let us not do so in order that men might be holy, but in order that men might see their need of Jesus and trust Him. The ten commandments are indeed good, but only when they remind us of our need for Jesus to save us from our sins and make us holy. The law is indeed good, but the gospel is glorious.