The apostle Peter said of the epistles of Paul, that there are in them "some things hard to be understood," (2 Peter 3:16) and every man who has ever read those epistles has been made conscious of the truth of the saying. Indeed, some have thought that nearly all things in Paul's writings are "hard to be understood."
But because some things are hard to be understood, there is no reason to say that they cannot be understood. The more difficult a thing is, the more need of study, and the greater will be the gain when study has made the subject clear.
That it is not impossible to understand the hard things in Paul's writings, is evident from what Peter further says of them: "Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16)
It is only the unlearned and unstable that so wrest them. To wrest a thing is to pull or force it away from its natural position. The Bible is one book; every part depends on every other part. It is not like a chain, the last link has no immediate connection with the first, but every link is joined to every other link, so as to form the most perfect net-work.
To some this makes it seem very intricate, but it is the beauty of the book. It is only because there is this interdependence of the various parts, that it can be understood. When a text is not wrested from its setting, and scripture is allowed to explain scripture, all may be understood.
Of all the things which the unlearned wrest to their own destruction, those things which treat of the law of God are most frequently so mutilated. This is to be expected, since "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)
And since the law comprises the duty of man and is the way of life, it is evident that where instruction concerning the law is perverted, destruction must follow. Among the texts which are perverted by the unstable, or which are a source of difficulty to many who are honest at heart, 1 Timothy 1:9 is prominent. As we have recently been asked to explain this text, we will quote it and consider it by the light of inspiration. It reads thus: "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." (1 Timothy 1:9)
It needs nothing more than a knowledge of the meaning of some of the simplest terms in our language, to show one that this text does not teach that righteous men are absolved from allegiance to the law of God, and that they may break it with impunity. For "lawless" means contrary to law, and if a righteous man should think himself at liberty to disregard the law, he would at once become one of the lawless ones, for whom the apostle says that the law "is made." This shows the necessity for the righteous to keep the law, if they would retain their righteousness.
That the law of God is binding upon all men may be shown in various ways. The gospel commission shows it. Said Christ to His disciples: "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 10:15)
The gospel is the "good news" of a Saviour, "which is Christ the Lord," (Luke 2:11) who is called Jesus, or Saviour, because "He shall save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
The gospel, therefore, is God's remedy for sin. But sin is the transgression of the law of God, the ten commandments. "Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet." (Romans 7:7)
Wherever sin is, it is evidence that the law is there, and violated. Now God would not apply His remedy where it is not needed; but He has sent the gospel to every creature; therefore every creature is amenable to the law of God, and has broken it. This conclusion is plainly stated by Paul in Romans 3:9-20, a portion of which we quote: "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ... Now we know that whatsoever things the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:9-10,19-20)
The law can speak only to those who are within its sphere, who are subject to its jurisdiction; but as a consequence of what the law says, it proves all the world to be guilty before God, because all have transgressed it; therefore the law has claims upon all who are in the world. Then according to 1 Timothy 1:9, the law is made for the whole world, for "there is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10)
The word rendered "made" in the text is from the Greek koimai. An illustration of one use of the word may be found in: "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Matthew 3:10)
The idea conveyed by these words is that the edge of the ax is against the bad trees for their destruction, and the words "is laid" are the same in the original as the words "is made" in 1 Timothy 1:9. Now when we remember that they who keep the commandments of God shall enter into life, (Matthew 19:17) and that the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23) we can see in what sense the law is made for, or is against, the lawless and not the righteous.
The same thought is expressed by the apostle in Galatians 5:17-23. There he says that those who are of the works of the flesh are "under the law," (Galatians 5:18) and those works are set forth. But those who are led of the Spirit, who do not walk after the flesh, are not under the law; for after enumerating the fruits of the Spirit, he adds, "against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:23)
Why is not the law against such things, and against those who do them? Because those things are the very principles of the law, as the psalmist says: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." (Psalm 119:1)
The law has various offices, depending on the condition of men. Its primary office was to give life. This office it can fulfill only to those who have never sinned. So long as a person is sinless, the law is the best friend he can have; but when he has once sinned, the law has nothing but death for him. Its office then is that of a stern taskmaster, or rather of a jailer and executioner. It shuts up in prison all who violate it, keeping them in ward until the time set for the execution.
Fortunately a way of escape has been provided from the execution of the death sentence. Christ was manifested to take away sin; and when sin has once been taken away, the law has no power over the man to shut him up. Christ sets at liberty them that are bound, and those whom He sets free are free indeed.
He is now the only source of life, and the law, instead of comforting the sinner, is against him, continually standing in his way, and hurling itself again and again against him, never relaxing its severity until the sinner flies for refuge to the hope set forth before him.
While its original office was to give men life, its office now, owing to the sinful condition of men, is to drive them to Christ for life. When the sinner goes to Christ, the law is satisfied, and pursues him no further. But he has not fled outside the sphere of the law, for that is impossible. In the Son, as well as in the Father, the law stands personified, so that now he who was a sinner can say, "Oh how I love your law! it is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97)
It is no longer a terror, but a delight, for there is "no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
Happy is the man who knows how to use the law in a lawful manner, for he shall prove it to be "holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7:12)--Signs of the Times, July 13, 1888.