Using the Bible Correctly - 1 Timothy 1:8-17

©Copyright January 5, 2020 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We hear a great deal today about "fake news." Primarily these are stories or assertions that are wrong or things that never happened but are spun to gain a political advantage. Politicians are experts at implying things that are not true. Social media is a breeding ground for fake news. You may affirm something on the Internet that is an absolute fabrication (whether it is originally from you or from someone else) and then see it passed on as fact.

The Christian community is not immune from such teaching. Rick showed us last week the problem of error in teaching and how to defend against such teaching. This morning we will look at the opposite side of the issue: what is the right way to look at Scripture and Christian teaching?

In 1 Timothy 1:8 we read,

8We know that the law is good when used correctly.

There is a right way and a wrong way to use scripture.

If the Law is good when it is used correctly, it means it is bad when used incorrectly.

Let's look quickly at some of the wrong uses of Scripture: Taking verses out of context to make points counter to the Bible. We see this illustrated in politics all the time. We will see all kind of ads that show a politician saying something that is embarrassing or affirming something people find distasteful. Many of these quotes are really taken out of their original context. In other words, they were trying to say something very different from what the quote implies.

People do this with the Bible. They use it to justify some of the very sins the Bible condemns. For example, people use the commands to love to say Christians should never say anything is wrong because that is "unloving." The command "Judge not lest you be judged" is used much the same way. These verses are used to avoid the plain teaching of Scripture. We all make judgments. We are not to be judgmental (standing above other people as if we were God) but we must all make judgments. As for love, sometimes loving someone means saying hard things to them and warning them of things that are leading them astray.

People use the Bible to come up with a detailed timetable of when Christ will return . . . even though Jesus warned us that NO ONE knows the day or the hour of Christ's coming (this also means the month and the year of His coming!)

We've said it before, "you can prove anything from the Bible if you don't care about context." We must always look at surrounding verses and other passages to see if the verses quoted are being used fairly to represent the message of the Bible.

Second, it is wrong to use the Bible to bludgeon people. It is wrong to take your Bible and attack other people. When someone is looking down on another person and claiming the other person is not as "good" as they are, they are actually exalting themselves, which is sin. They are actually denying the faith they feel so self-righteous about.

We use the Bible incorrectly when we misquote it. We all do this on occasion. We try to quote a verse from memory and we quote it incorrectly. For example, people frequently quote the Bible saying, "Money is the root of all evil" when it actually says "the love of money is the root of all evil. Translators are very careful with the words they use. We should be also.

Fourth, we use the Bible incorrectly when we use it as rules for salvation. The Bible was never designed to give us rules that would get us into Heaven. One of the purposes of the Bible is to make us aware of our sin and our need for God's grace. People who say they have obeyed the Bible all their life do not understand the scope of God's holiness or the depth of their rebellion.

What then are the right uses of God's Law? First, the Law of God was intended to Restrain sin. The Bible has some of the same functions as laws today . . . they sets boundaries for our protection and the protection of others. Without laws you will have anarchy. The same is true in the spiritual world. If you don't have Laws that define right and wrong, everyone will do "what is right in their own eyes." In other words, they will do whatever serves them most! We will be a people of indulgent selfishness.

Second, the Bible confronts us with our sin. The Bible helps us see what god-honoring living looks like and reveals how far short we fall of that standard. It is natural when you read the Bible to see your own lack of conformity to the Law. It is natural to occasionally say, "Ouch!" when reading the Scriptures. In other words, the Bible helps us see the truth about ourselves. It is designed to nudge us toward the cross and God's grace.

The Bible speaks directly because it is trying to save us, not annoy us.

Third, the Law shows us the heart of God. If we want to know what pleases God, we look to the Law. If we want to know what it looks like to walk with Him, we look at the Laws of God. Do you want to know what it means to live like a child of God? Then read the Word of God, it will tell you and show you how God wants us to live. Fortunately, it also offers healing and grace for when we miss the mark. The Law of God is still valuable to the believer, it is simply valuable in a different way than for the person who is living apart from Christ.

The Bible shows us what sin is.

9For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

Paul begins with the words, "the law was not intended for people who do what is right." We will get to those words in a minute and I think they will make perfect sense to you.

The Law, according to Paul is given to awaken people who are engaged in willful sin. Its purpose is to confront the sinfulness of their behavior. People who read this list will cringe today because it is considered hateful to call any behavior sin. Listen to the way Mike Donehey of the group Tenth Avenue North puts it,

Isn’t that what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is all about? God tells Adam and Eve (though not in so many words), “See that tree? I’m gonna give you freedom to choose between what I say is true and what you feel is true. But when you start switching names on that fruit, when you want to decide yes and no for yourself, when you want to disagree with how I think you should do things, trust me, all hell will break loose.” Conversely, when we let God rename what’s right and wrong, when we come into alignment with Him, things start to look a lot more like that perfect garden we’re told about.

Everyone has their own selective definition of what is sinful and what is not. Surprisingly, it is usually something other people are doing. The standard keeps changing because we are drifting further from God. The Bible calls sin what it is: rebellion against God.

The specific sins mentioned represent blatant examples that violate the various ten commandments. There are many more sins that could be included in this list. If expanded, the list would include some things you do. The Ten Commandments were solid guidelines then, and they remain solid guidelines now. God's standards do not change because God doesn't change!

Sin is a departure from the plan of God. It is settling for less than God's best. Sometimes it is open rebellion against God's plan. Please hear this: God is not trying to control anyone or trying to restrict anyone! He is trying to warn people about behaviors that are contrary to His creative design. His warnings are loving, not angry.

It is as if, as the designer of the human race, He put a sticker on us that says do not use in this way or risk serious harm. It is kind of like the warning not to use an electric appliance while you are in the bathtub. Or, "don't eat something immediately after it comes out of the microwave." There is no malice in the words . . . it is genuine concern.

We all know people who live in way contrary to God's commands and seem to be quite happy. What we don't see are the long-term effects. What are the effects on health, social wellness, families, our culture and a person's ability to know God? I don't know. I do not claim for a minute to understand the temptation and struggles of other people. But I can see the gradual erosion of our society and our understanding of moral and civil behavior. Sin called virtue is a sign that a culture is racing to destruction. People governed only by their desires will live like a roller coaster going up and down and all around. They will be constantly running in pursuit of happiness only to find it drifting further and further away. They continue to run faster and become more reckless. Paul says the only answer to what they are looking for is to pay attention to the instructions God has given them.

John Ortberg wrote.

God, doesn’t hate sin because he’s anti-pleasure. He invented pleasure. He hates sin because it promises so much and offers so little. Dr. Vincent Felitti wrote a remarkably profound explanation for the power of addiction: “It is hard to get enough of something that almost works.”[5] (Eternity is Now in Session p.100)

Let me point out something important. These behaviors are destructive . . . the people are still made in the image of God and should be cherished and respected. For a Christian to engage in hateful words and behaviors toward anyone . . . is to contradict what they say they believe. Jesus was kind even to sinful people. He died for sinful people. You and I are able to claim to be part of the Heavenly Kingdom right here and now because Jesus did not turn away from us, but loved us. We are called to follow His example.

Let's go back to the words at the beginning of the text, "For the law was not intended for people who do what is right." Perhaps we can illustrate it better than we can explain it.

If you walk through a private garden with the children of its owner, you do not see anywhere the unsightly signs, which are necessary in a place open to the public, asking you to move in this direction or in that, and to avoid trespassing or touching the flowers. The children don't need such signs. They know how to behave in the garden. The signs are for those who are inclined to break those rules.

Here's the point: the law is not necessary for the believer because they have come to love and respect the giver of the Law. They will adjust their behavior accordingly.

It is like a relationship with our spouse, we no longer need to read magazines on how to find a lover. We should be concentrating on loving the One we have found!

There is a right way and a wrong way to use Scripture. We have seen the Scriptures are definitive in defining what is right and what is wrong. And third we will see that all of this is designed to lead us to the grace of God.

It does this to lead us to the grace of God

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

Notice the tone of the Apostle Paul. He is overwhelmed by the grace of God. He does not see himself as a perfect person correcting people who are foolish and ignorant. He is one who has traveled the same road as we have and has been rescued by the grace of God. He is stunned by the fact that God has chosen him to be His ambassador. He feels it is God who has filled him with the faith and love that comes from Christ.

Sometimes Christians come across differently. We know people who are reformed from some behavior (smoking, drinking, cancer survivor, divorce survivor, reformed addict and more) are long on advice and short on compassion (sometimes they even border on a measure of arrogance). This is the attitude of some who become believers. That is not the case with Paul. Listen to his next words:

15This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Paul was not writing about the transgressors as one who was looking down from a pulpit pointing his boney finger in your face with a scowl of their face and fire in their eyes. He is not speaking arrogantly at all! He is speaking as one who has been transformed by a grace that still baffles him. He knows he does not deserve God's kindness.

Paul believed God saved Him as a way of showing that if God could forgive and transform Paul, He could forgive and transform anyone! Paul takes no credit for His salvation. He does not feel He is smarter than others, more favored, more diligent, and certainly not more deserving. He sees it all as a work of God's grace. God deserves ALL the credit! John Ortberg writes,

To know God is to live in a rich, moment-by-moment gratitude soaked, participatory life together.

To know God means to know myself as his beloved friend as a gift of grace. (Eternity is now in Session p. 4)

When you come to the point where you realize that you are made new in Christ by an undeserved mercy, you too will spend the rest of your life seeking to walk with Him and honor Him in everything you say and do. You will do everything in your power to point others to this marvelous Savior. Paul is not speaking angry words to or about anyone in this text. He is speaking URGENT words.

TAKE HOME POINTS

First, we are reminded that sin is living contrary to the way God designed us to live. It doesn't matter whether we are enjoying the way you live or feel fulfilled in your lifestyle. Sin moves us away from God and toward self-destruction.

Second, everyone sins. We do not all sin the same way, but we all rebel against God in our lives. Our sin might not seem as destructive or as bad as someone else's sin, but, like a silent cancer growing in your body, it is just as deadly.

Third, God gives us the Bible to alert us to our sin and point us to Jesus who is the One who alone can rescue us and help us begin a new life as a citizen of God's Kingdom. Consequently, we should be diligent to read God's Word, not as academics but like those who are turning to YouTube to find answers to the problems of our lives. We should read God's Word . . . looking for God! We should seek His person, His heart, and we should look for ways to bring Him glory and honor in the way we live our lives.

Finally, no one is beyond the reach of God's mercy if they are willing to repent and allow the Lord to direct their lives. It is important that you hear this: this is not just about learning and agreeing with facts about Jesus, this is about a new beginning; a new direction for the way you live your life; it is a new set of priorities and a new standard of behavior. The person who says "Jesus is Lord" but does not do what He says, shows that He has no idea what it means to have Jesus as Lord!

Like Paul, I stand here as one who has been snatched from the fires of Hell by the grace of God. I have acted foolishly, rebelliously, and even defiantly. And, I am ashamed to say, those days are not all behind me. But they are less. God has not only awakened me to His love and mercy, He is training me to enjoy the life He meant for me to live. The glimpses of what God intended life to be, come a little more frequently than they used to.

This can also be true for your life. Your past can be forgiven. Your life can be changed. You can begin to walk with Him rather than away from Him. Your friends around you may call you foolish. They may call you hate-filled. But you will see that you are blessed, set-free, and reborn.

It all starts by recognizing we have used God's law rather than submit to it. We must repent and run to Jesus. Fortunately, He is waiting for you. Just like He was waiting for me. He is ready to lead you on an adventure that words simply cannot describe. Your first (and perhaps) only resolution this year should be a simple one: pursue Him! That's it! Seek the Lord and walk with Him through your life. Yes, there will be changes. But, they will be good changes; changes that help us to see what life was meant to be.