Day 7 - I Timothy 1:8-11

A Daily Devotional Commentary on I Timothy

Living Under a New Covenant

1 Timothy 1:8-11

⁸For we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, ⁹knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane . . .¹⁰for fornicators for sodomites, for kidnappers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

A

“holiness” preacher once discussed with me “the sins” of women wearing pants, cutting their hair, wearing make-up, etc., and he quoted Old Testament passages, such as Deuteronomy 22:5, to buttress his argument. I suggested that, if his assessment were true, he too was probably breaking the Old Testament law by the shirt he was wearing. I then referred him to Leviticus 19:19, which reads, Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of fabric (NLT). We checked his shirt and, sure enough, it was made of cotton and polyester, a direct violation of this passage!

The Old Testament is Not a Rule Book

My point was that it is wrong to look at the Old Testament as a book of rules that we, as Christians, must identify and keep. This was the approach of the Pharisees who had identified 613 rules that they sought to impose on the people of Israel. Those who approach it in this manner inevitably fall into legalism and fail to keep all the rules themsleves. The Scriptures, including the Old Testament, must be approached relationally, as Jesus did.

What Is the Believer’s Relationship with the Old Testament?

Paul says in this passage that the law is not made for a righteous person. Think about it! If everyone in your city were absolutely righteous and were walking in selflessness and love, most laws could be eliminated. It is by means of laws that we restrain wicked behavior and evil people. According to Paul, The Old Testament Law was given for two reasons: to restrain evil (Gal. 3:23-25) and to give knowledge of sin (Rom. 7:7). The Law showed God’s people what to do, but did not give them the power to do it. It was meant to bring them to an awful sense of their own sinfulness and cause them to cry out for a Redeemer, and lead them to Jesus Christ.

God, therefore, gave the Old Testament to reveal a Person--His Messiah--to the people of Israel, and then to the world. This is clearly borne out in Luke 24:27 where, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus took the two disciples from Genesis to Malachi and expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Ask God to show you Jesus Christ when you read the Old Testament; and always interpret the Old Testament in the light of Jesus and the New Testament.

We Live Under a New Covenant

Under the Old Covenant, God’s law was outward, written in stone and in the Torah (1^st five books of the OT). However, even during the Old Testament period, God spoke through Jeremiah about a coming change, Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people.

The New Covenant is a heart thing. God imparts His Life and Nature to us so that we delight to do His will. Whereas the Old Testament was like a well, the New Testament is like an artesian spring. Romans 8:4 says that the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in those who walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If we live according to the new life and nature we have received in the new birth, we will please God in all things and fulfill His will.

Prayer & Reflection

 Oh God our Savior, we thank you for the new Life you have brought to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. May we walk in this new Life and love You all the days of our life. Thank you for making it real in us by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen!