Using Law Lawfully

"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully" - 1st Timothy 1:8

Interesting phrase - using the law lawfully - implying, of course, the law can be used un-lawfully and not be good.

Proclaiming "Our Creed is the Bible" isn't enough.

Though the Bible is now available in our own language and, for many of us, free to use as we may choose, it's not helpful unless used correctly.

So how does one use the law lawfully?! Hmmm...

Using the law (indeed, all parts of the Bible) lawfully will:

1)Be Christ centered - see how the Apostle Paul quotes from the law, substituting "Christ" for "Commandment".¹

2)Encourage living God's kind of love in good conscience and with an open/honest faith. ²

3)Bring life in the hearers - Jesus said he came to bring abundant life.³ It's the enemy who steals, kills, and destroys, so we should be able to say that using the Bible to steal, kill, and destroy is a misuse.

Yes the Bible is used to correct sin and error, but God's correction applied correctly (law used lawfully) brings hope.

- fritz

1 - Romans 10:8 / Deuteronomy 30:11-14
2 - 1st Timothy 1:5
3 - John 10:10

Accepted!

"wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." - Ephesians 1:6b

Words change meaning. Today, we accept a lot of things we are not pleased with, simply because we must.

This is NOT what the Bible means! The original Greek word used by the Bible actually means "highly favored", "charming", "circled with favor".

What's more, with its precise word form and endings the Greek word, here, tells us an additional nuance. Ours was not a onetime time acceptance but ongoing! We are currently living in the high favor of God by being in the one whom He loved, our savior, Jesus, the Christ.

- fritz