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Have you learned the secret of contentment?

Posted May 30, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13 NIV).

Webster defines contentment as “the state of being happy and satisfied.” Everyone wants to live in this state. But unfortunately, this kind of contentment is based on favorable circumstances. Happiness is based on something good “happening.” And as we all know, sometimes bad stuff happens. But what if there were a higher level of contentment? One that wasn’t based on happenings?

The apostle Paul spoke of such a higher level of contentment. In his letter to the Philippians he wrote of having “learned the secret of being content” no matter the circumstance. This contentment that Paul had learned was not dependent on the external world of constantly changing circumstances, but on an inner spiritual relationship and dependence on the eternal One, Jesus Christ.

So, how do we learn Paul’s “secret,” especially in this crazy and chaotic world today that constantly seeks to steal our joy and peace? In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he offered…

… three keys to unlocking the secret to true contentment.

Learn to turn your worries into prayers. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). Worry is self-talk. Prayer is talking to God. Why not take the same energy you’re using to worry and turn it into prayer?
Learn to refocus your thinking from stressings to blessings. Paul said, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8). This is more than positive thinking. This is moving your state of mind from the temporal things of this world to the eternal things of God. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Set your minds on things above” (Col.3:2). Decide to rejoice in the Lord. Say, “I’m too blessed to be stressed!” Focus on your blessings in Christ and set your mind on them.
Learn the practice of depending on God’s power and provision. Paul wrote, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9). Paul had learned to depend on Christ for strength. In Christ, he learned that he could “accept all things” (Phil. 4:11), “do all things” (Phil. 4:13), and “have all things” (Phil. 4:18). Therefore, everything he needed, he found in Christ.

Christ was the secret of Paul’s contentment.

Christ was the one who lay sleeping in the bow of the boat while the storm on the Sea of Galilee threatened to sink the disciples. He was the one whom the “winds and the waves” obeyed. Paul learned that when you have Christ in your life, no matter the storms, you can find rest and contentment in him.

Have you yet learned the secret of contentment?

The sincere faith of my mother and grandmother

Posted May 9, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

Wilda and Ettie. My mother and grandmother.

“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV).

The church of my youth had annual revival services. We would often have an evangelist come and share how God had miraculously saved him from a life of sin. He would preach with fiery enthusiasm and through tears about how God had taken a former drunkard, (or addict, thief, murderer, etc.) and saved him.

These “Damascus Road” testimonies were amazing to me. I was envious of their certainty and passion. As a boy, I often doubted my salvation because I hadn’t had such an awesome conversion. I had no flash of light, no voice of God. At age eight, I had just decided to give my life to Jesus the way my mother and grandmother had taught me.

As I grew in my faith, I no longer doubted my salvation, but I still sometimes wished that my testimony was more exciting. Why couldn’t I have a testimony more like the apostle Paul’s?

Maybe that’s what Timothy was feeling when Paul wrote him that second letter. Paul was so fearless and certain when he testified of his faith, but Timothy was a little timid. When he compared himself to his mentor he just didn’t feel like he measured up.

Paul would have none of that. He reminded Timothy of the spiritual legacy that his mother and grandmother had given him. Timothy had been spared the suffering and sorrow of Paul’s many mistakes before coming to Christ. Paul reminded Timothy that the “sincere faith” which had “lived” in his mother and grandmother, now “lived” in him.

As a grown man, I’m glad that I have a “Timothy testimony.” The two most influential people in my spiritual development were women. They were my grandmother Ettie and my mother Wilda. They didn’t have the same names as “Eunice and Lois”, but they did have the same “sincere faith” living in them.

Sincere faith. The kind that is more than religion, more than rules and ritual. These women loved and lived for their Lord in such a sincere way that what they passed on to me was more caught than taught.

My mother and her mother are with Jesus now, but their sincere faith still lives here in me.

Happy Mother’s Day.

(This is a reprint of my blog from May 2010.)

Lectio Divina

Posted May 2, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV).

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV).

As a pastor, I spend many hours each week studying God’s Word in preparation for the task of preaching. Yet, this practice of regular study doesn’t always meet my own spiritual needs. Being so focused on the preaching task sometimes causes me to read the Bible looking for information over inspiration. I see sermon points to preach rather than spiritual food to eat.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not diminishing the importance of exegesis. The Bible is a written text, inspired by God and written in human language. It deserves close literary study. Words need to be defined, sentences diagrammed, parts of speech identified, context and setting in life determined. Careful study leads to better understanding. And as my preaching professor at seminary used to say, “Fuzzy thinking leads to fuzzy preaching.” You’re not ready to preach until you understand the text.

But the Bible is more than a book to study, it’s spiritual food to eat. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Reading the Bible just for information is akin to dissecting your dinner meal just to determine its recipe. You might better understand how your quiche was cooked, but your stomach will still be left growling.

In my early years as a pastor I began to recognize this deficiency in my spiritual diet. I was growing in knowledge of the Bible, but I was feeling more and more dry in my spirit. So I turned to some old classical devotional authors to try and find some help. It was in these readings that I came across the Latin phrase lectio divina, which means “divine reading.” I was a little put off by its origin among the Benedictine monks in the 6th century. I wasn’t interested in shaving a circle in the top of my head and wearing sackcloth with a rope belt. But after examining the four step practice I was intrigued and decided to try it.

And the practice has changed my devotional life.

Here are the four movements of Lectio Divina (as I practice it):

Lectio. Read the Scripture aloud and slowly. The idea of silent reading was unheard (no pun intended) of in the 1st Century. Reading it aloud means you get it twice, once through the eyes and again through the ears. If this practice is likened to “Feasting on the Word,” then lectio is like “taking a bite.”
Meditatio. Meditate on the words by repeating them over and over. Pause on those words that seem to stir your soul. If lectio is “taking a bite,” then meditatio is “chewing on it.”
Oratio. Begin to turn the reading into prayer. For instance the reading and meditation of Psalm 23 might become, “Oh Lord, You are my shepherd. I am learning not to want for anything but You…” Praying the Word back to God you are “savoring the essence of it” as you would a tasty feast.
Contemplatio. Finally, you contemplate how the Word is doing, or wants to do, its work in you. Not just understanding that the Lord was David’s shepherd, but that you are receiving Him as your Shepherd. Not just thinking about the “still waters,” but drinking from them. Feasting on the Word, contemplatio is “digesting the food” of God’s Word and making it part of your life.

Lectio Divina is a helpful practice for approaching God’s Word. It recognizes the living aspect of the Word and seeks to hear God speak afresh. It isn’t the only way to handle the Word. Intense study, memorization, hearing the teaching and preaching of the Word, and other approaches are all important. The Word should affect our whole selves, the mind, the soul and the heart. Perhaps adding this practice to your Bible reading will help balance your spiritual diet as it has mine.

My hope is built on nothing less

Posted April 18, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV).

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name” (Edward Mote).

In the dictionary’s definition of the word “hope,” it describes three aspects (I have put this into my own words):

Its basis. That which makes up the foundation for our expectation that our great desire will be satisfied.
Its nature. That which describes the quality and strength of our future longing and its affect on us in the present.
Its object. That which is the focus of our expectation. This is the future something or someone that we focus our desire upon obtaining.

I think Edward Mote (1797-1874), the founding pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Sussex, England must have been contemplating these three aspects of hope when he penned the words to that great hymn, “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less.” Published in 1837, this hymn became an instant classic.

Mote declared, “My hope is built” on Christ! Mote sees Christ’s work on the cross, his “blood and righteousness” as the foundation, the basis of our hope. I agree. But I would further add that which the apostle Peter proclaimed, that our hope is built on Christ’s resurrection. In other words, the basis for Christian hope is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our hope is built on the historical reality of Christ’s work.

Mote says that this hope is not mere “trust” in a sweet “frame” of mind. No, it is based on the firm foundation of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. This also speaks to its nature. Christian hope is a “living hope” as Peter described it. Its quality lies in its connection to the living Lord Jesus, who abides in those who believe on him. This hope is not merely an optimistic or positive “frame” of mind, but a strong conviction that all is well and that all will be well because of the living Christ. As Mote wrote in verse three of his hymn, “When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.”

Christ’s resurrection is the basis of our hope. Christ’s abiding Spirit within us is the nature of our hope. And Christ’s return is the object of our hope. As Mote wrote in his final verse and chorus:

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Christ is our living hope!

Reading through Passion Week

Posted April 10, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer'” (Luke 22:15 ESV).

This coming Sunday begins what many Christians call Holy Week or Passion Week. It is called “Passion” week because of its connection to the Greek word πάσχω (pas’-kho) which is usually translated to “suffer” in the New Testament. This is the word that Jesus used to describe His crucifixion.

I’ve found that reading the Scriptures that describe the Lord’s final week leading up to the Cross, the Tomb and the Resurrection to be very moving and beneficial to my spiritual life. With this in mind, I offer this daily reading plan for Passion Week for your edification.

Palm Sunday – The Triumphal Entry. Read Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, or John 12:12-19.
Monday – Clearing the Temple. Read Matthew 21:10-17; Mark 11:15-18, or Luke 19:45-48.
Tuesday – Teaching in the Temple. Read Matthew 21:23-24:51; Mark 11:27-13:37, or Luke 20:1-21:36.
Wednesday – Anointed in Bethany. Read Mark 14:1-11.
Maundy Thursday – Last Supper & Garden of Gethsemane. Read Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-23, or John 13:1-30.
Good Friday – Crucifixion and Death. Matthew 27:1-56; Mark 15:1-41, Luke 22:66-23:50, or John 18:28-19:37.
Saturday – In the Tomb. Read Matthew 27:57-66; Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, or John 19:38-42.
Easter Sunday – The Resurrection. Read Matthew 28:1-13; Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-49, or John 20:1-31.

There are two weeks in the Bible that the Lord inspired its writers to make daily diary entries. They are the seven days of creation and Passion Week. In the first week, He made the world and in the second, He brought its redemption. God must have thought these two weeks important enough to keep a journal…

… And one worth reading and meditation.

Birds don’t worry

Posted March 28, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26 ESV).

I love watching birds. We have a bird feeder hanging just outside our breakfast nook window. And I’ve developed a habit of drinking my morning coffee at our breakfast table while reading the Bible, praying and bird watching.

We spend so much time worrying about what we will eat, drink or what we will wear. We’re bombarded with constant commercials for things we didn’t even know we needed, but now we’re sure that we do. So, we worry about how to get those things too. We place so much value on material things that we forget to enjoy what really matters.

Often my morning concerns are more for temporary material things, than for eternal spiritual ones. Yet, reading and meditating on God’s Word moves me to stop my worry and to turn that same internal self-talk into God-talk, into prayer. This morning, as I read and prayed, I noticed the great variety of birds appearing outside my window. And I thought of what Jesus said about the Heavenly Father feeding them.

Of course, one of the ways that God feeds them is through me. I buy the seed and keep the feeder full for the sheer joy of seeing the birds that God has created.

If God loves and values birds so much, just consider how much He loves and values us. I recommend a morning combination of Bible reading and bird watching. It really helps me remember how much God values me. And how much I can trust and value (worship) Him.

What’s in an honorific?

Posted March 21, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV).

The Bible teaches us to honor God and to honor one another. This is an expression of the kind of love that God both commands and instills. We cannot keep the command to love and honor one another without God’s empowerment. When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, this empowerment is available to us. The Church, as the Body of Christ, is to model this kind of love and mutual honor.

The Greek word translated “honor” in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is: τιμάω, timaó (tim-ah’-o), which means to fix the value, price, reverence, esteem, to honor. It means to pay people their due. We get the name “Timothy” from this Greek word (Τιμόθεος (Timotheos) meaning “honoring God”). The apostle Paul taught that we are to “outdo one another” in esteeming and honoring God and others.

One of the ways that the English speaking world has expressed mutual honor is through the use of polite language and appropriate “honorifics” when addressing others. However, in recent years this practice appears to be waning. What is an honorific? The dictionary defines it as:

hon•or•if•ic adj. 1. doing or conferring honor. 2. conveying honor, as a title or a grammatical form used in speaking to or about a superior, elder, etc. n. 3. (in certain languages, as Chinese and Japanese) a class of forms used to show respect, esp. in direct address. 4. a title or term of respect.

Here is a list of English “honorifics” that we have traditionally used (You can probably think of others):

Common Titles:

Mr. (Mister) – for men, regardless of marital status.
Master – for young men and boys (I used to receive letters addressed “Master Gary Combs” when I was younger).
Ms. – for women, regardless of marital status.
Miss – for unmarried women.
Mrs. – for married women.

Formal Titles:

Sir – for men, a term of general respect.
Ma’am (Madam) – for women, a term of general respect.

Professional Titles:

Dr. (Doctor) – a person who has obtained an academic or professional degree.
Prof. (Professor) – a person teaching at the college level with a Ph.D. or equivalent.

Religious Titles:

Br. or Bro. (Brother) – for men generally in some churches (The Baptist church I grew up in used “Bro.” to address the pastor).
Sr. (Sister) – a Catholic nun; for women generally in some churches
Fr. (Father) for priests in Catholic and Eastern Christianity
Rev. (Reverend) used generally for members of the Christian clergy
Pr. (Pastor) used generally for Christian clergy, especially in Protestant denominations.
Preacher – used primarily in the South for Christian pastors.
Ev. (Evangelist) – used for a traveling revivalist preacher

People in the South seem to be among the last holdouts in the use of honorifics. They are especially well known for their use of “Yessir,” “Yessum,” and “Ma’am” (Not to mention “Y’all,” “Hon,” “Shug,” and “Sweetie Pie.”). When I first moved to North Carolina I noticed that young people often called an older family friend by their first name, plus an appropriate honorific, as in “Mr. Bobby,” or Ms. Mary.” I loved this practice and we taught our kids to follow it.

I encourage the use of honorifics. I use them. I think it helps to put some of the honor back into our increasingly rough and disrespectful world. I appreciate being addressed as “Mr. Gary,” or “Mr. Combs” by a younger person. I feel respected when a church member calls me “Pastor Gary,” or “Preacher” (I don’t care much for the “Rev.” title, but that’s just me).

What do you think? Do you use honorifics? Do you teach your children to use them?

What’s in an honorific? Honor and respect, that’s what. And I think that’s a good thing.

The discipline of celebration

Posted March 14, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Discipleship, Religion, Weblogs.

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).

The apostle Paul instructed his young protégé Timothy to stand against the false teaching of asceticism that plagued first century Ephesus. Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various worldly pleasures, often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals. In Ephesus, false teachers were leading believers to abstain from marriage and certain foods as a means of overcoming the flesh. This may have been an early form of gnosticism, the idea that all flesh is inherently evil. Yet, the Bible teaches that God’s creation is good.

Today, many Christians still struggle with a kind of ascetic legalism. It’s no wonder unbelievers see Christians as either angry or sad. We’ve lost the art of receiving God’s good things “with thanksgiving.” We’ve forgotten “the discipline of celebration.”

I first heard this phrase over dinner with Dallas Willard in 2007. Dr. Williard was a professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Philosophy. He was best known in Christian circles as an author of books on discipleship. His groundbreaking books The Divine Conspiracy, The Spirit of the Disciplines have enriched the understanding of the Christian faith for thousands of believers. My personal favorite title by Willard was The Great Omission– Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings On Discipleship.

In 2007, I was part of a learning community for pastors called “Sustaining Pastoral Excellence.” Our meetings were sponsored and held at the Hollifield Leadership Center in Hickory, NC. On this particular January day, about 30 pastors got to spend the day hearing Dr. Willard speak on discipleship.

Dallas Willard was a joyful and vibrant man. His teaching method was less about the content and more about the questions he asked. He asked penetrating questions that caused us to think about the gospel we preach and the disciples that we are commissioned to make. Hearing him teach was like drinking from a fire hydrant. It was an intellectual joy and a spiritual challenge to hear him.

After the conference I had made plans to spend another night at Hickory so I could ponder over that day’s learnings and do some writing. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to join a couple of other leaders who were taking Dr. Willard to dinner. Sometimes lingering around afterwards is rewarding!

After a day of great learning, I got to have dinner with Dallas Willard. While my fellow leaders ordered from the menu with an eye for their diets. I heard Dr. Willard order a steak with a baked potato. So, I followed suit. Then, when the waiter asked us about dessert, I was amazed to hear Dr. Willard ask about the cheesecake.

“Hey Gary,” he asked. “Do you like cheesecake?”

“Boy, do I!” I answered.

While I sat across from Dr. Willard eating cheesecake, I felt like I was with my grandfather or one of my uncles. I asked him, “Dr. Willard..” And he interrupted me, reminding me to call him “Dallas.” So I continued, “Yes, ah Dallas, you taught all day about discipleship and the spiritual disciplines. Which discipline is this?” I asked lifting another bite of cheesecake to my mouth.

Dr. Willard, a twinkle in his eye, said, “Gary, have I told you about the discipline of celebration?”

“Sometimes,” he continued, “you have to learn to enjoy the good blessings of God!” He said smiling, while forking another big bite of double chocolate cheesecake.

I was sad to hear that Dallas Willard passed away last May 8, 2013. But I am looking forward to sitting across from him again some glorious day at the Lord’s Banquet Table.

I wonder, will they have cheesecake in heaven?

Why support the Church?

Posted March 7, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Current Affairs, Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-16 ESV).

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:23-25 ESV).

Recently, Donald Miller, author of the book Blue Like Jazz, stirred up a kind of social media firestorm among Christians with his blog post entitled, “Why I Don’t Go to Church Very Often.” This post was actually a follow up to another one entitled, “I Don’t Worship God by Singing.” In his first post, Miller wrote:

“I’ve a confession. I don’t connect with God by singing to Him. Not at all… It’s just that I don’t experience that intimacy in a traditional worship service. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of sermons I actually remember. So to be brutally honest, I don’t learn much about God hearing a sermon and I don’t connect with him by singing songs to him… So, do I attend church? Not often, to be honest. Like I said, it’s not how I learn.”

It’s not my purpose in this blog to respond to all that Miller had to say. There are responses aplenty already out there. Besides, he offered a kind of apology in his second blog (Not taking back any of what he said, but asking forgiveness for any offense his readers may have felt. – A very postmodern apology, by the way. i.e. “I really don’t think I said anything wrong, but I’m sorry that you feel I did.”).

What I want to address is those who either say, “I love Jesus, but I don’t love the church.” Or, as in Miller’s case, “I love following Jesus, but do I have to hang out and sing with His disciples?” (Notice the question mark. Postmoderns prefer questions over answers.).

In the case of those who say they love Jesus but not the church, they offer a critique of the church from the outside looking in. They are contrasting their view of Jesus with what they see in the modern church. I think we should take note of these criticisms and address them where appropriate. Some have validity. But we have a saying at our church, “If you don’t help row the boat, you don’t get to help steer the boat.” In other words, if you really want to influence the church, join it, support it from the inside. Be part of the solution by being part of the body of Christ.

In the case of those who want to follow Jesus, but don’t get anything out of spending time with His disciples, I don’t really hear a criticism of the church as much as I hear an excuse. Can you imagine the apostle Peter saying to Jesus, “I really want to follow you, but do I have to hang out with Judas over there? He’s so greedy and self-righteous. And that other Simon guy, he’s such a political zealot, always spouting off about overthrowing the government. Can’t I just follow You without traveling with them? I love listening to you Jesus, but I don’t get anything out of being with these 12 guys!”

Yet, the church is more than a place that meets an individual’s needs. It’s a people, a body of believers that exist to “stir up one another to love and good works,” and to be a worshiping, serving, giving, growing, and evangelizing community representing Christ on planet earth.

In truth, Miller’s blog rings of a kind of spiritual elitism. In his second blog he said, “…most of the influential Christian leaders I know (who are not pastors) do not attend church.” Later, he described church as a kind of school that you graduate from. As if, he and other spiritual elites have grown too mature for the elementary things of the church.

Full disclosure: I’m a pastor. And I support the local church. Not because I have to or because I get paid to, but because I think it’s the most powerful, influential force in the world. Sure, it is sometimes messy and chaotic. I don’t always like the worship music or the sermons (And I’m the one preaching!). But I love the church. And I’m concerned about the believer who sees the church as a place they can “neglect” as is the “habit of some.”

I don’t go to a church service to be served. I go to serve. And in the process of my participation, as I let the grace of God flow through me to others, my own needs are met.

I support the church.

Why then the law?

Posted February 21, 2014 by Gary Combs & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Why then the law?” (Galatians 3:19a ESV).

“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8 ESV).

Last week, we started a new sermon series through Paul’s first epistle to Timothy. We encountered a phrase in 1 Timothy 1:8 about the “lawful” use of the law. Apparently, the church in 1st century Ephesus had false teachers that were misunderstanding the right use of the law. And Paul instructed Timothy to put a stop to it! He charged Timothy to guard the gospel of grace, which proclaims that faith in Christ alone will save us. The law cannot save.

This begs the question, “Why then, do we need the law?” If the law cannot save, of what use is it? What is its “lawful” and “unlawful” use?

I suppose before we attempt to answer the question of the law’s usefulness, we should first define what we mean by “law.” When we speak of the law as it pertains to the Bible, we are generally speaking of the law as given by God to Moses, or the Mosaic Law. It might be helpful to further distinguish the law into three categories (These three categories are informed by John Calvin’s work The Institutes):

Moral Law – Moral or perpetual duties towards God and our neighbor (i.e. The Great Commandment: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself).
Ceremonial Law – The rites about the sacred things to be observed under the Old Testament law, mainly concerning the sacrificial Temple system.
Civil Law – The laws that set apart and made the Israelites a “peculiar” people.

Although the Bible doesn’t make this threefold distinction when discussing the law, we might infer these categories through the way the New Testament, especially Jesus, views specific laws. For the sake of brevity, allow me to say that the New Testament points to Jesus as the fulfillment of the ceremonial and civil laws, so that they are no longer in effect. Jesus is the fulfillment of the sacrificial system, the blood of goats is no longer needed. The gospel is given to Jew and Gentile alike, so the civil “peculiar” laws are no longer binding. Only the moral law is left in effect, but not as a means of salvation (Not that it ever was).

With an awareness of these three categories of law, what would be an “unlawful” use of it? I can think of several “unlawful” or misuses of the law.

Unlawful Uses of the Law:

As a means of earning salvation – The idea that we can be good enough to earn salvation by keeping the law. The problem is that no one is good enough. We’re all sinners (Romans 3:23). “For what the law could not do” … Christ did (Romans 8:3).
Adding to salvation – In the 1st Century, the Judaizers attempted to add the burden of the ceremonial and civil laws to the newly baptized Gentile Christians. They insisted that laws concerning such things as: circumcision, the Sabbath, holy days, dietary laws, etc. were in full effect and necessary for salvation. But Paul taught that this would negate the gospel of grace (For understanding read the whole book of Galatians).
Legalism – Similar to the above, but not so much saying it is necessary for salvation as making it the mark of the Christian community. So, that the church is known for keeping the law rather than sharing the gospel of love and grace.
Antinomianism – The opposite extreme from legalism. To say that the law has no use and to live immorally thinking that one can always ask forgiveness later. Paul addresses this error in Romans 6.
As a measuring stick – Jesus taught us not to compare ourselves to others thinking we are better according to our law keeping, this is hypocrisy (Matthew 7:1-5).

As we study the Scriptures, we may identify many more “unlawful” uses of the law than these. But now that we have discussed what we mean by law, and its misuses, the question still remains, “Why then the law?” Most theologians would agree that there are three “lawful” uses of the law. I like to remember these as the three “R”s of the right use of the law.

The Three Right Uses of the Law (3 “R”s):

Restraining our sinful behavior (Like a guard rail). The law is given to keep us from completely “running off the road.” It is like a warning sign, saying “Sharp turn ahead.” It exists to warn us of the consequences of sin (Galatians 3:23).
Reflecting our guilt (Like a mirror). The right use of the moral law is to “show” us that we are guilty of sin (Galatians 3:19, James 1:23).
Revealing God’s righteous way (Like a tutor or guardian). The law was given to show the impossibility of keeping it in the weakness of our flesh, so that we might cry out in need for One to save us. It is like a teacher pointing us to Jesus (Galatians 3:24-25).

The law is good when it is used lawfully. Let us not be a church that uses it “unlawfully,” and in so doing, hindering the gospel ministry with which we have been entrusted.