Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately.
Parallel translations
- WEB But we know that the law is good, if a person uses it lawfully,
- KJV But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
- NKJV But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
- NASB But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
- NLT We know that the law is good when used correctly.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul affirms that the law is good when used lawfully, as God intended. It guards against both dismissing the law and misusing it.
Overview
Paul concedes the goodness of the law while insisting it must be used rightly. The problem was not the law itself but its misapplication by the false teachers. Used lawfully, the law exposes sin and points toward the grace found in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Rom 7:12–13So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
- Ps 19:7–10The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple.
- Rom 7:16And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good.
- 2 Tim 2:5Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.
- Ps 119:127–128Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.
- Gal 3:21Is the law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.
- Neh 9:13You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
- Ps 119:96–105I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit.
- Rom 7:22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
- Rom 12:2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
- Rom 7:18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
- Deut 4:6–8Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
There is 'one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all' — the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.
How 1 Timothy 1:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.