Teaching the truth of God’s Word always results in the love
of God displayed. But for young Timothy, getting the Word out was difficult.
Some had chosen to ignore the Truth and teach useless things. They had strayed
from the Truth – in their teachings and in their lifestyles. They had stopped
teaching and just started talking. Idle talk, Paul called it. Some of that
happens in every Sunday School class. Someone starts talking and before you
know it, class is over and the lesson was never begun. That isn’t what Paul was
talking about. In this case, the teachers were presenting opinions, not facts.
Irrelevant concepts, not life-transforming truths.
Look at Paul’s choice of words in v. 7. “…desiring to be
teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which
they affirm.” Folks, it is true that teachers learn more as they prepare to
teach, but you cannot teach that for which you have no understanding. For
example, I could read you a textbook on nuclear physics, but I cannot explain
to you what it all means. I have a rudimentary knowledge that might meet the needs
of most elementary school students, but I can in no way impart understanding
that matters. These people were trying to teach the laws of Judaism without
having any concept of what it meant. Even worse, these people didn’t even have
a clue as to the purpose of the laws they were trying to teach.
Jesus made it clear -- He came to fulfill the law not to destroy it. In Him, the law was made complete. He lived out the law perfectly, then He offered Himself as a once-for-all sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Once He died and rose again, the law had been completed. Its purpose had been fulfilled.
Here’s the thing: teachers must understand that which we
declare to be truth, but we must also have a grasp of the purpose of that
truth. These men had neither. So Paul reminded Timothy and us that the law is
good if we use it lawfully. In other words, it must fulfill its purpose. What
is that purpose? To reveal the sinful nature of man. That’s why it is not for
the righteous. Righteous people are those cleansed by the blood of Jesus and
are no longer under the law. As Christians, we obey God because we love Him and
want to please Him. His Holy Spirit takes His Word and illuminates our hearts
so that we know when we have sinned. But for lost people, those who are living
in sin, the law is a mirror that reveals to them their true nature so that they
might understand that their only hope is Jesus.
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