Bible Phrasing: 1 Timothy 1:8–11

Two points underly Paul's observation that the law is good. 

1) First, the law is good if one uses it lawfully. 

2) Second, the law is not primarily for those who use the law lawfully; rather, it is for the lawless. A whole litany of descriptors follows "lawless." 

• Suffice it to say, the law confronts each of the identifiers Paul notes, including "whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine."
• The purpose of the law is "in accordance with the gospel." As Paul does here, sharing the good news of what God has done through Jesus's life, death, and resurrection should be paired with the law's standard for justice, goodness, and lawfulness. 
• When lawless people are confronted by the law, the gospel's standard is upheld. But the gospel is able to transform the lawless, revealing the glory of the blessed God, as it did to Paul (1 Timothy 1:12–14).