“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;”
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully — Paul's affirmation (nomimos chrisai) corrects the false teachers' approach while honoring Torah's divine origin. The law serves legitimate purposes when deployed for its intended end: revealing sin and condemning unrighteousness.
Church Fathers on 1 Timothy 1:8
The law, he seems to say, is good, and again, not good. What then? If one use it not lawfully, is it not good? Nay even so it is good. But what he means is this; if any one fulfills it in his actions; for that is to “use it lawfully” as here intended. But when they expound it in their words, and neglect it in their deeds, that is using it unlawfully. For such an one uses it, but not to his own profit. And another way may be named besides. What is it? That the law, if you use…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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