Law of the Heart

1 Timothy 1:8-11    
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

The Law was given through Moses to test the heart and display its sinful intents; used as a barometer of the soul, it can be humbling and encouraging to know we can follow it only by God’s grace and working in us by His Spirit.  But those who know it and choose willingly to do the opposite without resistance or repentance, for these ungodly sinners who are profane in His eyes, the Law is there to convict and convince they are sinners in need of grace.  We sinners in Christ use the Law lawfully by allowing it to move our heart’s motives and keep us humble.  We do not want to be insubordinate or lawless, but discipline our bodies and minds towards holiness with the Law written in our hearts as motive and ability.  We see in the Law that the list here from murderers to liars and fornicators is all opposed to what sound teaching shows us is abhorrent to the God who died for our sin, and so we choose instead to follow by the gospel’s power and guidance of the inner Law by the grace of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and our Father by His Spirit of holiness dwelling in us.