1 Timothy 1:9
Knowing this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawlesse and disobedient, for the vngodly, and for sinners, for vnholy, and profane, for murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 1 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)
1 Timothy is a letter written by the apostle Paul to Timothy, his spiritual son and a young leader in the early Christian church. In this verse Paul discusses the purpose of the law and its application to different types of people.
Paul emphasizes that the law is not intended for those who are righteous. In the apostolic sense, “righteous” refers to those who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, forgiven of their sins, and made right with God. The law, in this context, is the Old Testament law given through Moses, which served as a guide and revealed God’s moral standards. Because the righteous have been transformed by faith, the law is not meant for them.
Instead, Paul identifies the target audience for the law as the lawless, the disobedient, the ungodly, sinners, the unholy, and the profane. These terms describe people who are outside the realm of righteousness and have not submitted themselves to God’s authority or accepted His moral standards. For such individuals the law functions as a restraining force, exposing and curbing sinful behaviour.
Paul also lists specific transgressions that fall under the jurisdiction of the law. He mentions murderers of fathers, murderers of mothers, and manslayers—those who unlawfully take human life. These examples illustrate the seriousness of the offences the law addresses and underscore the need for its application to those who persist in such grave sins.
In summary, the passage teaches that the law is a tool for confronting and correcting the wicked, while the truly righteous, being covered by Christ’s grace, are no longer under its punitive demands. This distinction helps believers understand the role of the law in a world still marked by sin and the ultimate freedom offered through faith in Jesus Christ.
