1 Timothy 1:9–10

Context

Tradition holds that 1 Timothy is a letter from Paul to Timothy, who was staying in Ephesus. The authorship of the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) is debated: the traditional view holds that Paul wrote them, while some scholars hold that a later disciple wrote them in Paul's name.

In chapter 1 Paul warns against those "desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm" (1:7). He then says that "the law is good, if a man use it lawfully" (1:8). The present passage explains what it means to use the law rightly. Stating that the law is made not "for a righteous man" but for the lawless, Paul lists fourteen categories of people and closes the list with anything else "that is contrary to sound doctrine." Verse 11 adds that this doctrine accords with the gospel entrusted to Paul.

Interpretation

• Reading in light of the Ten Commandments: Many commentators interpret the structure of the list in light of the Ten Commandments. The opening terms, such as "lawless" and "ungodly," correspond to sins against God. The latter part is seen as beginning with sins against parents (the Fifth Commandment) and continuing through murder, sexual immorality, menstealing, and false witness (the Sixth through Ninth Commandments). "Menstealers" refers to slave traders or human traffickers; Jewish tradition regarded this offense as "stealing a person" and connected it with the commandment against theft.
• Reading in terms of the uses of the law: The Reformation tradition reads this passage as evidence of the law's function in restraining and exposing sin. The Lutheran tradition particularly emphasizes the law's function of making people aware of their sin and thereby leading them to Christ. John Calvin went further, calling the law's function of guiding the life of believers—the so-called "third use"—the principal use of the law.
• The meaning of "a righteous man": Some read this phrase as referring to believers who have been justified, while others read it as a statement of principle about upright people in general. Noting that the original word for "law" (nomos) lacks the article, some interpreters hold that it refers not only to the Mosaic law but to law in general.

Controversies and Issues

• Antinomian appeals: Historically, some movements cited the statement that "the law is not made for a righteous man" to argue that believers are not bound by the moral law. Both Lutherans and the Reformed rejected this view, arguing that the passage must be read together with the preceding verse, "the law is good."
• Translation of "them that defile themselves with mankind": The original Greek term arsenokoitēs appears in the New Testament only in this passage and in 1 Corinthians 6:9. It is reportedly unattested in literature predating Paul. Many denominations, along with conservative and evangelical scholars, hold that the term refers to same-sex sexual acts and connect it with the wording of the Greek translation of Leviticus 20:13 in the Septuagint. By contrast, some scholars and progressives argue that it refers to narrower practices such as exploitative relationships or male prostitution. This difference feeds into discussions of homosexuality and the church and Bible translation controversies.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is frequently cited as a proof text, alongside Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, in sermons and official statements addressing homosexuality. It is also used to explain the role of the law in teaching on the relationship between law and gospel.

Related Passages

• 1 Timothy 1:8
• 1 Corinthians 6:9–11
• Galatians 3:24
• Romans 3:31