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Using The Law Lawfully: How The Standard Of Yah Still Guides The Redeemed

Christian doctrine often teaches that the law of Yahuah has no place in the life of a believer because Yahusha died for our sins. But this interpretation ignores the clear statement by Paul:

"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." - 1 Timothy 1:8

Paul didn’t say the law was abolished. He said it had to be used lawfully. That is the key. The law was never meant to replace grace, and grace was never given to cancel the law. When used as intended, the law remains a necessary and powerful guide for those who have received mercy.

The Law Defines The Standard, Not The Solution

The law never promised eternal life. It was never the source of salvation. Its purpose was to define Yah’s standard of righteousness and expose our failure to meet it. Romans 3:20 makes this plain:

"By the law is the knowledge of sin."

The law exposes what sin is. It identifies rebellion, injustice, and uncleanness. But it never had the power to redeem. That power belongs to Yahusha alone. His blood makes atonement for sin. But the law still shows us what sin is.

Paul writes in Romans 7:7:

"I had not known sin, but by the law."

This is how the law is used lawfully: not as a means to justify ourselves, but as the standard that identifies sin and leads us to seek mercy from Yah.

Yahusha Did Not Destroy The Law. He Satisfied Its Penalty

The sacrifice of Yahusha did not erase the law. It satisfied the curse placed upon us for breaking it. Galatians 3:13 says:

"Messiah hath redeemed us from the curse of the law."

Notice it does not say the law was a curse. The curse of the law refers to the judgment we deserved for violating it. That’s what Yahusha took on Himself. His death addressed our guilt. But the law still defines the righteous path.

If the law were gone, there would be no sin. And if there were no sin, there would be no need for an advocate. But Scripture says plainly:

"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yahusha HaMashiach the righteous." - 1 John 2:1

We still sin. And when we sin, we sin against the law. That means the law is still active. We need the Messiah not because the law disappeared, but because it still stands, and we still fall short.

Using The Law Lawfully Means Using It As A Light, Not A Ladder

Psalm 119:105 says:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

This is the lawful use of the law. It shows us the direction to walk. It shines light on what pleases Yahuah. It teaches us what righteousness looks like. But it is not a ladder to climb into heaven. No man has ever earned salvation by law-keeping. That is not its function.

Romans 3:28:

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

To be justified means to be declared righteous before Yahuah. It is a legal status,  cleared of guilt, acquitted of sin, and accepted as clean in His sight. This justification comes by faith, not by your effort to keep the law through the weakness of your own flesh. But Paul immediately counters the false conclusion that faith nullifies the law. In Romans 3:31, he writes:

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." To establish the law means to uphold it, to confirm its authority and purpose. Paul is saying that faith does not erase the law, it affirms it. The believer who comes to faith does not walk away from Yah's commandments. Instead, they now pursue those commandments from a heart cleansed by mercy. Establishing the law means recognizing its value, its holiness, and its role as the revealed will of Yah for how we are to live. It means we do not treat it as obsolete, but as the path we now walk willingly, with Yahusha interceding when we fall short.

This is the balance, faith in Yahusha brings forgiveness and clears our guilt. But that same faith leads us to walk in obedience, not rebellion. The law still stands as Yah’s righteous instruction. We do not abandon Yah’s commands. We honor them as the revealed will of our Father.

Obedience Follows Mercy, Not The Other Way Around

Using the law lawfully means we don't seek to earn mercy by obedience. Instead, we obey because we have received mercy. Yahusha paid the price to cover our failures, but He did not free us to ignore the commandments. He freed us to follow them with a clean heart.

Titus 2:11-12 explains what grace teaches:

"The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly."

Grace does not say “do whatever you want.” Grace says, “Now live righteously.”

This is the lawful use of the law:

  • As a mirror that shows us our sin.

  • As a light that shows us the path.

  • As a standard that reflects the holiness of Yah.

But never as a means to boast or earn salvation.

Yahusha And The Law Work Together, Not In Opposition

To use the law lawfully is to recognize that it points us to Messiah. It shows us our need for a Savior, and it continues to instruct us after we are saved. It is not a relic of the past. It is the blueprint for righteous living.

Yahusha said:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." - Matthew 5:17

He didn’t cancel the law. He filled it with meaning. He lived it perfectly. And He now writes it on our hearts so that we walk in it with sincerity, not self-righteousness.

Hebrews 10:16:

"I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."

If the law is written on our hearts, it cannot be obsolete as Christianity like to say.

Conclusion: Lawful Use Preserves The Balance

Paul didn’t contradict Yahusha. He upheld the same truth. The law cannot save you, but it can show you what pleases Yahuah. Yahusha saves you, but He does not excuse rebellion. Grace and law are not enemies. They work together.

The lawful use of the law means:

  • We do not ignore it.

  • We do not idolize it.

  • We do not use it to boast.

  • We use it to walk humbly, seeking righteousness while trusting in Yahusha for forgiveness.

The true believer doesn't throw away the law. They walk in it, upheld by mercy, and empowered by faith.

“The law is good, if a man use it lawfully.” - 1 Timothy 1:8


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