The Necessity of Sackcloth

1 Timothy 1:8-11, "⁸But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
⁹realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers

¹⁰and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

¹¹according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."

In Ephesus, there were those who were wrongly using God's law to place a legalistic works righteous system on the brethren. Paul says that that is not the proper use of the Law. He then expounds on the true use of the Law and Paul never cushioned truth. He saw humanity for exactly what it was and was not afraid to proclaim the truth. If we think about it, the question becomes why? Reading of his trials and tribulations, one would think that he would have ample reason to cushion the truth. After all, at any moment a Jew with zeal lacking knowledge could have snuck up behind him and stabbed him or dragged him to the local synagogue for some more lashes. Yet never once did Paul waver in his commitment to preach the truth no matter the cost. So then, why? God's sovereignty in His life circumstances and in the salvation of His elect.

The lack of belief in the sovereignty of God in salvation has led to a mushy Gospel in so many "allegedly" Christian churches. In all honesty, how often will people hear their pastor preach a sermon as inflammatory as what Paul wrote above? Every Sunday there are countless churches seeking to do the very opposite of what the Apostles did by trying to make God's truth palatable to the unsaved yet never do they realize that if they succeed it will no longer be the gospel of Jesus Christ. The whole week is spent devising and strategizing how to make the service spectacular and entertaining. They never seem to realize that church is not about entertainment, Jesus is not a product to be sold, and the aim of our efforts is not to make something spectacular but rather to worship Someone spectacular! God’s people do not need bells and whistles (not that bells and whistles are inherently sinful), they need His Word explained to them rightly for the Spirit to apply.

One final thought. The group in the passage above is not some chief class of sinners; it is representative of the whole of humanity. That is me, that is you, that is the Pygmy, that is everyone and outside of a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit we will all reject it. How could calling someone “lawless”, “rebellious”, “ungodly” and a “sinner” be “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God”? It is glorious because in realizing who and what we are, the righteousness offered by Jesus Christ becomes desirable to God’s elect. Without the sackcloth of the Law however, the silk of the Gospel is nothing more than bland polyester.