worth or pretence or self-righteousness. He reasons here that, if he were to reverse the direction of his ministry, he would be a transgressor of the law. He would be transgressing the purpose of the law, because God had given no law or system of law-keeping that could save from sin. The problem, of course, is not with the law; it is with the heart of the sinner. The law was given because of transgression (1 Tim. 1:8–10). We continue to need the law as Christians, because we each have within us the