Paul speaks today of the mercy of the Lord---the mercy that saved him when he was at his worst.
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service." (1 Timothy 1:12) Paul is thankful to have been called to be a minister for the Lord Jesus. He knows who he used to be. We could all say the same thing, for we used to be a lot of things before we came to Christ, and now that we are in Christ we are called to share the gospel with others. What a high calling this is! What a privilege and honor! As the popular song "He Knows My Name" goes, when the Lord called us to work for Him, He "made something out of nothing".
Paul knows he was "nothing" before he came to Christ. "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 1:13-14) I think that Bible scholar William Barclay describes this passage beautifully by saying, "It was to Paul an amazing thing, that he, the arch-persecutor, had been chosen as the missionary of Christ. It was not only that Jesus Christ had forgiven him; it was that Christ trusted him. Sometimes we forgive a man who has committed some mistake or been guilty of some sin, but we make it very clear that his past makes it impossible for us to trust him again with any responsibility." Jesus didn't save Paul and say, "Your past disqualifies you to do anything for My kingdom." Instead He said, "Your past has been atoned for by My blood. You are a new man. You are getting a fresh start."
One trick the devil likes to use on us is convincing us that we are disqualified by our past. But on the contrary, Paul once said that people's knowledge of his past and the proof of his dramatic transformation caused them to give glory to the Lord. (Galatians 1:23-24) Rather than disqualifying us for the Lord's service, our past and our dramatic transformation often prove to others that the power of Christ is real.
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst." (1 Timothy 1:15) Was Paul the worst sinner who ever lived? He feels like he was. He was responsible for the beating, imprisonment, and even death of some of the early Christians. He tried (and probably succeeded sometimes) to get people to deny Christ or to stop speaking His name. Paul had some pretty serious charges against him and he admits he was guilty of them. He had no excuse for them. But he names his sins so that we would understand this: None of us is so wicked that Christ can't save us. Christ's purpose in coming into the world was to save sinners. We are sinners and therefore He came for us---for all of us who will accept Him.
Since Christ's purpose in coming into the world was to save sinners, that's exactly what He did. "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:16) Paul assures us, "It's not possible for you to have sinned so much that you can't be saved. If that were true, I wouldn't be saved."
Because Christ loved us so much that He was willing to die for us, and because He succeeded in His purpose on the earth, Paul gives Him thanks. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)
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