Context No. 2421 of 4322 · 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1:8-20: in context

8But we know that the law is good if a person uses it lawfully, 9as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, 11according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 12I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service, 13although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, 20of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

Paul tells Timothy his own story as a case in point of grace. He had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent man, and yet he received mercy, and Christ counted him faithful and put him into service. Then the line he wants remembered: this saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Paul does not dress up his past to make the grace look smaller; he names it and calls himself the chief of sinners. But he does not stop at self-reproach. He sees a purpose in it: that in him, the chief of sinners, Christ might display his full patience as an example for everyone who would later believe. His ruined record became the demonstration piece of how far mercy reaches. The point is not that Paul was uniquely bad, but that no one's past puts them past the reach of Christ.

Do I treat my worst chapters as disqualifying, or as exactly the ground where Christ shows how far his patience reaches?

Sources

1 Timothy 1:15: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
1 Timothy 1:16: for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example.
1 Timothy 1:13: although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.