First Timothy, part 1
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves
full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am
the worst. But for that very reason I
was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display
his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and
receive eternal life." (1 Timothy
1:15-16, NIV)
The
Apostle Paul wrote three very important letters near the end of life: His two letters to Timothy and his letter to
Titus. These letters are important
because in them Paul passes on some final instructions to his two young
protégés concerning such things as: The
proper order of worship; the importance of qualified church leadership;
teaching sound doctrine; how to handle false teachers; important ministerial
functions within the church; propriety within the church; the church's place in
the world; etc.
In
Paul's first letter to Timothy, he opens with a standard greeting and them
tells Timothy why he's writing this letter.
Within this greeting, Paul launches into a thanksgiving to God for what
He has done in his life. He opens this
thanksgiving in verse 12: "I
thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me
faithful, appointing me to his service." Paul was always in awe that God chose him to
preach the gospel to the Gentile world.
Why? Because Paul was acutely
aware of how unworthy he was. Now don't
get me wrong, Paul didn't suffer from what psychiatrists nowadays would
classify as low self-esteem. If
anything, Paul had a healthy understanding of himself in relation to God.
What
was that understanding of himself that Paul had? Well, before we get to that, we need to see
what Paul thought of himself before his conversion experience. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says, "If
anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal,
persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless"
(Philippians 3:4-6). The pre-conversion
Paul took great pride in his national heritage and his religious
affiliation. The key word to take from
this passage is "Pharisee."
Paul was a Pharisee, and they were the most self-righteous people around
at the time; Paul had very high self-esteem.
That
all changed when Paul met Jesus on the road to
Paul
saw his life as an example for other sinners to take comfort in. For that very reason I was shown mercy
so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited
patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal
life. He reasoned that if Jesus
Christ could extend patience and mercy to him--the worst of sinners--then other
"lesser" sinners would also be able to receive Christ's mercy and
patience. This is a tremendous
truth! If God could forgive and extend
mercy to a man who spent his life pursuing, persecuting, and executing
Christians, then God can forgive anyone.
Praise God!