Click here for the 1 Timothy 1:12-17 PODCAST
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 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. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 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. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Timothy 1:12-17
In our text today, the Apostle Paul brings attention to the designation "Christ Jesus." The order is a reflection of the Apostle's
conversion experience. It was the exalted Christ that he met on the Damascus Road. Christ is, in the New Testament, used 531 times more than any
other title to describe the Lord Jesus. Christ comes from the Greek word χριστός (chrīstós), meaning "anointed one of God."
In v.12-13 we read, "12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 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."
In these two verses, the Apostle reminds us of Christianity's bottom line. We once were the enemies of God but now we are on God's team through Christ Jesus our Lord. The cause for our former enemy status was our ignorance and unbelief. We were clueless to the goodness of God and the deceitfulness of the enemy. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance from our way to His.
In Romans 2:4 we read, "You surely don't think much of God's wonderful goodness or of his
patience and willingness to put up with you. Don't you know that the
reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?"
After the Apostle came into a personal relationship with the Lord, he was given strength, he was considered trustworthy, and was appointed into His service. The same has happened to all who have believed, including you and me. The gulf that once was there between us and God has been bridged by the mercy of God. And, we now have a personal relationship with Him which, if we act on, will soar into a deeper intimacy with Him. And, as this happens, we begin to increasingly experience His heart for others, especially the lost.
Of the mercy of God, Thomas Merton once wrote, "But the man who is not afraid to admit everything that he sees to be
wrong with himself, and yet recognizes that he may be the object of
God's love precisely because of his shortcomings, can begin to be
sincere. His sincerity is based on confidence, not in his own illusions
about himself, but in the endless, unfailing mercy of God."
Mercy has to do with misery. Grace has to do with guilt. Grace takes away the guilt, whereas mercy takes away the misery that accompanies the guilt. The undeserved relief of misery that comes with saving grace came to the Apostle Paul, as it has to all who have ever believed and will ever believe.
In v.14 we read, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
And now, the Apostle introduces the grace of God. Whereas the grace of God pardons us of sin, the mercy of God gives us His calling on our lives. Grace will always be greater than sin, but if we do not access God's grace through His Son, we will remain judged by our sin. And, we can not access God's grace through none other than the Lord Jesus. Notice that we not only receive grace but along with it comes faith and love. When grace comes, with it comes faith and love. This means when God saved us, He granted us the grace to trust Him. Even our faith in Him is a gift.
In v.15 we read, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst."
If the Lord Jesus can save the worst of sinners like Saul of Tarsus who was intercepted by the Lord Himself while he was on the road to Damascus to round up Christians to be jailed for believing in the Lord Jesus, He can save any sinner. No one is beyond His reach.
In v.16 we read, “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.”
We are all displays of God's great mercy once we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. The ultimate purpose of our salvation is to glorify
God, to demonstrate His power and His long-suffering in our lives. Even those false teachers that were creating such havoc in Ephesus were not beyond the reach of God's mercy and grace. Those who believe that some are beyond the Lord's reach do not understand His vast mercy and grace.
In v.17 we read, "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Once we have seen the Lord for ourselves, we will unmistakably speak of Him in an accurate and believable way. This is the ultimate response to God's grace. Once we became Christian and saw Him with our hearts, we possessed a thankful heart toward Him. Gratitude is the first breath that comes out of a saved soul. Gratitude turns what we have into enough and that enough will always be Him.
