I have made so many mistakes in my life. I am so aware of my sin and my failings. I am a sinner. I have often felt like the Apostle Paul as the foremost of sinners. We live in a world that wants to minimize sin and in many
cases redefines sin as freedom. It may not be acceptable to speak of sin (mine or someone else’s), but denying sin is both foolish and dangerous. It is foolish because we all are very acquainted with our sin. Our sin manifests itself in guilt, shame and regret. It is foolish to ignore what we know by our inner thoughts. It is dangerous, because sin has consequences. The consequences of sin may be painful and temporary in this life, but there are greater consequences for our sin after death. It is dangerous to ignore the justice that we desire to see in our corrupt world. We see sin in our world and we know that it should be punished. We see sin in our heart and we know that sin should be punished. We cannot escape the reality of sin…unless we hear God’s gracious call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel says that our sin deserves to be punished with a brutal death, but that One came to bear that punishment on our behalf. 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Paul does not ignore his sin, but he turns to the One who can save him from it. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He came into the world to save me. God does not ignore my sin, but came to save me from it. We all have sinned, but there is only one way to deal with sin. One has to pay the penalty for it. You can pay for it or you can believe in the trustworthy saying deserving of full acceptance that Jesus Christ came to pay for it for you.
The beauty displayed in the gospel is that it does far more than just save us from something, but saves us to something. Jesus Christ calls sinners to himself, and then he uses those sinners on His mission to save others. After Paul calls himself the foremost of sinners, he writes in the next sentence, 1 Timothy 1:16, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” God saved Paul to use him to display the beauty of the gospel to other sinners. God called Paul, a sinner, to serve Him on His mission. The Lord calls sinners to mission. The Lord is calling you.
The Lord Jesus came to wash away your sin as you answer His call, and I pray that after hearing God’s gracious call you will then serve Him on His mission to display the beauty of the gospel to other sinners. The Lord calls sinners and the Lord uses sinners. Praise God!!
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