A letter from Anthony...
“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
The good news of Jesus is good news because it is the message of
underserved forgiveness being abundantly poured out on people who do not
deserve it; people who, despite receiving this forgiveness, continue to fall
into temptation and who continue to fall short of the glory of God.
Paul was someone who, as a Pharisee, had persecuted believers in Christ
and who had even watched on in approval as Stephen was stoned to death (Acts
6). And while that might have been a
part of what Paul was saying, I don’t think that he is only speaking of his
life before his conversion. The reason I
say this is that Paul says in Romans 14:7 that “I do not understand what I
do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
In Romans 14:7 Paul is acknowledging that even though he knew what God
would want him to do in many circumstances, he still faced the same ongoing
battle with sin that we all face. Or in
other words, Paul called himself the “worst of sinners” because Paul knew his
own heart better than he could ever know anyone else’s.
Romans 3:23-24 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus.”
The battle that Paul acknowledges in his own walk with the Lord, is one
that anyone who trusts in Jesus will face.
But the good news of Jesus is that even though we often stumble and fall
short of God’s standards for us as human beings, His mercy is greater than our
rebellion.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; not people who have it all together, not people who are mostly good but need a little bit of help. Christ Jesus came into the world to show mercy to sinners, taking our guilt and shame upon Himself, and willingly laying down His life in our place.
And Christ Jesus has displayed His infinite mercy and unlimited patience
on Paul, and on each of us, as examples for those who are still yet to believe
in Jesus and receive eternal life. So
that everyone can see that salvation is not earned by us (as we are clearly
still all sinners), but a gift that we receive from the One who came into the
world to save sinners like us.
This week may we rejoice in the good news that there is forgiveness to be found in Jesus for even the worst of sinners. May we resist the temptation to beat ourselves up for our failures, and instead rejoice in the underserved mercies of Christ.
In Christ, Anthony
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