1 TIMOTHY 1

 TEXT TO REFLECT

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 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. 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. 

1 TIMOTHY 1:12-16

REFLECT

One would have thought that someone like Paul would be impossible to change. Paul described himself as the foremost of sinners, the worst of all sinners. And indeed he was. Unlike common ‘criminals’ who often knew that they were wrong but sinned nonetheless, Paul honestly believed he was right. Worse than that, he believed that he was better and holier and more in line with God’s decrees than anyone else. Now how does such a person repent when he does not even see the need to repent? Everyone else needs to repent. And to him, he was simply pursuing Christians to force them to repent, and perhaps to be more like him. In fact, this was how he described his former views of himself: “if anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Philippians 3:4-6. Paul saw himself as blameless under the law. He had reached perfection as far as keeping the law was concerned. He even saw his persecution of Christians as zeal for God’s honour, rather than as murder. In his eyes then, Paul was a good man doing what God wanted. He felt neither guilt nor shame for what he was doing. 

There is a kind of blindness among us that prevents us from seeing how wrong we can be, while giving the delusion that we are doing all for God. But even for one like Paul, God had mercy. In Paul’s words, “the grace of our Lord overflowed for me”. What a phrase: God’s grace overflowing. It was a grace not simply to forgive Paul, but to transform his monstrous zeal to love. And God did this to Paul to show every sinner and every long-suffering person who lives with a sinner who is unaware of his sinfulness, that God’s grace may overflow to them as well, transforming them from monsters into loving persons.

RELATE

Paul’s story of God’s grace resonates with all of us. First, we are largely blind to our own sinfulness. We see others’ sins very well; in fact their sins are often magnified in our eyes. But we minimise or diminish our sinfulness. An offence done against us is often seen as a huge matter; an offence done by us against another is either treated as a non-sin or at worst a minor misdemenour. It is hard for such a person to repent; because we do not see the gravity of our sin. And we are such persons. We need the grace of God to overflow to us, not first to forgive us, but to cause us to see our sinfulness. According to Paul, God never stopped loving him. In fact, God poured His love upon Paul to cause him to see that he was the foremost of sinners, and then to transform his heart. I pray that God may pour out His love upon us as well, first to cause us to realize that we too are deep in sinfulness, and then to transform us.

But secondly, Paul’s story also give us hope for those who persecute us and bring us much grief. Paul was a terror to the Christians, hunting them down, dragging them to trials, and celebrating their deaths. There seemed to be no way of escaping from Paul’s grip. But God did the unthinkable: rather than taking Paul’s life and thus giving relief to the Christians, God transformed Paul into a servant of God, a servant more humble than any. Paul’s story gives hope to all who suffer under the tyranny of others. It is good that we wait silently and humbly for God to deliver us, in His own time and His own way.

REST

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by John Newton adapted by Chris Tomlin

Chiu Ming Li