“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1 Timothy 1:15). The apostle Paul, the stalwart of the proclamation of the Gospel to the early church, the author of the majority of the New Testament, the powerful example of what service to God really means, this great man called himself “the chief of sinners.” Even though he could say that he had lived in good conscience all of his life (Acts 23:1), Paul recognized that his own ignorant zeal led him to act contrary to the will of God, though he believed he was doing right. His actions not only caused many Christian men and women to suffer persecution, but actually caused the death of many Christians.
We Need to Understand
that We Are Sinners
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Further, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 NKJV). My recognition of my own sinfulness is important. It leads me to understand the fact that I need God. It leads me to the desire to overcome sin in my life and to leave it behind. If I truly understand that I am a sinner, it will make me humble. It will also cause me to look at other sinners in a different light – not a haughty condescending one, but rather in a caring, truly concerned manner.
We Need to Understand
that Jesus Came to Save Sinners
“…[F]or the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus expressed to Zacchaeus that He had come for this purpose. Inherent in that statement is the fact that Zacchaeus was lost. Denying that people are lost won’t save them. We must seek the lost like Jesus did (Matthew 28:19-20). We must present the Gospel message. That message inherently infers that humanity is lost and needs the salvation offered by Jesus.
We Need to Understand
the Two Classes of Sinners
On the one hand are those who are living in the throes of sin, with its full burden upon them (Hebrews 12:1-2). They are without God and without hope (Ephesians 2:12). On the other hand, there are those sinners who have made an active decision to not let sin rule in their lives, and to be washed in the blood that can wash their sins away, and that will continue to do so as long as they walk in the light of faithful service to God (1 John 1:7).
We Need to Understand
that Jesus Can Forgive Us
Jesus can forgive us for the sins in our lives, no matter how big they may seem. There is one stipulation. Jesus states that stipulation to the adulterous woman: “She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). We must repent of sin and turn from it (Acts 3:19). Then, we must maintain a penitent attitude while striving to keep sin out of our lives. With that understood, we know that anything we may have done, any sin that might possess us, no matter how big, if we will give the practice up, Christ can forgive us.
Thanks be to God that Jesus can forgive “the chief of sinners,” and He can forgive me, too.
