1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. I. THIS PATTERN CONVERT HAD BEEN THE CHIEF OF SINNERS. 1. He had displayed invincible zeal in opposing the gospel. He believed in the Jewish religion, and he hated and persecuted the cause of Christ. He executed his mission in right earnest. He ever felt that no arm but the Almighty arm could have reached and delivered him from this terrible depth of ruin. 2. He had been an excessively proud man. Saul of Tarsus possessed a haughty spirit. His unconquerable love to the law arose from the pride and arrogance of his unregenerate heart. 3. His mental power, too, aided him in his work. He was a scholar of no ordinary character, blended with natural energy and grasp of intellect. II. THE SALVATION OF THIS PATTERN CONVERT ILLUSTRATES THE MEDIATORIAL STRENGTH OF CHRIST. The chief of sinners has been saved. 1. The salvation of Paul is an evidence of the sufficiency of the atonement. 2. The salvation of Paul is a proof of the efficacy of victorious grace. 3. The salvation of Paul proves the worth of intercession. Who first arrested the man on his way to Damascus? Christ — He pleaded with the persecutor and conquered him by love. 4. The salvation of Paul exhibits Divine patience. "That in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering " — patience. III. THIS PATTERN CONVERT PROCLAIMS THE SAVIOUR IN THE GOSPEL AS WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION. Why? 1. Because He is the revelation of the highest intelligence to man's reason. He is the manifold wisdom of God — "God manifest in the flesh." Reason could trace out the handiwork of God in every star that glitters in the heavens, but in Christ it sees God in human form. No such revelation of God was ever made before the incarnation as the one which we possess. Sir Isaac Newton revealed the great law that binds atom to atom, and all to its mighty centre; and angels have made glorious revelations; but in Christ we see God interested in, and saving His enemies. 2. He is the only antidote for sin. 3. He alone reveals the hope of immortality. Christ meets the highest aspirations of our nature by His resurrection and ascension; He has drawn aside the veil of futurity and "opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers." 4. This revelation is based in truth. Other books contain pretended revelations, but they have no foundation in truth. The Koran, to wit: the gospel however is "a faithful," a true "saying." Prophecy, miracle and history, as well as its own almighty efficacy, prove that it is true. (J. H. Hill.) Parallel Verses KJV: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. |
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