11 November 2007
 
God's Forgiveness
Brian R. Kenyon
One of the greatest aspects of Paul's life was the fact that he, "chief of sinners," received forgiveness of sins and apostleship from Jesus Christ. In First Timothy 1:12-16, Paul briefly departs from his warning about false teachers and bursts into thankfulness for God's mercy. In this statement of thanksgiving, we learn five truths concerning God's forgiveness and what it does.
Prompts Thankfulness
Those who receive God's forgiveness cannot help but to be thankful. Paul said, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Tim. 1:12). The words "hath enabled ... counted ... putting" are participles in the aorist tense, which points to a specific time in the past. This specific time must go back to Jesus' appearance to Paul on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:15-16). Although Paul was called to apostleship while on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:15-16; 22:14; 26:16-18), he was not saved until he obeyed the Gospel in Damascus as taught by Ananias (Acts 9:6; 22:10, 16; 26:19). The three specific things for which Paul is thankful are: (1) that God strengthened him ("hath enabled" cf. Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:17); (2) that Jesus Christ "counted" him "faithful" (cf. 1 Tim. 1:11); and (3) that Jesus Christ put him "into the ministry," which shows that Paul was not a self-appointed apostle. If we have obeyed the Gospel, we have forgiveness of sins and a new purpose in life. Let us be thankful!
Reaches Even The Worst Sinners
Before his being forgiven, Paul was "a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious" (1 Tim. 1:13a). Paul was a "blasphemer" not only by speaking against Christ and His church, but also by forcing others to do the same (cf. Acts 26:11). Paul as a "persecutor" is well documented (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11 cf. Gal. 1:13). The word "injurious [an insolent man, NKJ]" means that Paul at one time not only opposed Christianity, but did so violently! "But," said Paul, "I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13b). Obtaining mercy comes from obeying God (Rom. 11:30-31; 2 Cor. 4:1).
By stating that "I did it ignorantly in unbelief," Paul was not saying that he was without guilt (cf. Ezk. 18:4; Rom. 6:23). Rather, he mentions this as the reason why he became the object of God's mercy rather than the object of His wrath. It was a matter of sinning in ignorance as opposed to "presumptuous sin" (Num. 15:23-31 cf. Heb. 10:26). Paul acted in "all good conscience" while he sinned against Christ (Acts 23:1; 2 Tim. 1:3). Although he was lost because of sin, Paul at least thought he was serving God. Paul's view of Christ changed while on the Damascus Road, which ultimately led to his obedience to the Gospel. Had Paul been in presumptuous sin while persecuting the church, he would never have found it within himself to repent. How can anyone have "godly sorrow" while at the same time willfully resisting God (2 Cor. 7:8-11)?
Manifests "Super-Abundant" Grace
God's forgiveness is a manifestation of His "super-abundant" grace. Paul said that "the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 1:14). There are two parts of this aspect of salvation. First, "grace" is God's part and refers to the undeserved favor God bestows on sinful humanity. "Was exceeding abundant [abounded exceedingly, ASV; more than abundant, NAS]" is from a root word that means to overflow, or to be present beyond measure, to which is added a prefix (hyper-), which means over and above. Thus, the word literally means to "increase to overflowing," carrying the idea of grace that knows no limitations. As long as one repents and obeys the Gospel, there is no sinner that God's grace cannot reach! Second, "faith and love" are our part. Faith is the appropriate response to grace (cf. Rom. 3:23-25; Eph. 2:8-10). Faith here is not merely believing a few facts about Jesus, but it is believing Him enough to do what He says (cf. Lk. 6:46). Love shows itself in doing what God says (Jn. 14:15, 23 cf. Gal. 5:6).
Is The Reason Jesus Came Into The World
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [acceptance, NKJ], that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15). Saving sinners is what Jesus Himself said was the gist of His ministry upon this earth (Lk. 19:10; Jn. 12:46; 18:37). In this verse is taught both the incarnation of Christ ("Christ Jesus came into the world") and the salvation that Christ brought ("to save sinners"). God showed His willingness to forgive by giving "his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). God wants all people to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4-6). However, the sad reality is that most people will be lost (Mt. 7:13-14), not because God has failed His part (cf. Tit. 2:11), but because people fail to appropriate the blessings God offers through Christ by doing His will (cf. Mt. 7:21-23). Paul's claim of being "chief" sinner is a reflection of his sincere humility in the realization of the mercy he obtained in Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12-13). The fact that even a persecutor like Saul of Tarsus could be forgiven instilled in his heart an astounding humility. This same forgiveness is available to all today who, like Paul, repent of their sin and obey the Gospel (Mk. 16:16; Lk. 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38).
Exemplified In The Life Of Paul
The reason why Paul obtained mercy was so that "in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (1 Tim. 1:15). In other words, Paul was the example for centuries to follow of how powerful God's forgiveness is! Paul, who was the foremost of sinners, is now the foremost example of God's "longsuffering." Paul is, as it were, an exhibit showcasing the longsuffering of God in the forgiveness of sins! "Pattern [example, NAS]" is from a word that means a model, or a sketch (2 Tim. 1:13). God's "longsuffering" is His willingness to forebear the sins of people (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18). This willingness has been clearly seen through the sending of His Son to save even the worst of sinners! If God can forgive Paul, He can forgive us if we will let Him!