12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I Timothy 1:12-17 concerns the call of Paul. In most of the letters of Paul at this time, we would find thanksgiving. In I Timothy, after the salutation, the epistle moves immediately into a discussion about combating false teachers (vv. 3-7) and then into an exploration of the proper function of the law (vv. 8-11).
In I Timothy 1:12-16, we finally get a delayed thanksgiving section. The thanks given here, however, are not for God's work through the churches or for Christ's redemptive work in the world. The gratitude voiced here is a much more personal expression of thanksgiving. Here, Paul gives thanks for his own experience of divine forgiveness and the miracle of Christ's saving work in the apostle's formerly sin-filled life. Paul holds up his own life as a prime example of the excellence of God's grace and the enormity of God's forgiveness. I will highlight the family of Greek words related to faith. While the translation in the NRSV conceals the linguistic relationship here, the Greek vocabulary serves to hold this section together through the repeated use of related words. Indeed, it is the faith of and in Christ that is the point of this section. 12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord (the focus of this thanksgiving), who has strengthened me. The word is rare in the Pauline corpus, but where it does appear (Romans 4:20; Ephesians 6:10; Philippians 4:13; cf. II Timothy 2:1; 4:17), it is always clear that the party responsible for the strengthening that is described is not the human recipient but the divine agent. Paul is grateful because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, showing Christ entrusted him with the greatest service of all, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer (βλάσφημον[1]), a persecutor, and a man of violence (ὑβριστήν[2]). To demonstrate just how radical his change, just how great God's gift of grace, Paul uses harsh language to describe his former life, his former self. Paul sets himself significantly apart from others who are disobedient before God. Together, these terms make Paul appear marvelously awful -- which makes Christ's mercy appear magnificently wonderful. The thing that stands out in this passage is Paul’s insistence upon remembering his own sin. He heaps up a very climax of words to show what he did to Christ and the Church. He was an insulter of the Church; he had flung hot and angry words at the Christians, accusing them of crimes against God. He was a persecutor; he had taken every means open to him under the Jewish law to annihilate the Christian Church. Then comes a terrible word. He had been a man of insolent and brutal violence. It indicates a kind of arrogant sadism; it describes the man who is out to inflict pain for the sheer joy of inflicting it. The corresponding abstract noun is hubris, which Aristotle defines as hurting people in a way that shame comes to them and you receive delight in your cruelty and in the suffering of another person.[3] That is what Paul was once like in regard to the Christian Church. Not content with words of insult, he went to the limit of legal persecution. Not content with legal persecution, he went to the limit of sadistic brutality in his attempt to stamp out the Christian faith. He remembered that; and to the end of the day, he regarded himself as the chief of sinners. It is not that he was the chief of sinners; he still is.[4] But I received mercy (referred to in verse 16 as well) because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. In 1:20, Paul refers to the false teachers as blasphemers, linking their behavior to the pre-conversion ignorance and unbelief of Paul. While Paul vilifies these false teachers and their insidious, disruptive influences, they, too, may encounter the saving mercy of Christ's grace, and experience transformation. Yet, we can note a significant distinction between Paul's spectacular sinfulness and that which the false teachers now display. As one who was "ignorant," Paul was outside the community when he persecuted Christians. False teachers cannot claim such ignorance as a defense. They are already members of the faith community. 14 Further, the grace of our Lord overflowed (or was super-abundant) for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Christ, the focus of this thanksgiving, has filled Paul with faith and love. Such faith and love are an inexhaustible reservoir, sufficient for any sinner. Faith and love are the fruits of justification, not its condition. This repetition of words related to faith serves the purpose of highlighting the paradox between Paul’s own faithlessness (v. 13) and the faith of Christ (v. 14) which nonetheless reckons him as faithful for service (v. 12). 15 The saying is sure (faithful, trustworthy, emphasizing trust rather than belief) and worthy of full acceptance, encapsulating the entire gospel message in one sentence, that Christ Jesus came into the world (affirming the pre-existent, eternal nature of the Son) to save sinners (affirming the whole reason for the Incarnation is to redeem fallen, broken humanity). Christ is the heart of this “sure” saying. We have here the first of five "sure" sayings in the Pastoral Epistles (see I Timothy 3:1; 4:9; II Timothy 2:11a; Titus 3:8a). The author uses these "sure" sayings as verbal flags, marking a solemn emphasis on important sayings, especially those about salvation. (What topic could be more important?) Paul stresses the extent of the ability of Christ to save sinners by acknowledging that among sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Paul celebrates his own experience of divine mercy and patience not only for his own sake, but because this makes him a perfect example to others of the depth and breadth of saving ability of Christ. If God erased even Paul's great sinfulness, who could be beyond the pale of the grace of God? His thankfulness is for the sacrifice of Christ that has taken away his sins. His argument is a classic example of the qal wahomer technique of arguing seen in later rabbinic literature. This approach argues from the point of lesser importance to that of greater importance. In this case, then, the argument proceeds from the position that if even Paul, the self-proclaimed foremost among sinners, can be saved in Christ, how much more so can others who are about to believe also experience salvation? 16 But for that very reason I received mercy (referred to in verse 13 as well), so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example[5] to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. Christ extends mercy and patience to Paul. Thus, Paul focuses his entire thanksgiving in verses 12-16 on Christ. In addition, because Christ’s faith and love overflow with grace (v. 14), Paul expects that others will come to have faith, perhaps in the same way that he has experienced.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. This text closes by pulling the narrow beam of this Christ-centered focus back a bit. As asserted in verse 11, the whole plan of salvation, the wonder of the gospel, comes from "the blessed God." Verse 17, then, is a formal doxology, giving praise to God, the ultimate source of salvation. It asserts God's supremacy over all earthly rules. "Immortal" and "invisible" are from Greek terms, while "king" and "the only God" are thoroughly Jewish. Undoubtedly, this verse represents a liturgical fragment combining traditional images and elements from both Jewish and Christian writings. However, if referring to God as king, immortal, invisible and singular is neither new nor startling, there is no denying that this text manages to confess these assertions with uniquely poetic grace and grandeur. Little wonder that verse 17 is among the most repeated benedictions in word and song still uttered today.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.[6]
Paul says God has “appointed” him to the service of God (v. 12). Paul has a job, yes, but more than that. He has a vocation, a calling.
First, how important is the resume in our calling? 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. – I Timothy 1:13 We might want to spend some time interviewing Paul to see how he managed to get his job as preacher and apostle. After all, this "job" allows Paul to write letters, to travel -- by boat, on a donkey, in an ox-cart or on foot -- to places all over the world, including major cities and the seat of the Roman Empire! He gets to speak to thousands of people, and, as the spokesperson for a new movement, he is able to establish adherents wherever he goes, speaking to the poor as well as the rich, to the humble as well as the proud, and to servants as well as to kings. He visits homes, synagogues, and palaces. Of course, he also received beatings and spent some time in jail -- on numerous occasions! Through it all, God has judged him as faithful as he tells people of the good news, namely, that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (v. 15).
Yet, consider the unsavory past when people knew him as Saul. Paul did receive this calling because he was such a faithful and pious person. In fact, Paul was the last person in the world you would predict would have a career that would mean leaving his Jewish faith. No one would have foretold that Paul, or Saul as people knew him back in the day, would embrace Jesus of Nazareth, crucified by Gentile and Jewish judges and raised from the dead by God. Let us put this way. Before his conversion and calling as an apostle, Saul was no candidate for "Christian Employee of the Year." If Saul were among many applicants for the job of being an "example to those who would come to believe in [Jesus] for eternal life" (v. 16), he would be least likely to get the job. He frankly admits as much: I was a "blasphemer, a persecutor and a man of violence" (v. 13). The person was a "man of violence." Who in their right mind is going to hire him?
If we were to step back, Saul is one of those of whom we might say, “He has talent, but…” A quick glance at Saul's résumé tells us all that we need to know. He clearly demonstrates leadership abilities. Shortly after Christ's death and resurrection, he was able to galvanize supporters who would help him with activities such as the murder of Christians, the torture of disciples and the slaughter of innocents. He was even willing to be a "hands-on" manager -- if he could not find someone else to carry out the job of making the lives of Christians miserable, he was more than happy to roll up his sleeves and get it done himself. He was a hard worker who was not shy about sharing his convictions. He was brilliant at follow-through; his rampage against Christians went from village to village. He believed in the adage, "Any job worth doing is worth doing well." Saul may not have been much of a public speaker, but he allowed his other talents to prove his worth. He was confident that his reputation would speak for him. People trembled at the mention of his name. His goal was to destroy the hopes and dreams of early Christians, and he did his job well. If Saul had gotten a job interview and someone asked him to describe himself in a few words, he would have confidently said, "I am your worst nightmare. I am a man of violence."
Sometimes as we read the Bible, we forget that Paul, before he became an apostle, was a terrorist. By his own admission and with the approval of the religious and political authorities of the day, Paul actively and systematically worked to kill and destroy a minority faith other than his own. This state-sponsored terrorism led him to organize and oversee murder (Acts 7:54-60; 8:1; 26:10); to destroy places of worship (Acts 8:3); to hunt down and imprison men and women (Acts 8:3; 22:4); and to force renunciations (Acts 26:11). Today's Christians call this "religious persecution" .... Why did Paul do it? The early life of Paul is a reminder of all the violence done in the name of deity. Granted, political ideology has led to the enslavement and death of millions. We must not forget that. However, human beings have committed much violence against each other in the name of deity. We only need to point to the bloody borders of Islam today to remind us that religion continues to inspire violence. Paul tells us that he was an "extremely zealous" and "advanced" student of religious law (Galatians 1:14). He possessed "legalistic righteousness" because he was "faultless" (Philippians 3:6) ....
So, when considering who to call to be a promoter of peace and reconciliation, an example of Christ's compassion and caring and a model of the gospel, Paul would not necessarily come to mind. If the personnel department of Christian evangelism were looking for a candidate to carry forth the message of grace and inclusion that defined Jesus' ministry, Paul's résumé would not make the cut. Yet -- here he is, preaching the gospel and somehow "judged ... faithful and appointed" to the service of Jesus Christ. When seeking a devoted disciple, God saw more in Paul than simply his past. God did not define Paul by his résumé and did not pass over him because he was a blasphemer, persecutor, and man of violence. His past was not his future. God, who can make all things new, opened the door to new life and invited Paul to enter in.
Thus, as Paul is a fine example of the depths of sin into which a human being might go, and therefore the extent of the grace and love of God to reach out to all of us, he is also an example that the grace of God seeks our transformation. The danger in saying this is that we can lapse into the notion of Christianity being nothing but a set of rules for us to follow. The danger is shifting our focus to a new form of legalism. Yet, the danger of not focusing upon the transforming power of the grace of God in our lives is that we will not do everything we can do, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, to become the witness for Christ in thought, word, and deed that we could become. As much as I find Karl Barth to be a powerful partner in the theological journey, I find him deficient here. His reasoning is that as Christians we must not forget that we remain sinners and unbelievers. He is right in this. A cursory examination of church history and our personal histories would have to admit this. In the evangelical and pietist traditions, the danger is claiming too much for the transforming grace of God that comes to us through the Spirit. However, we must not claim too little either. Paul is an example of one whose life underwent the change from being a man of violence to a man of reconciliation and peace. As preachers and teachers of the church, we need to continue to believe in the possibility of such transformation in our lives as well as in the lives of those to whom we witness.
Second, does our resume define us? 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. – I Timothy 1:14-15
What is grace? What is transformative grace, exactly? Someone asked Christian writer Philip Yancey to give a definition of grace, and he answered, “I don’t even try.” Nevertheless, he did tell a story. “I remember once getting stuck in Los Angeles traffic and arriving 58 minutes late at the Hertz rental desk. I walked up in kind of a bad mood, put the keys down and said, ‘How much do I owe?’ “The woman says, ‘Nothing. You’re all clear.’ “I said I was late and she smiled, ‘Yes, but there’s a one-hour grace period.’ “So I asked, ‘Oh really, what is grace?’ “And she said, ‘I don’t know … I guess what it means is that even though you’re supposed to pay, you don’t have to.’” That is a good definition of grace, is it not? “Even though you’re supposed to pay, you don’t have to.”
Paul was supposed to pay for being a blasphemer, but he did not have to. He was supposed to pay for being a persecutor, but he did not have to. He was supposed to pay for being a man of violence, but he did not have to. Instead, the grace of our Lord overflowed for him with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Paul received mercy and went on to become the number-one leader of the first-century church.
Chuck Colson was President Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man,” and he went to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. Nevertheless, after receiving the gift of grace, he went on to create a ministry called Prison Fellowship and to take the message of Jesus to prisoners around the world.
Dorothy Day was a journalist and activist with a tumultuous personal life. However, after receiving the gift of grace, she went on to help start the Catholic Worker movement, which included special homes to help people in need.
Frankly, if we were to receive justice, each of us would be in trouble.
Consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation; we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.[7]
Although we are supposed to pay for our sins, we do not have to, because of Jesus. God lets each of us off the hook, because Christ Jesus came into the world to save us.
We can experience a similar transformation, when we receive the grace of Jesus. Even though we are supposed to pay, we do not have to — Jesus pays the price for all of our sins. Even though we feel badly about ourselves, Jesus loves us so much that he wants to save us. Grace is not about us, but about God’s plan for the world.
So, what is our excuse? If God can transform a Saul to a Paul, if God can "appoint to his service" a mean-spirited, blaspheming man of violence like Saul -- what are we waiting for? Why do we think that God has not "appointed" us to serve? Paul confidently says that he is a follower of Jesus not because of his upstanding behavior in the past but because of God's mercy and grace. God understands that Paul "acted ignorantly in unbelief" (v. 13) but is now ready to receive God's forgiveness. Ironically, Paul's experience with sin and turning away from God makes him appreciate the gifts of God's mercy and kindness even more. Thus, the love of God is a mystery in that God loves the one mean to his or her dog just as much as God loves babies. God loves the mother who drowned her two sons as much as Desmond Tutu. Therefore, God loves you and God loves me.[8] Forgiveness and reconciliation are not about pretending human beings are not the way they are, patting each other on the back, and ignoring wrong. Rather, reconciliation exposes the awfulness, abuse, pain, and degradation. It exposes the truth about who we are.[9]
It seems as if the shameful past of Paul made him an ideal candidate for a future in forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption. Think about it -- who knows more about creating secure banks than a former bank robber? Whom would you turn to for advice about foiling con artists? The best thing to do may be to turn to a former con man. The FBI hired Frank Abagnale, the notorious criminal featured in the film, Catch Me If You Can, because of his great skill in impersonating others and ability to forge checks totaling in the millions. A person known primarily for his dishonesty becomes an invaluable asset in charge of tracking down crooks. Someone at the FBI was able to see beyond the obvious -- here is a criminal with a long record -- and envision something else. This former swindler is someone with experience that could benefit us. Here is a person who knows how to beat the system. One can put that knowledge -- however illegally obtained -- to good use.
It was like this Paul. He knows he has done some dreadful things for which he wants God's forgiveness. He knows what it means to "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). He has not led a life that has earned God's trust. He has not acted like a disciple. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. Yet God calls Paul. This is mercy -- to receive forgiveness not because of any human action but because God chooses to. This is grace -- God's seeing more in Paul than Paul can see in himself. Paul is in a unique position to talk about the value of God's forgiveness and mercy. He experiences these gifts himself and understands their value in a personal way. This is good news for any of us who would dismiss our chance to be a follower of Jesus, for the person who finds it easier to itemize faults rather than strengths, for those around us who appear to be hopeless cases, and for those who feel like giving up.
Our past does not have to dictate our future. Because of God's mercy, we are not victims of our résumés. We, like Paul, may have done stuff that is totally contrary to what God wants. God reminds us that our past does not have the final word. The past is prologue. God has a vocation for us. Christ has appointed us to serve the purpose of God in the world. Our “job” is to discover the nature of that vocation.
"To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever" (1:17). Who are you? You did not go as far as Paul did in becoming a terrorist. You might even think you are not such a bad person. You are not. However, if you are honest, you have sinned in thought, word, or deed. As Paul put it, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Jesus came, taught, lived, died and rose, only for one group of people - sinners. This is all of us. When will we get this straight? Christianity is not about a set of better rules to follow, a higher standard of righteousness. It is not about striving hard to have the right attitudes, proper behavior. Christianity is about God seeking you, finding you, and embracing you. Therefore, when transforming grace touches us and lifts us up toward the person God has appointed us to be, God is the one who receives honor and glory through the witness of our lives.
[1] Only in I Timothy does Paul describe himself this way.
[2] Only in I Timothy does Paul describes himself this way.
[3] “Hubris means to hurt and to grieve people, in such a way that shame comes to the man who is hurt and grieved, and that not that the person who inflicts the hurt and injury may gain anything else in addition to what he already possesses, but simply that he may find delight in his own cruelty and in the suffering of the other person.”
[4] —William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon (Westminster John Knox, 1975), 46.
[5] The line of argumentation in verse 15 raises a question concerning the understanding of verse 16. The NRSV’s translation “making me an example” departs from other translations (e.g. the NIV, ESV and NASB among others) by making the decision to identify Paul as the content of the example. The Greek, however, is more ambiguous and may be literally rendered “as an example.” The difference between this translation and that of the NRSV depends on what is viewed as the concept which the example illustrates. That is, by the NRSV’s translation, the focus is on Paul and Paul’s own experience of receiving mercy. By a more literal translation, the focus is rather on the action of Christ who makes use of Paul to demonstrate the depth of his patience and mercy. The autobiographical thrust of this passage could be evidence in favor of the former position, while the focus on God as the primary actor in this autobiography could be amassed as evidence for the latter. Either way, however, the story of Paul’s radical transformation which was due to the work of God is meant, as a whole, to serve as a prototype for similar conversions in others.
[6] Walter Chalmers Smith, 1876
[7] — William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act IV.1.196.
[8] The mystery of God's love as I understand it is that God loves the man who was being mean to his dog just as much as he loves babies; God loves Susan Smith, who drowned her two sons, as much as he loves Desmond Tutu. And he loved her just as much when she was releasing the handbrake of her car that sent her boys into the river as he did when she first nursed them. So of course, he loves old ordinary me, even or especially at my most scared and petty and mean and obsessive. Loves me; chooses me. --Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (Anchor, 2000), 255.
[9] Forgiving and being reconciled are not about pretending things are other than they are. It is not patting one another on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the pain, the degradation, the truth. --Desmond Tutu, No Future Without Forgiveness (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 270.
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