Read 1 Timothy 1:1, 15-17
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience…”
(1 Timothy 1:16)
In today’s text, the apostle Paul clearly states his identity: “I am the worst (of sinners)” (v. 15). Paul knew the life he had lived prior to his conversion; he knew the gravity of his sins. He knew his identity: a sinner in need of God’s patient mercy and saving grace.
Over the years, I have had many opportunities to lead Bible studies and preach at chapels in various Wisconsin prisons. As I encounter the men inside the walls, I greet them in Jesus’ name and remind them of their true identity as Jesus-followers: men saved out of a life of sin and into the world-wide family of God. My brothers within the walls do not need to be reminded of who they are: men sentenced by the State of Wisconsin for crimes committed. As I visit them, my hope is they are comforted to remember whose they are.
They know they live with the consequences of their life choices, but they also live in the reality of the hope that is theirs in King Jesus (v. 1). Paul reminds us that Jesus came into the world to “display his unlimited patience” (v. 16). For you, my prison brothers, and me, salvation is found in the present life and lived-out as we live in the wonder of His patient love mercifully extended.
It is not unusual to hear a man express his gratitude that God loved him enough to send him to prison—for two years, twenty years, or perhaps life—to find new life in Jesus. These brothers are saved from a life of bad choices and addictive actions. They are being saved into a life of obedient discipleship. One day they will be saved for an everlasting life with King Jesus. Thanks be to God that their and our hope is the same.
For Reflection:
- Can you identify as the “worst” of sinners? Why did Paul see himself in that way?
- How has Jesus shown His “unlimited patience” to you? Who can you extend that patience to this week?
- How does the grace Jesus shows Paul (and all of us!) bring hope into your life?
by Paul Sinclair
