“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.” – 1
Timothy 1:15
The apostle Paul was not a
delusional man; rather an ignorant one. With great zeal he persecuted the
churches, ripped apart families, blasphemed the name of Jesus; yet all the
while Christ looked down on this man with love and compassion. By the
apostles own testimony he was the chief of sinners; the worst of the worst, and
God saved him.
Jesus Christ can save ANYBODY
from sin. To say otherwise is not to reject any one man, but to reject
God himself. His purpose, the reason he came is to save sinners; and if
to save them, than to save them from what? Sin! Sin, in all of its
awful, binding, miserable unrest. Jesus came to save us from the
committing of sin, and the very nature of it living within man. The sin
in a man’s heart and life can ruin him, because harboring sin in your heart is
to harbor the devil himself, and we know that the thief cometh not but for to “kill
and to steal and to destroy.” The apostle Paul understood this, and
he whole heartily fought it once he was delivered from it. To a degree,
we all have to come to a “chief of sinners” state, before we can truly find
salvation. There must be an undeniable realization of ones lost
condition, and a feeling of sharp conviction. Only a vision of the
holiness of Jesus can bring about a realization of the ungodliness within man;
and when the condemnation of your sin is brought to the surface, and you look
your ugliness in the face; all that is left is a plea for mercy and a press for
forgiveness. This is the state where one feels that they are the “chief
of sinners;” the state of realization, which is, hopefully, followed swiftly by
repentance.
It is not a stretch to believe that some, perhaps many, have come to this
state, or at least taken steps toward it; but how the enemy would come and did
come. Often the lie is spun in the hearts of those pressing back toward God:
“you are too far gone.” He tells those lost in sin that they are too lost
and he tells those that are living in righteousness that they are too
righteous; both are lies. Paul declares plainly that Jesus came to save
sinners, and he was just that indeed, but he obtained mercy, and if he obtained
mercy, why cannot you? Imagine if the United States Coast Guard
borrowed millions from the American people; your taxes increased and increased
still further, but with this money they planned to build a magnificent vessel.
A vessel designed to save any man lost at sea; no matter how lost and no matter
how far, they could be reached and they could be saved. If so much was
sacrificed; would they not use it to the utmost? If so much was given,
would it not stand to reason that it would save souls? How much more the
blood of God’s own Son to save? Not from “doing” sin only but from the
nature that causes you to do it. Jesus Christ came on this earth to save
sinners, now and forevermore, to save you!
What is needful to consider is not how lost you are, but how long you wish to
remain that way? The choice is yours, do you want to remain a sinner or
do you want to be saved? Do you desire peace or unrest? I humbly
ask, what could profit more than having the love of God reigning and abiding in
your heart? Jesus Christ can save you from all sin; he can make your life
anew and give you peace. There is nothing other than Christ that can
accomplish this; only he saves; only Jesus saves.
