“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Chris Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:12-16
Was there ever a more perfect, truer paragraph about the nature of God’s mercy than these words by Paul? I love Paul’s honesty about the state of his heart prior to Christ majestically interrupting his life. A blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent aggressor – Paul was no Switzerland theologian…content to sit on the sideline and watch other people figure it out. He was in the war – raging his personal battle – violent & misguided, against the Most High. But don’t miss that oh so very important keyword – “formerly”. That is who Paul was – not who he became. Though his heart, mind & soul fought to kill the beginnings of Christianity – the grace of God, through the risen Savior, was more than abundant to bring about unrivaled heart change. Mercy so overwhelming that it caused the zealot enemy to lay down his hammer at the feet of the one he nailed to a cross. And when he did he found mercy – complete, perfect, soul-altering mercy. Mercy that changed the title on his business card from “Violent Aggressor” to “Example of God’s Perfect Patience”
The good news is that the Lord’s perfect patience is still available for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. It was available for me back in January 1993 – when this violent aggressor was loved into surrender. Have you gotten your new business card? Do you have a “formerly” story to tell? You need to tell it and people need to hear it.
