Because of his past, Paul would have seemed to be an unlikely candidate for salvation, let alone apostleship. In the following passage, he explained to Timothy why the Lord chose him and how he was able to be saved.
“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 Christ 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 [of whom I am chief, KJV]. 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).
It is easy to see how Paul was able to describe himself as the “chief” of sinners. We first read about him (Saul, cf. Acts 13:9) giving his approval to the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58-8:1). Immediately after this, he “began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). After the church was scattered as a result of this persecution (Acts 8:1, 4), Saul was “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). He set out for Damascus under the authority of the high priest so that he might find “any belonging to the Way, both men and women, [and] bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2). While he was on the road to Damascus, the Lord appeared to Him (Acts 9:3-6). When he came to Damascus, he obeyed the gospel in order to become a disciple of Christ (Acts 9:10-19; 22:16). After this, the man who was “formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor” (1 Timothy 1:13) began “speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord” (Acts 9:28).
But what about at the time of writing this epistle? Was Paul’s life still filled with sin when he wrote to Timothy on this occasion or had he changed? Some contend that the only difference between a child of God and one who is in the world is forgiveness. Those who believe this will sometimes use Paul’s example to illustrate their point. After all, Paul does use the present tense when he said, “I am foremost of all” sinners. There is a good reason why the present tense verb is used, but it is not because Paul the Christian was essentially the same person as Paul the non-Christian.
It is important that we understand the context and why Paul used himself as an example and why he called himself the chief of sinners.
We have already noticed Paul’s past – his life before becoming a follower of Christ. But what about after becoming a Christian? As we have seen, he immediately began preaching the Lord he once persecuted (Acts 9:19-22). He told the Jewish Council that he had “lived…with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1). This means that prior to obeying the gospel, he did what he thought was right. After learning the truth and obeying the gospel, he did what was truly right. After examining him, King Agrippa was convinced that Paul had done nothing worthy of punishment (Acts 26:30-32). After Paul obeyed the gospel, he lived his life in such a way that he could say, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). He was able to tell the troubled church in Corinth, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The brethren in Thessalonica were “witnesses…how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly [Paul] behaved” when he was with them (1 Thessalonians 2:10). He told the Corinthians, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). His point was that sin would disqualify him, so he refused to place himself back under the bondage of sin. Near the end of his life, he was able to tell Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
One would be hard-pressed to argue that Paul was the same sinner after obeying the gospel as he was before – with the exception being that he was forgiven. Paul told the saints in Rome that they needed to quit living in sin. When we are “baptized into Christ Jesus,” we are then “raised…[to] walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). We are now to be “dead to sin” and “not let sin reign” in our bodies (Romans 6:11-12) If Paul failed to do what he told the Romans to do, then he was a terrible hypocrite. But instead, Paul was a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17) as a Christian – not just in the sense of being forgiven, but that he had repented and turned away from his old life of sin.
Paul’s point to Timothy was that he was, and remains today, an example showing Christ’s “perfect patience” (1 Timothy 1:16) – hence the reason he used the present tense as we noted earlier. Some may believe that their past is such that God could never forgive them and save them. But if Paul – one who was “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor” (1 Timothy 1:13) – could be forgiven and saved, anyone can be. No matter what you have done in the past, you can be forgiven if you follow the Lord as Paul did.
We should not buy into the false notion that it should be expected for Christians to be constantly mired in sin just as the world with the only difference being that we have been forgiven. As Christians, if we are indistinguishable from the world, we need to repent (Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 4:3-4). Paul’s example shows us Christ’s patience, but not any acceptance of sin. Notice what Paul told the Romans:
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds” (Romans 2:4-6).
The kindness and patience God shows toward us should not make us content in sin. Rather, they should motivate us to repent of sin. If we refuse to repent, we are only “storing up wrath” for ourselves that will be revealed in the day of judgment.
Paul was “chief” of sinners – not in the sense that he was worse than others (even after obeying the gospel), but that he was the foremost example showing that Christ will accept anyone who will faithfully obey Him.
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