1 Timothy 1:12-17 – Grace in operation

In six verses, Paul gave a testimony of the impact that the Gospel of Christ had on his life. As he considered the grace which God had showered on him, he could not help but be overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude to God. So he let out a refrain of praise for God in verse 17.

In verse 12 Paul began by thanking Christ Jesus our Lord for strengthening him, and for considering him faithful to be put into service. Here Paul gave reasons why he was appreciative of Christ. He was reminiscing and recounting his past to Timothy. Paul was not only a blasphemer but also a persecutor and a violent aggressor toward believers of Christ. From the Book of Acts, we are acquainted with the degree of his violence. This, he said, he did out of ignorance and unbelief. Paul was not pleading innocence for his past actions. He was merely saying that he blindly followed his Jewish tradition. At that time, the revelation of the truth was not given to him yet. The apostle, in ignorant unbelief, thought that what he was doing then was the right thing. For being so malicious, he did not expect to be given any grace or hope. But God’s mercy overtook him and rewrote his life. The abounding grace of our Lord was abundantly showered upon him, and faith and love found in Christ resulted in his life. 

As he was abounding in gratitude, he cited one of the five trustworthy statements found in the epistle. These are statements of faith and probably a familiar creed. So in verse 15, he stated the first trustworthy statement that embodied the Gospel.  There are four elements to note: it is true and trustworthy; it is for everyone; it concerns Christ’s coming to save sinners; and it must be received personally and individually.

Verse 16 provides another reason for why mercy was showered on Paul. His conversion was to demonstrate the perfect patience of God. It would be a testimony that if Christ Jesus could accept and deal patiently with such a hardened opponent as Paul, He would surely deal with those who would believe in Him for eternal life. And with this, Paul burst out into an exuberant, spontaneous and involuntary praise for God. The praise that every believer would gladly echo, for truly, “… to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

When grace invades our life we cannot but give thanks like Paul. True, there is no problem too big God cannot solve; there is no person too small he cannot use; and there is no gift too little that God will not accept. Just give them all to Jesus and He will turn your sorrow into joy!