1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NRSV)
Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, Verse 13even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, Verse 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Verse 15The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the foremost. Verse 16But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. Verse 17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Devotion
“…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” With these twin truths, this is how we begin worship. We stand at the baptismal font and begin -— always! -— with a promise.
Our words are a bit different than Paul’s. We begin in God’s good name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But in these words lies Paul’s great truth: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And then we move onto the second great truth: we are sinners. Like Paul, the confession of our sins is the time for truth-telling. In our confession we tell the truth about ourselves.
There are those who maintain that the confession and absolution are optional for our worship time. But how could something so important, so deep, so significant -— the promise of God and the truth about ourselves -— how could such things ever be considered optional?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as we confront the darkness of our sin, help us to do so in the bright light of your grace and mercy. Amen.