Chief of Sinners

1 Timothy 1:15-16 in context

This posting was made in response to an objection based upon Paul's present-tense claim of being the chief of sinners.

It's quite a challenge to find significant Biblical support for a proclaimed foundational doctrine when there are so few verses that address it, isn't it? That's why the few that are found must be carefully selected out of their original settings to prove the point. Yeah, I've been there enough times to become well-acquainted with the strain of hanging so much onto so little, especially when I sensed that my own proof-texts might not be as solid as I had insisted. After all, if I could see the damaging contradictions found nestled in such close proximity to my own iron-clad verses, couldn't others also see them - especially those who didn't hold to my view?

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 1:15-16

Now, the first thing to recognize is that these statements (along with the rest of the letter) were addressed to the one person who knew Paul's heart and soul better than anyone else. Consider that in sending Timothy to the Philippians Paul declared,

For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. Philippians 2:20

My point simply being that Timothy would have understood Paul's statements in view of the good news he preached everywhere. Contrarily, many seem to insist that Paul's common message of Christ needs to be somehow modified by statements he made to Timothy, as in this case.

So, why then would Paul make such a statement to Timothy? I say there is not only a different way to view Paul's words in these verses but also a more consistent way that takes his stated purposes to Timothy into account. To use Paul's claim about being the foremost of all (sinners) to validate the schizophrenic sinner-saint teaching of modern Christianity only highlights how purposefully we will force anything to fit our confusion and conclusion.

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:3-5

Strange doctrines...myths and endless genealogies. Now, while we often imagine these things as belonging mainly to what we consider the cultic world the reality is so much simpler to recognize, for they are those things which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. How many ways can we discuss God's truth without ever settling on the reality of Christ? Endlessly! And you can really see it in action on the Internet. But the bottom line of the good news of Christ is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. As I had already summarized these in a previous Shoveletter I'll just paste it below:

LOVE FROM A PURE HEART: Would Paul be referring to anything other than the love that flows from a heart that has been purified by the power of the risen Christ and indwelt by the Spirit of God? Timothy already knew this from having learned from Paul himself. It is in hearing the good news of Christ that our hearts are stimulated to real love for one another for it declares WHO our real life is and WHO is also our real connection with one another.

A GOOD CONSCIENCE: This is nothing less than a conscience that has been set free from sin and made alive to God through Christ. This is the conscience of one who is given confidence through the good news of Christ that there is NO MORE remembrance of sin.

A SINCERE FAITH: Sincere means genuine or real, and it has nothing to do with that pathetic ATTEMPT at sincerity that is often thrust upon us by the religious mind. The only sincere faith that has ever occurred has been the faith we have received in Christ. It is REAL because something has been done to us to cause us to actually be DEPENDENT UPON God - Christ has become our life. Paul was drawing a contrast between REAL faith and PROFESSED faith. In other words, one was the real stuff, the other, merely hot air.

For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. 1 Timohty 1:6-11

What is this fruitless discussion Paul claims they turned to instead of to Christ? Law. The reason Paul was writing to Timothy was to encourage him to stand strong in the face of the endless religious blather that was being passed off in the place of Christ. Now, being fruitless isn't the same as being pointless or inconclusive because the men Paul cautioned against were making confident assertions. In their quest to be teachers of the law they had been confidently demanding things they themselves didn't understand.

That's what legal teaching does, which is exactly the same thing we do with our How to live the Christian life teachings. We're always coming up with a new slant on the proper Biblical way to overcome sin, get sanctified, get more filled or to become more Christ-like but all we end up with are questions and speculations, in short, anything but Christ.

What about that whole law is good thing?

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners

I mean, Paul was just reminding Timothy to stand against the wannabe Scripture experts because of its opposition to the reality of Christ ... and now he tells him the law is good. Who was it made for? ...for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners. Yes, it keeps law and order ... among the lawless, the SINNERS. But wait ... it was not made for some.

Who is it NOT for? It is not for the righteous person. Oh we can fool around with this one all we want but it only makes sense according the good news that both Paul and Timothy understood and preached. Those who are in Christ are the righteous, for Christ has become their righteousness. Period.

Now, am I missing something here or did Paul just make a sharp distinction between the sinner and the righteous person? Did Paul in any way suggest that we are now a composite of both sinner and righteous (like a sinner-saint)? So, regarding the sinner ... is that US or is that NOT us? Or are we to use the law for the part of us that is a sinner but not for the other part that is the righteous person? Is this not the very source of confusion in this whole matter?

Okay then, let's take a better look at the passage in view of what Paul opened with, and also include a couple more verses before it.

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. 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

...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

This is Paul's description of what qualified him as the foremost, or chief, of all sinners ... and he uses the past tense. Now, are we to suppose that his next present-tense statement is a description of his conflicted life of confusion between being a sinner and being a saint, even though he so clearly declared the miraculous difference by which those in Christ are now the righteous? If Paul was not claiming to be an actual present-tense sinner, as I suggest, then why would he state that he IS the foremost of all sinners ... and how is that really an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life?

Consider another scenario of a similar kind of example with me: the 1972 Miami Dolphins' Super Bowl Championship. Yeah, yeah, you may think it's a stretch, but no more so than trying to use Paul's statement to validate a crazy doctrine! :) For 30 long years the 1972 Dolphins' record has stood, and you probably know they've thrown it in everybody's face every single year it remains unbeaten. Now, even though the Dolphins haven't been able to repeat that amazing performance they nevertheless remain the only undefeated Super Bowl team in history. This is what they ARE as the example to all who would come after them.

Now, don't miss this: This PRESENT-TENSE reality, that is in fact a FORMER reality, shuts the mouths of all who would dispute it. And this is exactly what Paul's example was to all who would dispute the mercy of God shown toward sinners, for if God would bring someone like Paul into eternal life then no one could ever be considered too far gone to be saved since the top-dog of all sinners had received mercy. The example Christ made of Paul shuts the mouths of any who try to hold back the grace of God toward sinners for reasons of sin. Period.