This Sunday in Sunday school we were discussing 1 Timothy
1:12-17. Verse 13b in the ESV says, “I received mercy because I had acted
ignorantly in unbelief.” Other translations say “I obtained mercy,” which seems
to me to be a poor translation. Mercy is not something you can obtain like a
4.0 GPA or a rental car. Mercy is by definition something that is unearned. You
can’t buy it, work for it, or even repay it. All you can do is ask for and
accept it when it comes. Mercy is God’s gift to give as He pleases.
Verse 16 takes it a step further, “But I received mercy for
this reason, that in me, as the foremost [sinner], Jesus Christ might display
His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for
eternal life.” God doesn’t grant mercy and save people because we are so
deserving, or because He feels sorry for us, or because He’s lonely and wants
companionship. He saves us because it glorifies Him. It magnifies His love and dominion.
Everything He does is for His glory alone.
Amazingly, God doesn’t stop at granting us mercy and
forgiveness. He goes on to give us “all things that pertain to life and
godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Other verses give even broader descriptions:
- “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
- “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32).
- “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
God is the Creator and Owner of all things, and in Christ we
have access to all that is His. But again, there is nothing we can do to earn
it, pay for it, or lay claim to it except through the blood of Jesus Christ. As
we were reminded in the sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, God has redeemed us
and restored us to our proper Owner. This world doesn’t own us, and God doesn’t
exist to serve our purposes. God owns us, our lives, and our church, and the
world exists to glorify Him. Everything of value is ours in Christ, but we are
recipients, not achievers.
We have no reason for pride or judgmentalism. Secular
learning and achievements have no lasting value and can’t even be compared to
the depths of wisdom that come from the Holy Spirit. Our life in Christ and the
things that we value because of Him won’t make sense to the rest of the world,
but that shouldn’t bother us. We may be seen as fools, but we know the truth
because we know the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
As Daniel Hochhalter wrote in Losers Like Us: Redefining Discipleship After Epic Failure:
“Where we see a lack of experience
and polish, God sees leadership potential. Similarly, human credentials were
notably lacking in the twelve losers on whom Jesus built his church. What made
them world-changers was not their credentials, but simply their willingness to
follow him… So why has Jesus always, then and now, chosen losers to lead the
kingdom? I think there are four main reasons, all closely related:
teachableness, lack of ego, brokenness, and empathy. These are the areas in
which losers truly excel.”
Because of these truths we should be grateful for God’s
saving grace, humble recipients of His mercy, and willing witnesses to His
glory.
“Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine… Because you are precious
in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples
in exchange for your life… Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created
for My glory, whom I formed and made… You are My witnesses” (Isaiah 43:1, 4, 7,
10).
