0712 ACTING IN IGNORANCE AND UNBELIEF

JULY 12 = 1 TIMOTHY 1

ACTING IN IGNORANCE AND UNBELIEF

We all have free will, so we can choose to do whatever we wish. Yet God chooses us, and calls each soul out of the crowd to hear his voice. What’s more, God’s will for us is general, carried out in living by the behavior he has told us to follow. And yet His will is specific, as each of us is led by the Holy Spirit’s guidance. You might say that God has a Plan A for all of us. Yet he seems to always be dealing with us on a Plan B. So if we were to post the status of our spiritual life on social media, I guess we might each post that our relationship with God is complicated, you might say.

Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord! None of us is so far gone that we cannot be saved, loved and drawn, in spite of the depth of our depravity! The Good Shepherd is more than willing to leave the 99 in the fold to come searching for us, in spite of our venomous hatred. And when we come home, each of us has been the cause of a heavenly celebration! 

Paul writes to the young man Timothy, his dear son in the faith, whom he has sent to work in Ephesus. Still early in his letter, Paul rejoices in his own salvation testimony. Let’s join Paul in his celebration.

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, 

Paul (Saul) had been considered trustworthy? As he says here, even though he was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man. Even so, God knows and measures the heart, and the Lord saw the heart of a man of principles, a man radically committed to a cause he believed in. He was completely misguided, but he was faithful to his cause. After all, a rudder is only effective when the ship is in motion. So the Lord found a ship in motion and turned it around to go just as fast in the opposite direction. 

I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 

I think Paul is saying that God knew he was not doing what he did out of rebellion. He genuinely thought that he was serving God by persecuting Christ followers. So he was shown mercy because he didn’t know that he was opposing the very God he had thought himself to be serving. Others of us may also have been shown mercy, as well. But our testimonies might not be the same as to our internal state before mercy came in. So we might have different paths that brought us to the foot of the cross, but let’s see how similar all of our paths were from that point forward:

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

The grace of the Lord was also poured out on me, abundantly! How about you?

I also received faith in Christ Jesus when my blinded eyes were opened! How about you?

And the Lord filled my heart with love for others like I had never known before I met Jesus! How about you?

It was a saying in the early church, and it was probably one of the early Christ hymns of the church: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!” That’s the best of news, because I am the worst of sinners! How about you?

Christ Jesus displayed his unlimited patience with the likes of me! How about you?

So I’ll declare my testimony to help others! How about you?

God’s unlimited patience with me can help others to believe in him! How about you?

When they believe, they receive eternal life! How about you?

People get ready. There’s a train a-comin’.

You don’t need no ticket, you just get on board.

I’m on board! How about you?