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Chief of Sinners

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1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. NKJV

Jesus tells a parable in Luke 18:9-13 that is truly reflected in the life of the Apostle Paul: He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men:10 Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here.12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!

Paul embodied this message as his life and ministry progressed. In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 he referred to himself as the least of the Apostles. Approximately 7 years later in Ephesians 3:18 he referred to himself as the least of God’s people. Approximately 2 years later in 1 Timothy, 5 years before he was beheaded, he referred to himself as the chief of sinners. What changed? Was he being insincere, feigning humility, to gain the approval of his readers?

Remember when the woman was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus to entrap Him? Jesus said, he who is without sin cast the first stone. What age group was the first to drop their stones? The old. Let that sink in. Why? They had read, studied and learned more Torah, and Prophets, probably longer than some of the young ones had been alive. They had prayed, fasted, given to God and the poor far more. They had gone to synagogue, and Temple, observed the feasts, and festivals far longer than any of the young. They knew more, and out performed, any of the young who held their rocks tightly in their clenched, fists of rage. But they also knew one thing that the young had yet to see clearly: they had failed God, themselves, and others miserably. The Apostle Paul understood life from this perspective.

Recently, I was engaged in a conversation with one of our younger church members. They had an equally young friend who was growing as a follower of Jesus. Somewhere along the way he picked up the doctrine that he could achieve sinless perfection before the Lord. My response in a nutshell was, he has read the Bible but how much of it has he attempted to obey? In Luke 18:18-19, five verses away from Jesus’ Parable mentioned above, a man approached Jesus regarding what he could do to obtain eternal life. He said: Good Teacher [You who are essentially and perfectly morally good], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]? 19 Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? No one is [essentially and perfectly morally] good—except God only.

Jesus wasn’t saying that He wasn’t good, or morally perfect. But one thing He made crystal clear: No one is [essentially and perfectly morally] good—except God only. Only God is Good. Only God is Perfect. To claim either is to claim equality with God (and believe it or not there are some that teach that). What am I saying? Often I will say, I deserve to go below hell. Those who are “do-it-yourself” Christians become highly offended at that statement. They pity me. What they don’t understand is I fit in the category of the old pharisees above. I know more, and have experienced more than most. Because of that alone I have a higher responsibility. Because of that I have failed more than most – simply because of what I know, and how I know Jesus. I’ve sinned horribly, and disobeyed things I knew I was to do and not do. Do-it-yourself righteousness has a convenient way of excusing disobedience because of willful ignorance. They compare themselves to others – not Jesus – and congratulate themselves at not being like the other sinners. 2 Corinthians 2:12 addresses that foolishness when it says: Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely.

The only trophy we are going to receive is Jesus and a crown, or crowns that reward faithfulness. Avoid the snare of patting yourself on the back, and collecting “trophies” for your Christian performance. One day we will dine with saintly nobility who have paid, unimaginable sacrifices, in order to simply love their Savior. In this life we pity them as paupers, but in Jesus’ eyes they are His royalty. When you are tempted to congratulate yourself for your performance – get some perspective. Read or watch what 75% of your brothers and sisters, around the world suffer to faithfully follow, and obey Jesus. You will hang your head in shame. (I have more than once)

Choices

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Dear Sir: I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put “Poor Planning” as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient. I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when weighed later were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 240 lbs of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3, accident reporting form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley which I mentioned in Paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground-and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope.

Choices. They determine the outcome of so many things. Some choices are weightier than others. Like who you marry, taking a job, buying a car or a house, etc. Then there are the lighter choices in life like, Do I want a third patty on this cheeseburger, buttressed by extra slabs of bacon? (Did I tell you I chose to do a Daniel Fast?) When you read the Bible you discover people making choices that have eternal consequences. Consider the temptations of Jesus in the Wilderness:

And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread. (Mt. 4:3)

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. (Mt. 4:5-6)

Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me. (Mt. 4:8-9)

3 Temptations, 3 Choices. The first was occupied with life. What do you live for? The second, what would you die for? And the final, and third choice: Who or what do you worship? Jesus made it clear what we should live: You should live for every word that comes out of God’s Mouth. Another way of saying that is to say that we should be living for a relationship with God. The second choice, requires closer inspection to understand what Jesus was referencing. In Exodus 17 the people demanded water to drink. Moses took note that they were trying, tempting or testing God. But then he adds another nuance: Why do you find fault with….? Not only were the people trying God, they were finding fault with Him. Are we willing to die not finding fault with God? The third and final choice rested squarely in Eternity. The modern church understanding of worship is that it is a song or posture. Whereas Scripture’s definition goes much deeper than that. Worship involved who or what you served. It was a lifestyle of sacrifice.

What happens in the wilderness, in the praying, and the seeking? What happens when you choose to search for Jesus outside the camp? You discover what you are living for, what you are willing to die for, and what or who you really worship. What choices have you been making?