A FAITHFUL SAYING. 1st Timothy 1:15. Five times, the phrase, "This is a faithful saying," appears in the pastoral epistles [3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim.2:11; Titus 3:8]. Here, it states the core facts of the Gospel that convey important truths essential to the Christian's life and walk. These truths are worth knowing and acting upon. The first coming of Christ into the world was to bring mankind to the knowledge of the redemption He provided when He gave His life as a ransom. Mankind was in bondage and condemned to death because of sin. When Christ arrived, abundant grace made it possible for sinners to be saved through faith and love. The entire work of redemption is complete because the goal was that He "came" to "save" sinners. The verbs indicate a complete salvation.
Christ Jesus did not come to earth just to show us how to live better lives or be better people but to save us from our sins and their consequences. He came to save us and make us children of God when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior from sins. When Paul became a Christian, he knew this personally. He recognized the severity of his past sins and his ongoing tendencies. He also understood his new status before God as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This testimony to Timothy was a reminder of God’s patience and mercy toward sinners.
Paul personally experienced God's blessing because he was the foremost of sinners saved by the sacrificial work of Christ Jesus. His salvation story serves as a pattern for all who believe. God is willing to forgive anyone. How God saved you is an important part of your testimony. What did you understand? What about sin? What about Christ's work for you? How are things different now that God has saved you compared to before? Mercy, contrasted with unbelief, is what we have received from God.
We receive mercy from God when we are consciously aware of our inability to meet our own needs. When we choose to believe God and what He says in the Bible, we receive eternal life as a gift from Him. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit moves us to believe the word of God and make the deliberate choice to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We “obtain mercy” so that the Lord Jesus Christ might be revealed to us and through us to others. When we believe in Him, we begin a new path in life.
The boldness of others can be intimidating if we focus on things instead of on the One who saved us and loves us. God knows us individually, and the grace of our Lord is full and sufficient to deal with all of our past issues that we cannot change. The exceedingly abundant grace of God toward us, along with faith and its essential qualities, coupled with love, fosters a genuine appreciation and value for the souls of those to whom we preach. Verse 15 provides a clear summary of the Gospel message.
Paul was not trying to create a false image of himself but was setting an example for others who are ashamed of their past so they can have hope. Christ came, provided for us, and paid the full price of redemption, which we couldn't pay but desperately needed. We all show in some way or another the blessings of the Gospel. Our testimony is an effective way to share the Gospel with others. Paul was an example of God's longsuffering, so that those who come after him would understand that the new life God offers changes a person through God's power.
He had seen evidence of Christianity's reality in the lives and testimonies of Stephen and other new believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He had witnessed Stephen’s death triumph and heard his testimony of the risen Lord Jesus, the Son of God, standing at God's right hand. Other believers in Christ also testified to Jesus' resurrection, but even all of that isn't enough to make the human heart submit to God's righteous and revealed will. In Saul’s unbelieving heart, he believed he was doing God's will by “breathing out threatening and murder against the disciple of the Lord.”
This worker of “darkness,” when relentlessly pressing forward against the light, was a prisoner to the powers of darkness. His passionate heart made him determined to rob the church of God of the treasure of human souls, who were shining lights as witnesses to the living Lord. When “light from heaven” stops a person and turns its searching light on the darkness of sin in someone’s soul, it makes it impossible to go any farther. The Light of Life is brighter and more powerful than the bonds of sin. That spiritual and physical realization of Saul, the prisoner of darkness, set him at liberty to become a “prisoner of Jesus Christ” [Phil.1].
“This is a faithful saying…” There is no doubt about the Truth of this saying because it comes directly from God Himself. Its faithfulness is due to the faithfulness of the Source from which it originates. The trustworthiness of the saying is also because of how it was passed down to us – through the faithfulness of the servant who transmitted it. We can be confident that this saying is true and reliable because it is preserved in the scriptures of truth.
“And worthy of all acceptation…” This saying applies to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live. Children can accept it because it is clear and easy to understand. Young people should accept it because it challenges them and provides guidance for making choices. Parents should accept it because it is a committing statement that teaches me how to raise my children right. Middle-aged people can accept it because it clarifies what is important and helps me focus on essentials. Older people should accept it because it is comforting and assures me of salvation as my life comes to an end. “That Christ Jesus…” The faithful saying begins with the One the message is about – Christ Jesus. He is the One God sent to be the world's Savior. He is the One the saying is all about. He is the One who came from heaven to earth to do the will of God. He is the Anointed One with the appointed task to accomplish. He is the Savior who was able to do what we could not do – “save His people from their sins.” He is the Sacrifice uniquely qualified to be the Lamb of God – “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” He is the Substitute who was one of us, yet perfectly sinless – “In Him was no sin.” “Came into the world…” This was no distant phrase from the heavens that could be misunderstood. It was no message from an angelic messenger that caused fear and trembling. This saying affirms that Christ Jesus was present in the world, among men, easily seen, easily heard, and accessible to all who would seek Him.
“Christ Jesus came into the world:” where the lost, the poor, the broken-hearted, the physically and spiritually blind, the captives, and the hopeless lived. He didn’t stay away, but He “came.” “To save sinners...” The faithful saying is fully clarified. He came to “save”: to rescue, buy back, and reclaim what was lost. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” “He shall save His people from their sins.” “…that the world through Him might be saved.” “I came…to call sinners to repentance.” He was “a friend of publicans and sinners.” The nine words of the faithful saying are clear and easy to understand: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” “Of whom I am chief.” The saying was delivered to us through a man who understood its message well. Paul knew he was among the first in need of the faithful saying. He led those who rejected Christ Jesus and His saving work. He was among the first in the line of righteous people who thought they didn’t need to be saved. That was all before the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus. Then he knew; then he recognized the faithful Person of the faithful saying, became His faithful servant, and kept the faith without hesitation.