1 Timothy 1:12 - Meaning and Application

Here the apostle gives thanks to Jesus Christ for putting him into the ministry. It is Christ’s work to place men in ministry, as Acts 26:16-17 shows. God condemned the false prophets in Israel with these words: “I did not send these prophets, yet they ran. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21). No one can make himself a true minister. That is Christ’s work, as king, head, prophet, and teacher of the church.

Those Christ places in ministry he also fits for it. When he calls someone, he also equips that person. A man who is not fit for the work, and has no ability for it, is not one Christ has truly put into ministry, though gifts and graces differ from one servant to another. Christ gives not only ability, but also faithfulness, to those he appoints. “He counted me faithful” means none are counted faithful unless he makes them so. Christ’s ministers are trusted servants, and they should be faithful, since such a great trust has been given to them.

A call to ministry is a great mercy, and those who receive it should thank Jesus Christ for it: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has put me into the ministry.”

To magnify Christ’s grace in putting him into the ministry, Paul then tells about his conversion. Before conversion, he was “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man.” Saul, before he became Paul, breathed out threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples (Acts 9:1). He made a wreck of the church (Acts 8:3). He spoke against God, harmed God’s people, and treated others with cruel violence. Sometimes those meant for great service are left to themselves before conversion and fall into great sin, so God’s mercy in forgiving them, and his grace in making them new, will be more honored. Great sin is no barrier to being accepted by God, or even to being used by him, if there is true repentance.

Blasphemy, persecution, and cruel treatment are very serious sins. Those guilty of them are great sinners before God. To blaspheme God is to strike at him directly. To persecute his people is to try to wound him through them. To be violent and abusive is like Ishmael, whose hand was against everyone and everyone’s hand was against him. Such people attack God’s rights and trample on the freedoms of their fellow human beings. True believers, when it serves a good purpose, are willing to admit what they were before God brought them to himself. Paul often spoke plainly about his former life, as in Acts 22:4 and Acts 26:10-11.

Then Paul speaks of God’s great kindness to him: “But I obtained mercy.” This was a blessed turning point. It was a great mercy that such a clear rebel should find mercy from his King. If Paul had persecuted Christians knowingly, understanding that they were God’s people, he may have been guilty of the unforgivable sin. But because he did it in ignorance and unbelief, he received mercy. What we do in ignorance is a lesser sin than what we do knowingly. Still, a sin done in ignorance is still a sin, for the one who did not know his master’s will, yet did things deserving punishment, will receive fewer stripes (Luke 12:48). Ignorance may lessen a crime, though it does not erase it.

Unbelief lies at the root of what sinners do in ignorance. They do not believe God’s warnings, or they could not go on as they do. For these reasons Paul says, “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” Here was mercy for a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. “But I obtained mercy, I a blasphemer,” and so on.

Paul also points to the rich grace of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:14). The conversion and rescue of great sinners come from Christ’s overflowing grace, that same grace shown in the glorious gospel (1 Timothy 1:15). This is the heart of the gospel: Jesus Christ came into the world. The Son of God took our nature, became flesh, and lived among us (John 1:14). He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13). He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Paul says this is a “faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.” It is good news worth receiving fully, and it is also fully true. It is faithful, so it should be embraced by faith. It is worthy of all acceptance, so it should be received with holy love. That fits the earlier verse, where Christ’s grace is said to overflow in faith and love. At the end of the verse, Paul applies it to himself: “Of whom I am chief.”

Paul was a sinner of the highest rank. He admits this because he had breathed threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples (Acts 9:1-2). Persecutors are among the worst sinners, and Paul had been one of them. Or he may mean, “Of all pardoned sinners, I am chief.” This is a mark of his deep humility. Elsewhere he calls himself the least of all saints (Ephesians 3:8), and here he calls himself the chief of sinners.

Christ Jesus has come into the world, and the prophecies about his coming are fulfilled. He came to save sinners, those who could not save themselves. Blasphemers and persecutors are among the worst sinners, Paul says, yet even the chief of sinners may become the chief of saints. Paul himself was like that, for he was not at all behind the very greatest apostles (2 Corinthians 11:5). Christ came to save the chief of sinners. This is a very great truth, a faithful saying, true and dependable. It deserves to be received by all of us, for our comfort and encouragement.

Paul says that he received mercy for this reason: so that in him, the first of such great sinners to be converted, Jesus Christ might show all his patience, as a pattern for those who would later believe and receive eternal life (1 Timothy 1:16). Christ’s patience was shown in bearing so much with a man who had been so provoking. It was meant to encourage others, so that the greatest sinners would not despair of mercy with God. Paul was one of the first great sinners converted to Christianity. He was converted and received mercy partly for the sake of others, as a pattern to them. The Lord Jesus Christ shows great patience in converting great sinners. And those who receive mercy do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Those who believe in Christ believe in him for eternal life. They trust him for the saving of the soul (Hebrews 10:39).

Paul says this to give glory to God. After speaking of the mercy he found with God, he cannot continue his letter without pausing to thank God for his goodness. So he breaks out in praise: “To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

We should notice, first, that the grace we receive from God should always lead us to glorify him. Those who truly feel how much they owe to God’s mercy will have their hearts opened in praise. Paul gives God honor as the King eternal, immortal, and invisible.

Second, when we have found God good to us, we must not forget how great he is. His kindness toward us should never make us think less of him. It should make us think more of him. God had taken special notice of Paul, shown him mercy, and brought him into fellowship with himself, and yet Paul still calls him the King eternal, and so on. God’s gracious dealings with us should fill us with wonder at his glorious qualities.

He is eternal, with no beginning, no end, and no change over time. He is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9). He is immortal, the source of immortality. He alone has immortality (1 Timothy 6:16), because he cannot die. He is invisible, because mortal eyes cannot see him. He lives in light that no one can come near, whom no one has seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:16). He is the only wise God (Jude 1:25). He alone is perfectly wise, and he is the source of all wisdom.

“To him be glory forever and ever” means, let me be forever engaged in giving him honor and glory, as the thousands upon thousands do (Revelation 5:12, Revelation 5:13).