The Word This Week
1 Timothy 2:1...
When it comes to the essentials of the faith Paul is writing Timothy about, there is no greater essential than the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and understanding the audience it is intended to reach.
There is a world of lost sinners out there, and the gospel is intended to reach all of them.
As Paul categorized himself as the “chief of sinners,” he was making this point for the sake of those who could be reached and would be reached by the gospel.
At the time Jesus reached Paul with the gospel, Paul, (then Saul,) was about the least-likely man on the face of the earth anyone would think was about to become a born-again Christian.
Jesus - as always - would demonstrate otherwise. It took the church quite a while to catch up with God’s plan for Paul’s life. The main reason was because of the man Paul was prior to being saved by Jesus on the Damascus Road.
It took a pretty heart-strong man by the name of Barnabas to provide the introduction necessary for Paul to be believed as a believer. Even then, it seems it took years for believers to trust Paul was not some kind of double agent. They eventually began to trust Paul, but by then he was on the road proving the power of Christ planting church after church in the known world.
He didn’t wait for the church at Jerusalem to trust him. They had plenty of reason not to, and Paul knew that. He accepted it about himself, but he would not accept it of others.
Paul writes Timothy about this very thing. “I am the chief of sinners. Christ saved me. Therefore it is patently obvious God desires to save every man.”
None are beyond the reach of Christ, and certainly none have been created for the express purpose of becoming cordwood for the fires of hell.
At the same time, the sobriety of this message informs the singularity of it. There is only one name given under heaven by which men may be saved – the name Christ Jesus. Only Jesus saves because only Jesus can save.
And Jesus will save ALL those who come to Him. Even the vilest of leaders, exemplified by those on the throne at the time of Paul writing this letter to Timothy. Pray for them that they may be saved - with the same fervency as those you may think worthy. No one is.
Pastor Bill
When it comes to the essentials of the faith Paul is writing Timothy about, there is no greater essential than the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and understanding the audience it is intended to reach.
There is a world of lost sinners out there, and the gospel is intended to reach all of them.
As Paul categorized himself as the “chief of sinners,” he was making this point for the sake of those who could be reached and would be reached by the gospel.
At the time Jesus reached Paul with the gospel, Paul, (then Saul,) was about the least-likely man on the face of the earth anyone would think was about to become a born-again Christian.
Jesus - as always - would demonstrate otherwise. It took the church quite a while to catch up with God’s plan for Paul’s life. The main reason was because of the man Paul was prior to being saved by Jesus on the Damascus Road.
It took a pretty heart-strong man by the name of Barnabas to provide the introduction necessary for Paul to be believed as a believer. Even then, it seems it took years for believers to trust Paul was not some kind of double agent. They eventually began to trust Paul, but by then he was on the road proving the power of Christ planting church after church in the known world.
He didn’t wait for the church at Jerusalem to trust him. They had plenty of reason not to, and Paul knew that. He accepted it about himself, but he would not accept it of others.
Paul writes Timothy about this very thing. “I am the chief of sinners. Christ saved me. Therefore it is patently obvious God desires to save every man.”
None are beyond the reach of Christ, and certainly none have been created for the express purpose of becoming cordwood for the fires of hell.
At the same time, the sobriety of this message informs the singularity of it. There is only one name given under heaven by which men may be saved – the name Christ Jesus. Only Jesus saves because only Jesus can save.
And Jesus will save ALL those who come to Him. Even the vilest of leaders, exemplified by those on the throne at the time of Paul writing this letter to Timothy. Pray for them that they may be saved - with the same fervency as those you may think worthy. No one is.
Pastor Bill