A number of years ago I remember the pastor at the church I was attending at the time telling of an incident that had occurred several years earlier. At that time he had the opportunity to talk for a while to a rather prominent Chicago baseball broadcaster at an informal gathering. Their conversation drifted towards spiritual matters, and my pastor spoke to him about salvation through Jesus. The gentleman showed a moment’s interest, but then said that he was way too much of a sinner to ever obtain mercy from God. When my pastor assured him that was not the case, he still wouldn’t believe it, thinking that he had sinned way too much in his life. Sadly, as far as anyone knows, this gentleman passed into eternity several years later, having believed he was too much of a sinner to save. Is there such a thing as someone who is too much of a sinner to save? Does God have a limit as to how bad a sinner He will accept, and if one crosses that line, well, that’s too bad, because they’re unsavable? Let’s look into our Scripture for today and see the message from God that the Apostle Paul brings.
When we look at the New Testament, and see how much of it was penned by the Apostle Paul, and how much God used him to spread the Gospel message across the Mediterranean world, one thinks what a holy and godly man he was. However, that was not always the case. Much earlier in his life, when Paul was a young man, he violently opposed the early Church. Paul was a devout Pharisee in the Jerusalem area, and he did everything he could to oppose the spread of the message of Jesus. He searched out Christians like a bloodhound, and dragged them before the Jewish legal courts to have them put to death. As we read in Acts 9:1-19, Paul (known as Saul at the time) was on his way to Damascus to find and arrest Christians when he had a vision of Jesus and was converted. From that day on, he actively served the Lord by starting churches and bringing countless people to salvation.
Though he was used by the Lord in a mighty way, Paul never forgot what he had been before. Before salvation, Paul was a very self-righteous man. After salvation he saw himself for what he really was. He had been ignorant, as a zealous Pharisee, of what Jesus taught (vs. 13). He had actually thought at that time that he was doing God a service. However, God had mercy on Paul, and gave His grace, His loving forgiveness, where He granted Paul, and anyone who believes, salvation apart from any works (vs. 14). Christ’s abundant grace, His undeserved favor, far outweighed Paul’s previous sinful life. Paul was living proof that God could save any sinner, no matter how great a one they might be.
Sometimes people don’t come to Jesus for salvation because they feel that they have sinned too badly for Him to save them, just like that Chicago baseball broadcaster told my former pastor. Paul understood that, as his own background was sinful. He saw himself as a chief of sinners (vs. 15). But thankfully that did not stop him from coming to Jesus. Though we should repent and confess our past sins, we should not be so guilt-ridden that we feel God cannot forgive us. God forgave Paul, and used him in a mighty way. No matter what our past is, God can forgive and use us.
Since God would save Paul, someone who tried to destroy His Church, then He would be willing to save anyone who believes in Him. It is not by our goodness that we are accepted by the Lord, but it is because of His great love and provision for us on the Cross.
Jesus came to save sinners (vs. 15). We all are sinners, and His grace is available to us for salvation. No matter how vast our sins, God’s grace is greater. No sinner is beyond Jesus’ saving power (Luke 5:32). Jesus didn’t come merely to show us how to live a better life, or to challenge us to be better people. He came for one purpose, and that is to save sinners.
Only a sinner saved by grace!
Only a sinner saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory!
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!
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