Monday, August 10, 2015
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.
A FAITHFUL SAYING (1)
As Jesus walked the earth preaching God's Word to people, He had a peculiar way of highlighting when He was about to say something very important. What Jesus said was, "Amen, Amen." We usually think of "Amen" as something we say at the end of a prayer, but Jesus often said it before something very timely or important. "Amen" means "it is true," so it fits in both contexts.
Simply put, what Jesus meant by this phrase was "truly, truly," or "most assuredly." When Jesus said this He wanted the listeners to pay attention to what He was about to say, because they could believe it as the absolute truth. Martin Luther followed this same method by ending many of his confessional writings with the phrase "This is most certainly true," which essentially means the same thing. You may be familiar with these phrases from the Catechism and the Gospels, but did you know that Paul also employed a similar style in his letters to Timothy and Titus?
Paul highlights certain thoughts as "faithful sayings." In a modern English we might say "a thought worth believing." The first faithful saying that Paul lists is his personal record as a sinner, and also the solid truth that Christ is his Savior. You and I can echo the same thought in our lives, even though we don't know a lot about Paul's personal life. We too must admit that we are the worst sinners of all. If we have any inkling that we're better than others, we have fallen victim to the sin of pride.
This simple verse summarizes the Christian faith. We are individuals who know that we are the worst sinners, but we also know that we have a Savior who has overcome that sin for us. And through God's Word we are assured that this is a truth worth believing.
