This is a shorter version of the sermon Christ Came to Save Sinners: 3 Qualities of a True Christian.
Is there any power in your personal testimony? We’ve all heard powerful stories about people who lived remarkably sinful lives before they came to Christ. My story is boring. I wonder: Do I need to have a dramatic story to tell? Can I really be sure I’m saved if I feel like I haven’t experienced anything extraordinary? Is there any power in my personal testimony?
Consider the Biblical example of Timothy, a young man who had grown up with the Scriptures since childhood, who had the faithful examples of his family, his mother and grandmother. We would probably consider him a basic Christian kid with a boring Christian testimony. As a leader in the church, would he be discouraged because he didn’t live through an exciting conversion experience?
In 1 Timothy 1:12-1, Paul shares his testimony with Timothy. Paul’s story is spectacular. The context is that Paul has been talking to Timothy about false teachers. He stops to look at his own life, and how Timothy can look to Paul as a true teacher in the faith. He is not proud, but Paul’s testimony is that of a true Christian. He has a humble confidence in Christ’s work in his life. I hope to show you the three qualities of a true Christian found in Paul’s testimony. And even though Paul’s testimony is outstanding, I hope to show you that the traits he highlights can be found in any true Christian.
1. The Grace of God
The first quality of a true Christian is the grace of God:
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:12-14
Paul begins his testimony by thanking Jesus for strength and the call to serve him, but he pauses to take a look back at his past. He lists that he used to be a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. He’s talking about his life before he met Christ. Paul was Jewish — he had Hebrew ancestry and he was actually of the tribe of Benjamin. He was educated, taught by a teacher named in Gamaliel, according to the strict manner of the Old Testament law. He was zealous for God, and some called him a religious extremist. He was so hardcore that he took pleasure in persecuting Christians. He wanted to put them in prison. To Paul, Christians were blasphemers. When Jesus came and claimed to be the Son of God, this was outrageous. It was insulting. It was incendiary. There was a church leader named Stephen, and Paul was there to stone him. Paul wanted to murder Christians, but God showed him mercy. Paul would have an encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, and his life would be changed. He would see that he acted ignorantly and in unbelief, and he would find faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul would call this the grace of God. I find it appropriate to center on God’s grace and see it as all-encompassing of Paul’s personal testimony. Because while mercy means Paul was spared from judgment, the grace of God gives more in terms of being blessed by God. Paul says that God’s grace overflows — it was super-abundant grace from God. The false teacher, and the false Christian, knows nothing of this. They are prideful, self-absorbed, and self–righteous. They think they can earn their salvation by works. But this is how Paul perceives his life — he’s swimming in a sea of undeserved mercies, overflowing blessings, and super-abundant grace.
2. The Gospel of Salvation
The second quality of a true Christian is the gospel of salvation:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
1 Timothy 1:15
After examining his past, Paul presents to us the gospel. The gospel means the good news, and the good news is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The fact that this is a trustworthy saying and deserving of full acceptance indicates that this is some sort of creed or confession of faith. It’s an accurate summary of what Christians believe, and it’s filled with so much if you take a second to unpack it. Paul says Christ Jesus instead of Jesus Christ, placing a priority on him being Lord, Messiah, God. He calls the Christ by his name, Jesus, indicating that he is a real man, a real person. Christ Jesus came into the world means that he took the initiative. The author of life entered into the story. And he came to save sinners. This is our condition: We are under condemnation – we are sinners who need to be saved. The true Christian knows this, but the false teachers know this, too. So look at what Paul does — he personalizes it. He says that he is the foremost sinner. I don’t think Paul is speaking with some sort of backwards, false humility — because he just confessed that he was previously a persecutor of the church. Paul knows his plight – he knows himself and he knows his sins. He knows that he cannot save himself. So by confessing his state, and clinging to Christ, he rests in the gospel of salvation.
3. The Gifts of Belief and Eternal Life
The third quality of a true Christian are the gifts of belief and eternal life:
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16
Paul has a linked chain here that ties God’s purposes together. God’s mercy to Paul displays God’s patience, providing an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. The example is that like Paul, you too can believe in Jesus and receive eternal life. And that’s why I outlined this section as the gifts of belief and eternal life. Belief and eternal life are tied together, and they are both gifts from God. Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” And Paul writes in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So both belief and eternal life are gifts from God. The false teacher, and the false Christian, does not have these gifts from God. The true Christian has a personal faith that transforms his life to live in light of eternity.
God Works Wonders
The truth is that you do not need to have a dramatic story to tell. From God’s side, every story is stunning. Yes, you can really be sure you’re saved if you feel like you haven’t experienced anything extraordinary. Salvation is not found in your story, but in God’s. And there is no inherent power in your personal testimony. The power comes from proclaiming Christ crucified.
Let’s look at the last verse in our passage today:
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17
Paul goes from his testimony and moves into worship. He goes from retelling the gospel to rejoicing in the gospel. Paul, the man with possibly the most spectacular testimony, didn’t even want the spotlight. Instead, he directs our gaze towards God. Timothy, a young man who had grown up with the Scriptures since childhood, who had the faithful examples of his family, his mother and grandmother, a basic Christian kid with a boring Christian testimony — would be encouraged. It’s not about having a spectacular story, but a spectacular Savior. It’s not about how you were saved; it’s about who saved you. It’s not so much about your sins, but that you can become a son of God.
The true Christian remembers the grace of God, rests in the gospel of salvation, and receives the gifts of belief and eternal life. Even if you don’t think your testimony is particularly special, you can still consider it personally sacred. I’m thankful for both the testimonies of prominence like Paul and the seemingly typical ones like Timothy. The more I think about it, and after studying this passage, maybe I shouldn’t be so focused on power, but on praise. God’s goal is not powerful testimonies, but praise from every tribe and tongue. From the foremost sinner and to regular people, God works wonders in everyone — if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.