1 Timothy 1.12-13 12 I
thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me
trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I
acted in ignorance and unbelief. St. Paul
St. Paul had a memory; he remembered all the things he
had done to insult the Lord and persecute His people. But when he’d been
knocked off his high horse, Paul said the above: the statement of a humble and
broken man on a mission to share the glorious goodness of Jesus Christ with
anyone who would listen. Paul wasn’t a weakling by any means; he was a man on a
mission.
What guided Paul was his unshakable faith in the Lord
Jesus. He said, “The grace of our Lord
was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in
Christ Jesus.” Paul understood grace, faith, and love. Paul understood
where those things came from. And Paul lived according to them.
I remember as well. I remember well, as well. I know who
I was and what I thought. I can say that even though I once was a blasphemer,
and a punk, and a sleazeball, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance
and unbelief. That’s really what it boils down to: ignorance and unbelief.
Ignorance is the lack of knowledge and understanding. My
grandson is ignorant of the things of life he will one day face. He doesn’t
understand how life works yet. He’ll get there, but he ain’t there yet. It isn’t
that he’s wrong, it’s just that he’s ignorant (and young and naïve). Most
people are ignorant of the Lord. If they weren’t this world would be a vastly
different place.
And then there’s unbelief. Unbelief can be benign or
malignant; depends on the person, depends on the situation (and I might add,
the contributing factors of life, heritage, locale, etc.). Unbelief is a lack
of capacity to believe. Many things
can get in the way of unbelief. If there is too much in the way, belief is
stopped or hampered by too many other beliefs. Priorities, preferences,
perspectives can block belief.
Once, St. Paul didn’t
believe. Then, he did. Paul was given the capacity, by Jesus, to believe in
Jesus. Our prayers for the unbelieving ought to be: Lord, give them the capacity to believe. I was at a funeral yesterday
of one who took away life in suicide. There wasn’t enough belief to prevent
that from happening. Sometimes, it is believed to be the only way out. It isn’t
but some can only believe that it is.
Paul, as are all true believers, was given a capacity by
Jesus Christ to believe. Ignorance can be overcome by knowledge (and
experience) – that’s why we preach the gospel. Unbelief can only by overcome by
the grace of the Lord who opens our eyes to reality, and possibility. Lord God,
we need You!
Father, this
morning, I too can say what Paul said: even though I was a puke, a putz, and a
punk, You reached down from Your throne to take up residency in my heart – You gave
me the capacity by the preaching and reaching of the gospel, to believe. You
overcame my ignorance and unbelief and to this day I am taught and led by You.
May my life be not that of religion, but that of reality, that no matter how
low and lousy we are, You Lord, save those whose capacity is expanded by You, to
believe in You. Amen
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