Here is a
trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was
shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his
immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive
eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16
Paul
didn’t have a poor self-esteem, but a realistic one. He truly felt his sins were the worst sins
ever committed and he was the furthest away from God as anyone.
If
Paul started ranking his sinful nature with others, saying “I was a bad sinner,
but not the worst. Others were
definitely much worst than me,” then he would be judging his own sin and
thinking he was better than others.
Sin
is sin and only one sin pushes us far away from God—as far as anyone could
go. There is no point system for
sin. Adam ate a fruit from a forbidden
tree and changed the world. His son Cain
murdered Abel, his own brother. Each sin
had 100% effectiveness and separated the sinner from God.
It’s
good to see ourselves as the worst of sinners, because sin is the worst thing
we can do against God. But, we cannot
forget that Jesus saves the worst of sinners, showing us mercy and patience so
we can receive an eternal relationship with God. That promise is for all sinners, including
us.