The Chief

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” -1Tim 1:15

This is humility. I’ve been learning so much about grace lately and it really seems true at least in my life, that one cannot fully accept grace until one is humbled. And in a rather odd fashion, what can humble us more than viewing our sin in lieu of God’s holiness. To say as I stand that I am the chief sinner of all—takes a lot.

There is no record of Paul ever raping anyone. In my mind, this is one of the worst sins and/or crimes. Yet he stands up and says my sins are worse than those of a serial rapist. Am I to do that too? Am I to say all my lying, all my self-righteousness, all my false pretenses, all my lustful thoughts are worse than any sinner who ever lived? When I do that, when I can label myself with the Castros and the Hitlers and the Al-Quiedas, only then can I ever get the purest taste of God’s grace that is possible on this earth. I’m not there yet. I have recently stepped a bit closer though, and that closeness has opened my eyes to the grace I’ve always preached as “amazing.” It’s not just a song. It’s not just a cliché. I am chief of sinners, and grace’s umbrella covers me.