1st Timothy 1:15-17
15 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. 16 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. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Term 2 has officially started! I hope and pray that everyone had a wonderful school holiday spent with your respective loved ones, families and friends, strengthening each other with God’s Benevolent Love, and refreshing ourselves with comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit! As Christ is in you, may His grace and favour find you all well.
Continuing to our midweek devotion in the epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, let us reexamine the very truth of the Gospel for which laid as the power of God for our salvation (Romans 1:16). Paul is reminding his child in faith, Timothy, about the Gospel entrusted to him and has passed on to all Christ’s disciples that Christ Jesus first advent is to fulfil the promise of God to send a Messiah.
To Christ Jesus along with angels of God and the testimonies of the first century disciples, it is very clear to them about the principal purpose of Jesus first advent, to seek and to save the people who are lost (Luke 19:10).
But to which Christ will save us from? Just like what the angels have told Jospeh in Matthew 1:21, Jesus will save His people from their sins. This is exactly what Paul is wanting to remind that makes a Gospel to be known as a “Good News’.
Post-Modern Christianity are emerging progressively with the primary focus on deliverance from poverty, suffering, and personal troubles in life. Today’s seekers sensitive shallow Christians are enticed only on the experiential, emotional, and cultic form of worship and navigating away from the biblical teachings and illuminating revelation of God’s righteousness, holiness and sovereignty.
God is saving the sinners. We have heard the many testimonies of prominent Christians from the first century disciples to our generations on how their sinful life, activities, and thoughts are strongly inclined to sinning against God, yet they acknowledged the abundance of God’s amazing grace for choosing them to be one of who He will call His people, of whom He will save from their sins.
Christ is saving a sinful man from sins. For sins ultimate judgment is eternal death and/or eternal condemnation. We are being saved by God from eternity future from the wrath of God to one who is bearing the guilt of their sins.
If your understanding of Christ saving is related to having a prosperous living, you are still blinded by the things of the world and just found another magical creature to grant whatever you wish for.
Christ is NOT a mystical or mythological character. He is REAL person both of divine and of human forms, testified by historical and scientific facts. He came to give us life and have it abundantly (John 10:10), contrary to our understanding that He came to give us abundant lifestyle.
There is difference between life and lifestyle. If you want to know few definition of life from the lips of the apostle, here are few exhortations they gave to describe life in Christ Jesus.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:21
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. -1 John 2:17
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. -1 John 5:11
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. -John 3:36
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. -Matthew 10:39
In Christ, following Christ, receiving Christ, and trusting Christ - are the things that leads to Christ given life. Even if we long for a lifestyle, then we should desire for Christlike lifestyle whose life is not for self-interest but for the interest of the One who sent Him, our Abba Father, which central to obedience even on the point of inconvenience, of distress, of troubles, of sufferings, or conflicts with this world and all of worldly systems and things.
Christlike lifestyle is to please the Father, to display His honour and glory. So must we, that we should display the honour and glory of Christ who have chosen us to be His called as His people and save us from our sins, which mostly hidden as our lifestyle of selfishness, self-righteousness, and self-gratifications.
Count on Christ alone for our salvation and live a life in Christ’s honour and glory alone. For we are saved because we deserve it, on the contrary, we don’t. But we are saved for the glory of God alone and kept in the very intercession of Christ for all the believers in John 17.
John 17:1-5
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
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