1 Timóteo 1
David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Timóteo 1
Guzik - Enduring Word Bible Commentary 1 Timothy Chapter 1) THOUGHT - Have you come to see yourself as a sinner before God? Or are you deceived by what I hear so many say "I'm basically a good person!" No, you are not! You are basically a bad person and a great sinner in need of a greater Savior! Hughes on I am (not I was) foremost - This is the thinking of a healthy regenerate heart. Saving Christianity never endows one with a sense of superiority. Paul knew what he had been and what he was and what he continued to be in himself. This knowledge even increased with the years, as he understood his heart even better than at first. (See 1–2 Timothy and Titus ) Gregory Brown - Obviously, Paul was not the worst sinner on the planet. His sins were certainly heinous and evil, as he persecuted Christians and blasphemed Christ. His statement appears to reflect genuine conviction and humility coming from his receiving of God’s abundant grace. This is common for people who are graced to encounter God. When Isaiah saw God in Isaiah 6:5+, he declared, “Woe is me. I have unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips” (paraphrase). Similarly, Peter cried out, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”, when he recognized Christ as Lord (Lk 5:8+). God’s abundant grace creates genuine conviction of sin and humility in its recipient. (Marks of God’s Abounding Grace 1 Timothy 1:12-17)
1 Timóteo 1
Guzik - Enduring Word Bible Commentary 1 Timothy 1) Donald Guthrie points out that "Paul never got away from the fact that Christian salvation was intended for sinners, and the more he increased his grasp of the magnitude of God's grace, the more he deepened the consciousness of his own naturally sinful state, until he could write of whom I am chief." (See The Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary) W E Vine on foremost - Though the word prōtos, first, sometimes applied to time, here it applies to degree. There was no mock modesty with the apostle in making this statement, nor was he making a comparison between himself and his unbelieving fellow nationals; nor, again, was he indulging in mere rhetoric. The contemplation of his sins and the extent to which, before his conversion, he had missed the true purpose of his being, leads him to make this statement in all sincerity and humility. Paul was a man of high ideals, and the higher the ideal a man sets before him, the more deeply will he feel the extent of his failure to attain to it. There is always a gulf between the character of Christ Himself and that of His most devoted followers. So fully did the apostle appreciate this, that he does not say “of whom I was chief,” but uses the present tense. Noticeable in this respect is the special stress upon the personal pronoun “I”; both its very insertion as well as its position, last in the sentence, make it peculiarly emphatic (Collected Writings of W.E. Vine) THOUGHT - Are you growing in your awareness of your sin and the offense it is to the holiness of God? Or are you growing complacent in your attitude toward sin, especially those little "secret sins" that keep coming up like weeds in the garden of your heart? Dear follower of Christ. Look out! Backsliding can occur subtly and seductively! Gregory Brown adds a couple of good application questions - How can we protect ourselves from becoming desensitized to sin? How have you experienced both a progression and a decrease of sensitivity to sin and why? MacDonald "Notice that the title “chief of sinners” is not given to a man steeped in idolatry or immorality, but rather to a deeply religious man, one who had been brought up in an orthodox Jewish home! His sin was doctrinal; he did not accept the word of God concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejection of the Son of God is the greatest of sins. When one compares the chronology of similar statements by Paul, it is clear that as Christ increased, Paul decreased (cf Jn 3:30+), as he grew in the grace and knowledge of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, (2Pe 3:18+), the depth of the sin he had been completely forgiven became more apparent (and this should be the pattern in our lives beloved) (dates below are approximate). For context most date Paul's conversion at 34-35AD, so when he refers to himself as the foremost of sinners he has been following Christ for almost 30 years! Below we have the progression of humility as one grows in grace... 55AD 1 Corinthians 15:9+ For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 61AD Ephesians 3:8+ To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 63-66AD 1 Timothy 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. The longer and closer a person walks with Jesus Christ, the more he or she becomes aware of the depths of their sinful nature, which in turn drives them to a greater sense of horror when they do sin against Him (because we are sinning against light), which in turn gives a deeper appreciation of the amazing mercy and grace of God! I speak from personal experience of walking with Jesus 35 years! Alexander Maclaren said, “The sign of growing perfection is the growing consciousness of imperfection.... The more you become like Christ the more you will find out your unlikeness to Him” (From sermon "Chief of Sinners" on 1 Timothy 1:15) C S Lewis - “When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less” (Quoted by Nathan Hatch in Christianity Today , Vol 23, No 11, page 15 - article entitled "Purging the Poisoned Well Within" - Blunting the Gospel. The Gospel demands humility -- it brings us to our knees.) And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Bell - Here is what Luther called one of the “little bibles”, the gospel in a verse! We note the contrast between the complex arguments & speculations of the false teachers; & the simplicity of the gospel in 9 words!!! Spurgeon on to save sinners - Not “penitent sinners”, not “sensible sinners”, not “grieving sinners”, nor “alarmed sinners”…just “sinners!