By God’s Grace Alone: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and it is by God’s grace through faith alone that we are saved with our sincere repentance and humble submission to the Lord and His Word. Paul said, “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (v 14). That is God’s irresistible grace (Calvin’s TULIP) that, by His great love and His election of grace, He has drawn us to Himself (John 6:44, 65), quickened us together with Christ (Eph 2:1, 5), delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us His kingdom (Col 1:13), even granted us faith to believe and to be saved (Eph 2:8) and be justified and sanctified (Acts 26:18; Rom 3:24). Dear friends, it is by God’s grace alone, so we have nothing to boast of ourselves except to humbly give all thanks, glory and praise to the Lord.
Humble Submission: As “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6), the proper attitude to receive God’s grace is humility and submission. When meeting the Lord Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus and realising that he was persecuting the Lord, Paul “trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) This shows his fully humble submission. Paul also gave his testimony, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” (Gal 1:15-16). Paul did not confer or consult with flesh and blood (human beings). Sadly, many professing Christians, even leaders, nowadays let themselves be influenced and misled by human ideas or unbiblical doctrines from ungodly “scholars” who arrogantly preach or write against God’s perfect Word without any submission to the Lord and His Word at all! How about you and me? Shall we say to Jesus Christ, “Lord,” not just on our lips but from a fully submissive heart, “what wilt thou have me to do?” without any consultation with human ideas, mindset, or thinking except God’s will and Word alone?
Moreover, after many years of faithful and fruitful service to the Lord, Paul confessed, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” before he was about to be executed (2 Tim 4:6-8). Truly, the more we know God and the more we know ourselves, the more we shall humble ourselves. This is true. Let us have a look at the life of the apostle Paul. In his first epistle to the Corinthians written about A.D. 56, Paul compared himself with other apostles and confessed, “I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called an apostle” (1 Cor 15:9). Then in his epistle to the Ephesians written about A.D. 60, he compared himself with other believers and said, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,” (Eph 3:8). And here in his first epistle to Timothy written about A.D. 65, he compared himself with sinners and confessed, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15). Paul used the simple present tense “am” to denote his humble every-moment need of the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace. It is safe and wise for you and me to have the same humble attitude, always realising our need of the Lord and His grace, His life, His Word, His wisdom, His guidance, His holiness, His righteousness, His protection, His strength, His love, His mercy, His peace, His joy, His comfort, etc. This will help us look unto the Lord, our All and in All, with our full trust, dependence and submission.
Thanksgiving and Praise: Paul said, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry… Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (vv 12, 17). Truly enjoying God’s eternal salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone while we only deserve condemnation to Hell, we shall humbly give thanks, honour, glory and praise to the Lord alone; and by God’s sufficient grace we may press on and persevere even in difficulties, temptations, trials, persecutions, giving thanks to Him in all things with a submissive heart to God’s sovereignty and His will, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess 5:18).
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