Who can be saved? 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Who can be saved?

1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:12–17 (ESV)

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 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.

Who can be saved?

Before we look at who can be saved… it’s important to note something that we learn from Paul. On one hand we see the saving power of the gospel in Paul’s life. On the other hand, we see that

You can be religious and be unsaved.

Paul speaks of his life before Christ… and describes himself as a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent… but at the time Paul viewed himself as righteous.

He is now writing to Timothy that what he thought was righteousness was really just religiosity because it did not lead to faith in the promises of God in Jesus Christ.

Quick background on Paul:

Pharisee

Kept the law as perfectly as possible

Persecutor of Christians

Held cloaks for those who stoned Stephen in Acts 7

Religious people can reject the gospel

Blasphemer- rejected Jesus, and ascribed the work of the spirit to the work of the Devil.

Paul was not just an opponent of the gospel, he says in verse 13 that he was acting ignorantly and in unbelief.

Religion without rest, or religion without trusting and depending on Christ isn’t faith.

You can be religious in a way that misses the gospel. How? By making your righteousness dependent on your works, rather than the work of Christ.

Like we saw in verses 3-11, the law is good when it is used for it’s intended purpose. The law was not given so that the righteous could be affirmed. The law was given to expose every person’s need for a savior, so that we would be ready to receive the Messiah- Jesus.

Religious people reject the gospel of salvation by faith through grace on the grounds that they can be good enough to “get into heaven”

Striving to be good enough to earn salvation is a clear rejection of the gospel.

Those who are religious and reject the gospel don’t have a place for the worst of sinners to be saved, because they see salvation as the result of the works and goodness of people.

Religious people can be opposed to the gospel

Paul was opposed to the gospel as an opponent of Christ and the gospel.

Rejecting the gospel of salvation by grace through faith results in opposition to the preaching of the gospel. Religious people can be opposed to the gospel by arguing against the reality of salvation by faith, and they build an oppositional theology that puts salvation in the hands of men… and adds or takes away from the truth of the gospel.

Paul was opposed to the gospel to the point that he was persecuting those who followed Jesus by having them imprisoned and some of them stoned and killed.

Religious people have a history of rejecting the gospel and persecuting those who proclaim the truth.

This is true for the prophets in the OT, the apostles in the NT, the early church leaders, and has continued until today. Within each generation there are those who are acting ignorantly and in unbelief. They do all that they do against the gospel and in place of the gospel with confidence… which is the this thing about those who reject…

Religious people are convinced they are right.

Paul was acting ignorantly and in unbelief… It’s not that Paul didn’t believe anything… it’s that Paul didn’t believe in the truth of Jesus… Paul did believe in works based righteousness… and so did many others. Paul didn’t see his actions as wrong, or his life as falling short.

This happens today… there will be some who believe they are right, on the right track, and that it’s their duty to take people down while at the same time building themselves up.

So, how do you convince the religious and unsaved of the truth of the gospel?

You have to proclaim the Gospel…

The gospel is the means by which God saves sinners.

Romans 10:11–17 (ESV)

11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

No one can be saved if they don’t hear the gospel…

I asked at the beginning “Who can be saved?”

The gospel says that blasphemers, persecutors, insolent opponents, and ignorant unbelievers can be saved!

“But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 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.” 1 Timothy 1:13-18

How is it possible for bad people to be saved?

Salvation is an act of mercy and love

“But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

God saves sinners by grace through faith in Jesus Christ

“But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

It can be a difficult thing to wrap our minds around… but faith is the product of grace. As Paul writes here to Timothy, God’s grace overflowed to him with faith and love…

The grace of God produces in us both faith and love… this doesn’t mean that faith and love are not genuine… it simply means that sinners cannot produce saving faith or genuine love without the grace of God.

Like Jesus told Nicodemus, without the work of the Spirit you cannot see and understand the kingdom of God… or as Paul said in Ephesians 2…

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

There was a time before salvation.,. a time in which you once walked… and Paul makes it clear that he has that time. Though his time was wildly religious, it was still a time of darkness. In his religious activity he has declared that he was a child of wrath like the pagans.

And yet, that changed… and it changed by the mercy, love, and grace of God.

Ephesians 2:4–5 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

God makes us alive… it’s that simple and that complex at the same time. Like Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3- you can’t see the wind, but you can see the effect of the wind.

The faith and love that flow from the grace of God are evidence of the effectual grace, mercy, and love fo God in the life of a believer. Paul describes these effects as the result of his salvation… and the contrast that he paints of life before grace and life after grace are so that we will see the truth that

God saves the worst of sinners so that best of sinners will be saved.

5 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.

Now, don’t hear me saying what I am not saying… I am using a play on words… there really isn’t a worst of sinners or a best of sinners… because any sinner is condemned to hell.

But, Paul has blasphemed, persecuted, opposed, and acted ignorantly while being confident in his actions. So, Paul doesn’t know a worse sinner than himself.

And yet, he doesn’t think that those who are better than him have any hope apart from Christ either.

Like he says, he has received mercy so that Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example…

You cannot sin so much that you cannot be saved.

(Tell the story of church member in Dayton, TN with things from Vietnam that haunted him… maybe even one of ours from HBC, young guy who had a past and wanted to get married and join the church- but didn’t have a testimony- DT)

Salvation is a display of God’s mercy, grace, and love more than it is a display of your faith.

And, I know that might be slightly confusing, but I am praying it settles in. Again, I am not saying that you don’t have faith… But I am trying to make sure that we see the main point of what Paul is saying… Salvation is the demonstration of what God has done… not what we have done.

That is why Paul says that our faith and love for God is the result of what God has done… to guard our hearts and minds into thinking that we have loved and “faithed” God into saving us. Salvation is not a testimony to our faith…

Salvation is not a testimony to our faith, it’s a testimony to the one we place our faith in- Jesus Christ.

17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is why Paul erupts mid-letter with praise! He cannot talk about his salvation without praise and honor to the one who has done the work.

I showed this clip about a month ago on a Wednesday night… I know some of you have seen it before… and I could describe it to you, but I think it works best if we just watch it together…

Alistair Begg Clip…

What’s your testimony? The man on the middle cross said I could come, or look at all I have done for Jesus?

Challenge: To worship and live as a church that that furthers the name of Jesus in Tupelo, Lee County, and beyond. This means that we would care less about our personal names and the furthering of our church, and more about the name of Jesus.

We began our time with the simple question… who can be saved? Well, the answer that question is You.

Who can be saved? You.