1 Timothy 1.16-The Lord Treated Paul In Grace To Demonstrate The Extent Of His Patience As An Example For Those Who Were To Believe In Him For Eternal Life
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 27, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 1:16-The Lord Treated Paul In Grace To Demonstrate His Perfect Patience As An Example For Those Who Were To Believe In Him For Eternal Life
Lesson # 28
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1:12.
This morning, we will note 1 Timothy 1:16.
1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 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. 16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. (NASU)
“Yet for this reason I found mercy” is composed of the strong adversative conjunction (ἀλλά) (ah-lah), “yet” and the preposition dia (διά) (thee-ah), “for…reason” and the accusative neuter singular form of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος) (oo-toce), “this” and the first person singular aorist passive indicative form of the verb eleeo (ἐλεέω) (el-ay-eh-owe), “I found mercy.”
The strong adversative conjunction alla is a marker of an emphatic contrast introducing a statement that stands in direct contrast with Paul’s description of himself prior to his conversion to Christianity.
It is emphasizing the contrast between Paul as the most prominent sinner and leading opponent of our Lord with that of the Lord’s grace policy.
The preposition dia is a marker of cause denoting the basis or reason for the Lord treating Paul according to His grace policy.
The immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos is “anaphoric” referring to the immediate preceding statement at the end of verse 15 that Paul was the foremost of sinners in that he was the leading opponent of Christianity.
Therefore, this indicates because Paul was in fact the foremost opponent of our Lord and His church, the Lord treated him according to His grace policy.
Because of Paul’s pre-conversion status as the most strident opponent among men of the Lord Jesus Christ and His church, his conversion through faith in Jesus Christ would mark Paul out as the greatest illustration of God’s grace in what it can do for the worst of sinners.
The verb eleeo does not mean “to be shown mercy” or “to receive mercy” but rather “to obtain grace” referring to the function of the Lord’s grace policy towards Paul.
“So that in me as the foremost” is composed of the conjunction hina (ἵνα) (ee-nah), “so that” and the preposition en (ἐν), “in” and the dative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) (eh-go), “me” and the dative masculine singular form of the adjective protos (πρῶτος) (pro-toce), “as the foremost.”
The conjunction hina introduces a purpose clause that presents the purpose for the Lord treating Paul who was His most strident and violent enemy among men, according to His grace policy.
The Lord treated Paul according to His grace policy in order to demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those sinners in the future who would trust in Him as Savior.
If the Lord could save His worst and most violent opponent among men, he could save them!
The personal pronoun ego refers of course to Paul and is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of agent with the implication of the agent being used as an instrument.
This indicates that Paul was the agency by which the Lord could demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those sinners in the future who would trust in Him as Savior.
This prepositional phrase indicates that by means of Paul’s conversion experience, the Lord was demonstrating to sinful humanity that His grace policy can fundamentally change the most strident and violent of His opponents into arguably His greatest servant.
Through Paul, the Lord wanted all of sinful humanity to know that His grace policy, which is an expression of His attribute of love, can change His worst enemy into His greatest servant.
If the Lord was patient with Paul, He will be patient with anyone.
Through Paul, the Lord is telling all of sinful humanity that there is no sin or sinner that can not be forgiven.
If God can save His worst enemy, then He can save anyone!
If you recall, the adjective protos appeared in verse 15 where it meant “foremost” and was used in a qualitative sense emphasizing that Paul was the most “prominent” or “foremost” opponent of the Lord Jesus Christ and His church.
1 Timothy 1:16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. (NASU)
“His perfect patience” is composed of the articular accusative feminine singular form of the adjective hapas (ἅπας) (ah-pahs), “His perfect” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun makrothumia (μακροθυμία) (mak-roe-thee-me-ah), “patience.”
The noun makrothumia is used to describe God’s attitude towards sinful mankind (See also Romans 2:4; 9:22; 1 Peter 3:20).
Therefore, the noun makrothumia refers to the “patience” of the Lord Jesus Christ in the sense that He who is holy endures sinners and their sinful ways that are totally opposed to His holy character.
The fact that sinners are not sent to the lake of fire forever immediately after sinning does not mean that the Lord is powerless to do so but rather it demonstrates that He is patient.
Every sinner would be in the lake of fire now, if God was not patient with them.
The adjective hapas intensifies makrothumia and means “the full extent” indicating that by saving Paul, the Lord was demonstrating the “full extent” of His patience.
Paul was the extreme demonstration of the Lord’s grace policy towards sinners since he led the rebellion and opposition to Him and His church.
He was the Lord’s greatest enemy among men.
“As An Example” is composed of the preposition pros (πρός) (proce), “as” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun hupotuposis (ὑποτύπωσις) (ee-poe-tee-pah-seece), “an example.”
The noun hupotuposis means “example” and is used of the Lord’s gracious treatment of Paul which would serve as “an example” to those sinners who in the future would trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
The word is the object of the preposition pros, which functions as a marker of purpose indicating that the Lord treated Paul according to grace in order that He could demonstrate the full extent of His patience for the purpose of presenting an example to sinners who would in the future trust in Him for eternal life.
“For those who would believe in Him” speaks of those sinners in the future who would trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
It emphasizes not only the immediacy of Paul serving as an example for those sinners subsequent to him who would trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life but also it stresses the certainty of this taking place in the future or subsequent to Paul.
This phrase refers to making the non-meritorious decision “to trust” or “place one’s absolute confidence in” the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross in order to receive the gift of eternal life.
It emphasizes that the sinner’s faith or absolute confidence must “rest upon” the Lord Jesus Christ.
“For eternal life” indicates that the purpose of the sinner exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Savior is to receive the gift of eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16 serves as a rebuke to those pastors in Ephesus who were occupied with the Law and emphasized it with their congregations since it makes clear that the Law can never save and transform sinners but only God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus can do so.
In fact, it can save and transform the worst enemy of Christ and the church, Paul!
Only the gospel that centers upon Jesus Christ and proclaims that through faith in Him one can receive eternal life can save the sinner and transforms the worst of sinners and the worst enemy of the church and Christ into an obedient child of God.
Only the gospel that proclaims the grace of God through faith in Christ can transform the worst enemy of Christ into His greatest servant.
Thus, the futility of these pastors in Ephesus emphasizing obedience to the Law or even wasting their time being occupied with Jewish myths and useless genealogies.
Paul’s personal testimony makes clear to the Ephesians and these pastors that the Law cannot save or transform the sinner into an obedient child of God but only the gospel can.
Only grace through faith in Christ can save and transform the sinner, even the worst enemy of Christ, who was Paul!