Letters to the Family of God
by Joe Franzone | September 16, 2021 | Pastor's Blog
September 16, 2021
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15)
Dear Friends,
Are you the worst sinner you know? Maybe you are thinking of a host of other people you consider worse than you. When we compare ourselves to other people, we may come out ahead. But what about when we compare ourselves to Christ? That's what Catherine Pare, the sixth wife of King Henry the VIII, does in her book The Lamentations of a Sinner.
Comparing ourselves to Christ will expose the deeper parts of sin in us. However, when we look to Christ, we see not just our sin and our example but also our Savior. The One who came into the world to save sinners. Our sin may be great, but His mercy is greater.
I count myself one of the most wicked and miserable sinners in the world because I had been so contrary to Christ my Savior.
Christ was innocent and empty of all sin, and I wallowed in filthy sin and was free from no sin. Christ was obedient to you, His Father, even to the death of the cross, and I was disobedient and stubborn. Christ was meek and humble and heart, and I am most proud and self-serving. Christ despised the world with all its vanities, and I made it my God because of its vanities. Christ came to serve His brother and sister, and I longed to rule over them. Christ despised worldly honor, and I delight to attain it. Christ loved the lowly and simple things of this world, and I esteemed the fairest and pleasant things. Christ prayed for His enemies, and I hated mine.
Shall I fall in desperation? No, I will call upon Christ…the peacemaker between God and man. This is what quenches all despair.
The Lamentations of a Sinner
Are you the worst sinner you know? The Apostle Paul was able to write down for all time, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was. Sometimes I think about Paul's prayers of confession in light of his admission. No wonder he was a gospel man. He was not like climbers, heroically striving to the top of the mountain fueled by desire, commitment and brute force. No, he was carried to the mountain by His Savior-Jesus Christ.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16)
May God give to us through the tears of repentance the ability to see more clearly the glory and the beauty of Christ's saving cross. All we have is Christ is one of the greatest truths I know.
From the worse sinner, I know,
Joe