Hi guys,

Welcome again, thanks for watching!

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1 Timothy 1:13, “Even though I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”

Interesting points:
1. In this verse, Paul provides us a deeper understanding of his gratitude as he (a) recognizes God’s amazing mercy and (b) acknowledges his terrible sins as a misguided unbeliever in his life before accepting Jesus as Lord.

2. Having studied the Law, Paul keenly understood the repercussions and severity of his words and actions prior to following Christ. He not only ridiculed and spoke against Jesus’ followers and attacked His claims, he tracked down believers and sought to destroy them even to death. Some of us have been Christians since childhood whereas others have lived lives in opposition to God’s ways before deciding to follow Him. Yet all of us have sinned and fall short over and over again. Paul’s admission should encourage us for Jesus has redeemed each of us and, like Paul, God can still use you for His glory.

3. God’s mercy withheld the punishment Paul richly deserved. The key point in this verse is not that ignorance and unbelief results in God’s mercy; rather, God chooses to be merciful just as he recognized that Paul acted in ignorance and unbelief of Jesus’ divinity and spared him the consequences of blasphemy, injustice and violence. Instead, God recognized Paul’s misdirected zeal in persecuting the early church and forgave him when Paul became a believer and was baptized in Damascus. Similarly, God is not forced to show us mercy, but He chooses to do so in love, at His pleasure and for His purpose.

Application.
Brothers, what a powerful reminder of God’s justice and mercy!

Like Paul, each of us has experienced the amazing mercy of God in our unbelief and ignorance. Although we are covered by Jesus’ blood, may we faithfully seek a deeper relationship with God, committing ourselves to studying Him so we do not remain ignorant, and to growing in our faith so that unbelief and doubt are forever banished from our minds.