Photo by Jess Watters on Unsplash
{new monthly post: I share a quote or Bible verse that is meaningful to me and/or makes me think.}
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
-1st Timothy 1:15
I feel like this verse is probably one that sounds crazy to a lot of people. This was written by the apostle Paul, who is one of the great figures within Christianity. Granted, he did murder a bunch of Christians before the converting- but he went on to be instrumental in setting up the Christian church. So maybe he's referring to the murder-y bits of his life.
But I think this verse kind of hits a particular point of Christianity- even out of context, it speaks to the idea that humans are inherently flawed and Christ is inherently perfect.
And that can seem like a hard thought- this idea that no matter how hard you try, you won't ever truly succeed when there is a perfect example. It can feel pointless. And within Christianity, I definitely think that people can use this line of thought to be lazy or avoid confronting themselves.
But this verse is very comforting to me personally. It's the same feeling that I get when I go to the beach- I know the ocean is fast and I am looking at only a portion of it. I am reminded how incredibly tiny I am on this planet, in this universe. It makes everything going on with me feel insignificant and silly- in a wonderful way.
This verse does clearly point out how imperfect I am.
But it also provides so much grace. The older I get, the harder the world gets, the more I feel like this world needs more grace.
I know, it's the age of social justice. And I completely agree that things need to change and people need to be held accountable. But I very much fear that we are about to go blind charging an eye for an eye (all sides, on everything, are contributing to this).
So this verse gives me personal comfort for reminding me of the grace and acceptance Christ gives me, but it's also a challenge.
It's a challenge to extend that grace and acceptance to others. It a challenge to remember that everyone is flawed- especially me.
No comments