Deserving Mercy? Ha! (1 Tim. 1:12-17)
(1 Tim. 1:12-17) 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; Throughout my life, especially the last ten years, when I read this statement from Paul, I feel guilt. I don't know about you, but when I read Paul saying, "I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief," my insides react with: "But I have sinned so much in full knowledge of the fact I'm sinning! I cannot deserve mercy!" I hope you caught the irony and silliness of that inner conflict. If not, let me give two reasons why my assumption that Paul deserves mercy - and I don't - is asinine. First, the definition of biblical mercy makes "deserving" impossible. To use the old AWANA definition of mercy: "God not gi...