Paul Didn’t Say he Was a Sinning Christian or the Worst Sinner Ever (1 Timothy 1:15 Analysis)

False easy grace preachers like to talk about how the Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15. However, they don’t look at the reference where that concept comes up in its Biblical context as will be done here. Doing so will destroy their claim that Paul remained a sinner after his conversion along with their claim that Paul basically called himself the worst sinner to ever live.

1 Timothy 1:12-13: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

Paul had been these evil things before, not after, his conversion to Christ. Many try to cite what Paul will shortly say to justify their own continuation in sin. Yet Paul is actually teaching the very opposite.

Paul was not fully ignorant in his opposition to Jesus Christ. He still would have gone to hell if he had died in that. He lacked the proper information in certain ways and wasn’t so hardened in his sin that he was no longer a candidate for mercy. That would surely not have been so anymore if he had not responded in repentance from his sin and obedience to the Lord like he did when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus.

1 Timothy 1:14-15: “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

Chief here is “protos” in the Greek text. You should know the word prototype. Paul is not telling Timothy that he is presently living in sin. Paul rather regarded himself as the prototype of one eligible for God’s grace in Christ as well as the prototype of one not receiving that grace in vain (see 1 Corinthians 15:10 and 2 Corinthians 6:1). Paul was not in a different category of sinner than the common person. The grace which he obtained in Christ Jesus was not a different type of grace than what the common person who repents and enters the narrow way to life in Him obtains.

1 Timothy 1:16: “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first (note that word for first is also the word “protos” in the Greek text) Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

Why do so many know 1 Timothy 1:15 and cite it so often, while that is not so with the verses which surround it? And why do the easy grace preachers not note the pattern of how Paul diligently turned from his sin in order to be a faithful disciple of Christ who became diligent to do everything He commands; and to warn others to do the same (see Acts 26:16-21, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and many other Scriptures)?