TEXT [Commentary]

  B.   Paul Recounts His Call to Ministry (1:12-17)

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

NOTES

1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength. The Greek word order is: “I give thanks to him who has given me strength, namely, Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul places “our Lord” last for emphasis.

He considered me trustworthy. This assumes a period of testing, during which Paul demonstrated trustworthiness. Ministerial appointment and divine enablement followed.

appointed me to serve him. This rendering reflects the lack of the article in the phrase eis diakonian [TG1248, ZG1355] (service). Paul was appointed not “for the ministry” (an office) as in the KJV, NKJV, and NAB but “for ministry” (an activity).

1:13 even though. Onta [TG1510, ZG1639] is a concessive participle: “even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ.”

In my insolence. The Greek noun hubristēn [TG5197, ZG5616] denotes an abusive person, who lashes out physically and/or verbally (cf. 1 Thess 2:2).

because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. This is essentially one idea. Paul’s unbelief was prompted by ignorance.

1:14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! Lit., “the grace of our Lord overflowed.” “The grace of our Lord” could be a subjective genitive, “our Lord poured out his abundant grace” (TEV), but a possessive genitive fits just as well: “The Lord’s grace overflowed.” The addition of “Oh, how” is extraneous. The adjective “generous” translates the Greek verb “overflowed” (huperepleonasen [TG5250, ZG5670]), and the adjective “gracious” translates the noun “grace” (charis [TG5485, ZG5921]).

1:15 everyone should accept it. The noun apodochē [TG594, ZG628] has to do with someone’s or something’s “welcome” or “reception.” Paul’s point is that the saying “Christ came into the world to save sinners” deserves a hearty welcome.

I am the worst of them all. “Worst” renders the Greek adjective prōtos [TG4413, ZG4755], which can mean (1) “first” in a series or (2) “chief.” “Chief” (NLT, “worst”) fits the context the best.

1:16 as a prime example. . . . Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him. Lit., “as an example for those who would believe in him.” Pisteuein [TG4100, ZG4409] (to believe) + epi [TG1909, ZG2093] + the dative autō [TG846, ZG899] denotes a firm basis for trust—i.e., “to rely on him” (NIDNTT 3.1212).

1:17 All honor and glory to God. The Greek words timē [TG5092, ZG5507] and doxa [TG1391, ZG1518] are virtual synonyms. In Hellenistic Greek they mean “praise” or “honor” (not “glory”; see LSJ).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The wonder of God’s glorious Good News leads Paul to reflect on his call to ministry. First, there is thanksgiving: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord” (1:12). Thanksgiving was a typical part of Hellenistic letters, and so also of Paul’s. The urgency of the Ephesian situation led Paul to bypass this convention at the very beginning of the letter. But now the congratulatory phrases burst forth. Even so, it was not Paul’s usual thanksgiving. Typically, Paul gives thanks to God. Here, he gives thanks to “Christ Jesus our Lord” because he “has given me strength to do his work” (1:12). Paul’s thanksgiving emphasizes two things: divine empowerment and lordship. “[He] has given me strength” is literally “empowered me.” Paul could not have done his ministry in his own power. “Our Lord” stresses the sovereign character of Christ’s action in calling Paul to serve him.

Paul identified three steps in the process of being called. Step one is to be “considered . . . trustworthy.” A period of testing is implicit in the statement (1:12). Deacons were also to be tested, and only if they passed could they serve in that capacity (3:10). The same held true for evangelists and church planters. To be entrusted with the gospel, one had first to be tested and gain God’s approval (1 Thess 2:4). Step two is an appointment to serve (1:12). The NLT’s “serve” is preferable to “minister” as a translation of diakonos [TG1249, ZG1356] (see note on 1:12). Ministry is too often understood in a hierarchical or official way. The New Testament’s viewpoint is quite the opposite. It presents ministry as something that is done by the whole and not simply the few; it is required of every believer and not just the professionals. Paul makes this clear elsewhere, when he states that God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers to the church “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church” (Eph 4:9-12). When ministry is understood as service, it becomes clear that it is something to which all are equally called. Step three is being given Christ’s “strength” for service (1:12). Paul trained under Rabbi Gamaliel, one of the most prestigious theologians of the day. Yet, without divine empowerment there can be no effective ministry. Christ chooses; Christ entrusts with the gospel; Christ empowers for ministry.

When viewed from a human perspective, Paul was one of the least likely people to be called into Christ’s service. Prior to his calling, he “used to blaspheme the name of Christ” and “persecuted his people” (1:13). A blasphemer is one who publicly slanders another. In Paul’s case the “other” was Christ and his followers. But not only this; Paul also pursued them. Like an animal that stalks its prey, Paul literally hunted down Christ’s people (NLT, “persecuted”). Paul traveled as far as Damascus (about 135 miles from Jerusalem) to seize Jesus’ followers (both women and men) and take them as prisoners to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). Yet, even as he traveled in pursuit of Christians, “God had mercy on” him. “Mercy” usually means extending pity to the pitiable, but Paul as persecutor was hardly a pitiable figure. Why then did he need “mercy”? “Because I did it in ignorance” is Paul’s candid assessment—because he was acting “in ignorance and unbelief” (1:13). The key idea is ignorance (cf. Num 15:22-31; Acts 17:30). His unbelief was not of an informed, willful sort. It was uninformed and ignorant of the facts (cf. Acts 17:30). Paul could easily have been part of the Jewish crowd for whom Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The fact that God would show mercy to someone like Paul indicates that no one can divine whom God will call into his service.

God’s mercy to Paul expressed itself through the grace of our Lord, which overflowed with faith and love (1:14). Verses 14-15 contain both objective and subjective soteriology. On the one hand, there is the act, “Jesus came into the world to save sinners” such as Paul. On the other, there is the subjective impact: Grace overflowed “with the faith and love” that are found in “Christ Jesus” (1:14). The wording “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” is the customary phrase Paul used to close his letters (Rom 16:20, NLT mg; 1 Cor 16:23; 2 Cor 13:14 [13]; Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23; 1 Thess 5:28; 2 Thess 3:18; Phlm 1:25). In all cases, the genitive is subjective. We do not show grace to Christ; he shows grace to us. The article with “grace” (hē charis [TG5485, ZG5921]) points to a specific act of divine favor. Verse 15 spells out what this act was: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Grace differs from mercy. While mercy is reactionary (in this case, reacting to Paul’s pitiable ignorance), grace is God’s sheer goodwill. In Paul’s case, this grace overflowed with the faith and love that can only be found in Christ Jesus (1:14).

Theology does not happen in a vacuum. It develops within the context of real-life experiences. This too was the case for Paul. In verses 15-17 he draws two theological conclusions from his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. The first is about Christ’s mission. “ ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all” (1:15). Paul calls this “a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.” The Greek word for “trustworthy” has to do with being faithful and sure. Because the saying is trustworthy, it is one that deserves full acceptance (1:15). The phrase translated “everyone should accept it” is literally, “worthy of all acceptance.” Paul’s point is that the good news about salvation deserves a hearty welcome.

“This is a trustworthy saying” is a phrase that appears five times in the Pastoral Epistles and nowhere else in the New Testament. In each instance it either introduces (1:15; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11) or concludes (3:1; Titus 3:8) a statement about salvation. Salvation is a major theme in the Pastorals. “Savior” (sōtēr [TG4990, ZG5400]) and its cognate forms—sōtēria [TG4991, ZG5401] (salvation), sōtērios [TG4992A, ZG5402] (bringing salvation), sōzō [TG4982, ZG5392] (to save)—are found seven times in the space of six chapters. “God our Savior” (1:1; 2:3) desires that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (2:4; 4:10). Jesus’ mission was thus to save sinners; that is why he came into the world (1:15; cf. 2:15; 4:16).

Paul’s knowledge of salvation was not merely theoretical. He had experienced God’s saving grace firsthand on the road to Damascus (1:16). Although he persecuted the church out of ignorance, he was not at all shy about assuming responsibility and calling himself “the worst of them all” for what he did (1:15). Why would Christ choose the worst of them all? Paul gives two reasons. The first is “so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience” (1:16). In short, Paul’s turnaround is an example of what Christ can do in the life of even the most implacable individual. Instead of punishing Paul as he fully deserved, Christ saved him. And not only did he save him, but Christ also picked him to proclaim his Good News among the Gentiles. In so doing, Christ demonstrated “his great patience” (1:16). The word “patience” means to place one’s anger at a distance (thumos + makros [TG3115, ZG3429]). Because Christ’s anger against Paul was fully justified, he exercised “great patience” (lit. “complete,” “full”) in dealing with Paul.

Second, Christ chose Paul to demonstrate that “others . . . , too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (1:16). Christ picked the worst so that he might display his best (“great patience”), thereby encouraging belief in him and the receipt of eternal life. Paul, as a result, became the prototype or “prime example” for all future believers. He was not merely an example but a determinative forerunner (TDNT 8.249-250). The pattern is an important one; for the outcome is no less than “eternal life” (v. 16).

Paul’s reflections on Christ’s mercy and grace led quite naturally to a doxology: “All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen” (1:17). “He is the eternal King” is literally “to the King of the ages.” This reflects a Jewish bipartite view of history as “this age” and “the age to come.” God is king in both domains. “The unseen one who never dies” renders two Greek terms, “immortal” and “invisible.” The Greek aphthartos [TG862, ZG915] (NLT, “never dies”) denotes that which cannot be corrupted and does not perish. Greek philosophers applied this characteristic to the soul (as opposed to the body). Theologically, however, it is something that God alone possesses. “Invisible” (a + horatos [TG517, ZG548]; NLT, “unseen”; cf. Col 1:15) is that which cannot be seen with the mortal eye . The statement “he alone is God” (lit., “the only God”) is distinctively Jewish (over against the polytheism of the non-Jewish world). The daily prayers of the typical Jew began with “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone” (Deut 6:4). It says something about the centrality of monotheism in Jewish theology. To such a God is due praise and honor of an unending kind (“forever and ever”).