Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtSJljqNuYU
Program Transcript
Faithful to the End: I & II Timothy
There’s something powerful about receiving a letter from someone you admire, a mentor who has walked the path ahead of you, who knows the struggles, and who believes in the calling you carry.
That’s the feeling behind 1 and 2 Timothy.
Paul writes to his spiritual son Timothy, not just with instructions, but with deep encouragement. He reminds Timothy of the faith that was passed down to him and urges him to guard the good deposit entrusted to him.
In these pastoral letters, Paul charges Timothy to stay rooted in sound doctrine, to lead with courage and love, and to hold fast to the truth even when it’s unpopular. He warns of challenges to come — opposition, confusion, and false teaching. But he reminds Timothy that his strength doesn’t come from himself. It comes from the Spirit of God who gives power, love, and self-discipline.
As Christ-followers today, we too are entrusted with the gospel. We too are called to be faithful, to lead others with humility, to teach with wisdom, and to suffer well for the sake of Christ. Like Timothy, we may feel young, uncertain, or overwhelmed — but these letters remind us that we are not alone. We are part of a legacy, mentored by the Spirit, strengthened by grace, and guided by the example of those who have gone before us.
1 and 2 Timothy call us to remain faithful to the end, not because we are strong, but because the One who called us is faithful. As we read these words passed from Paul to Timothy, we hear the Spirit’s invitation echoing still today: fan into flame the gift of God in you. Preach the word. Endure hardship. Fulfill your ministry.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
The letters to Timothy are more than ancient instructions; they are a living call to courageous faithfulness. As we step into the work God has entrusted to us, may we carry the same flame Timothy fanned, guided by the Spirit, grounded in truth, and strengthened by grace. Let us go forward with boldness, knowing that the race we run is not in vain and that our faithful God walks with us every step of the way.
Program Transcript
Faithful to the End: I & II Timothy
There’s something powerful about receiving a letter from someone you admire, a mentor who has walked the path ahead of you, who knows the struggles, and who believes in the calling you carry.
That’s the feeling behind 1 and 2 Timothy.
Paul writes to his spiritual son Timothy, not just with instructions, but with deep encouragement. He reminds Timothy of the faith that was passed down to him and urges him to guard the good deposit entrusted to him.
In these pastoral letters, Paul charges Timothy to stay rooted in sound doctrine, to lead with courage and love, and to hold fast to the truth even when it’s unpopular. He warns of challenges to come — opposition, confusion, and false teaching. But he reminds Timothy that his strength doesn’t come from himself. It comes from the Spirit of God who gives power, love, and self-discipline.
As Christ-followers today, we too are entrusted with the gospel. We too are called to be faithful, to lead others with humility, to teach with wisdom, and to suffer well for the sake of Christ. Like Timothy, we may feel young, uncertain, or overwhelmed — but these letters remind us that we are not alone. We are part of a legacy, mentored by the Spirit, strengthened by grace, and guided by the example of those who have gone before us.
1 and 2 Timothy call us to remain faithful to the end, not because we are strong, but because the One who called us is faithful. As we read these words passed from Paul to Timothy, we hear the Spirit’s invitation echoing still today: fan into flame the gift of God in you. Preach the word. Endure hardship. Fulfill your ministry.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
The letters to Timothy are more than ancient instructions; they are a living call to courageous faithfulness. As we step into the work God has entrusted to us, may we carry the same flame Timothy fanned, guided by the Spirit, grounded in truth, and strengthened by grace. Let us go forward with boldness, knowing that the race we run is not in vain and that our faithful God walks with us every step of the way.
Psalm 14:1–7 · Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28 · I Timothy 1:12–17 · Luke 15:1–10
This week’s readings are humbling as they challenge us to look squarely at our ignorance and foolishness. Our theme, Jesus welcomes and saves sinners, offers a timely reminder that thankfully, our salvation doesn’t depend on us, and that repentance is ongoing, not a “one-and-done” activity. Psalm 14 talks about fools who oppress others, eating “up my people like bread” (v. 4), and the psalmist echoes our own prayers for God’s deliverance from oppression and affliction of the most vulnerable. Jeremiah 4 also presents a bleak view of a people who “are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good” (v. 22), along with a plea for God’s people to work to promote the flourishing of all people and the earth. The Gospel reading from Luke 15 offers encouragement. The lost sheep or lost coins who, having gone astray or become lost, can count on being found by the One who rejoices over them. Just to be clear, that includes all of us, all the time. Our sermon text, found in 1 Timothy 1:12–17, offers more encouragement that where we begin our journey in seeking God is not where we’ll end up, thanks to the devotion of our triune God.
Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the Sunday sermon.
How to use this sermon resource.
Unstoppable Mercy
1 Timothy 1:12–17 NRSVUE
In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey tells the following story about an incident on a New York subway:
I was riding a subway on Sunday morning in New York. People were sitting quietly, reading papers, or resting with eyes closed. It was a peaceful scene. Then a man and his children entered the subway car. The man sat next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to his children, who were yelling, throwing things, even grabbing people’s papers. I couldn’t believe he could be so insensitive. Eventually, with what I felt was unusual patience, I turned and said, “Sir, your children are disturbing people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”
The man lifted his gaze as if he saw the situation for the first time. “Oh, you’re right,” he said softly, “I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”
Suddenly, I saw things differently. And because I saw differently, I felt differently. I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn’t have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior. My heart filled with compassion…Everything changed in an instant.
[Preacher, it is not recommended that you read the above story. Instead, put it in your own words, telling it in a conversational way.]
Covey’s story helps us think about the complex nature of being human. People are subject to unseen emotional circumstances, and unfortunately, we don’t often give one another the benefit of the doubt. We don’t think of the many reasons for unexpected behavior, and we often don’t allow room for others to change and transform over the course of a life. Our sermon text shows us that God, on the other hand, is always ready to extend mercy, love, and acceptance, no matter our starting point. Let’s read 1 Timothy 1:12–17 NRSVUE.
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Context of 1 Timothy
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are referred to as the “pastoral letters or epistles.” They offer advice for local churches and the various issues they face during that period. Some scholars question whether Paul wrote these letters because their style and content vary from the typical letters written to churches by Paul. But whether Paul wrote these letters or someone else, they offer us insight into the gospel.
Our sermon passage for today contains a testimony reminding Timothy and the rest of us of God’s unstoppable mercy and deep desire for our transformation.
Let’s consider the following themes: transformation doesn’t require a good starting point, and the mercy of the triune God expresses divine love.
Transformation doesn’t require a good starting point
The author of 1 Timothy wants readers to know that you don’t need to be a good person to be transformed by God and serve others. The passage is worded this way in The Message Bible:
I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were violence and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:12–14 The Message
We may not know with certainty who the author is, but it is a person in whom God is “trusting with this ministry.” It would appear the author is in a position to write an instructional letter to Timothy. The author shares what sounds very much like a testimony or a conversion experience — moving from being a man of violence to a servant of the gospel.
We all need God’s grace (Romans 3:21–26), regardless of where we are in our life’s journey. And when we experience God’s loving presence, we are more likely to model his grace for others.
The mercy of the triune God expresses divine love
The result of receiving this mercy and grace is that it spills out to others in the form of service as well as worship and praise to God. The author of 1 Timothy cites his own experience and explains that it is applicable to everyone. Let’s read it from The Message translation again.
Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever. Deep honor and bright glory to the King of All Time – One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always. Oh, yes! 1 Timothy 1:15–17 The Message
Theologian N.T. Wright compares Paul’s transformation by God with the Lone Ranger’s experience with his faithful horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger was a television show from 1949–1957, and it featured a former Texas ranger who sought to bring justice to outlaws who had somehow escaped from typical law enforcement. Wright recalls that the horse Silver was wild and assumed to be unbreakable, even by the Lone Ranger’s companion Tonto. But somehow the Lone Ranger manages to make Silver his own, and Silver provides him faithful and intuitive service. Wright explains the comparison like this: “from the moment when the Lone Ranger shows that he can tame the untamable horse and make it into his servant, and even in a measure his friend, the viewer knows that he will be able to conquer all other obstacles in his path as well…And that is precisely the point Paul is making when he talks of what God had done in his life. God has taken the wildest, most violent of blaspheming persecutors, and has transformed him into not only a believer but also a trusted apostle and evangelist. If God can do that, there is nobody out there, no heart so hard, no anger so bitter, that it remains outside the reach of God’s patient mercy” (p. 11). Paul becomes a model or pattern for the way God seems to work in the lives of those who recognize their need for divine mercy.
While one might think these verses are all about Paul, we can notice that they bring us back to praise God (1 Timothy 1:17), emphasizing the significant role worship plays in our lives. Mercy begets gratitude and love that reach far beyond us. Barclay writes that Paul’s testimony was evidence of his desire to show his gratitude: “The memory of his sin was the constant urge to greater effort. It is quite true that a man can never earn the approval of God or deserve his love; but it is also true that he can never stop trying to do something to show how much he appreciates the love and the mercy which have made him what he is. Whenever we love anyone, we cannot help trying always to demonstrate our love.” Praise and worship are our response for grasping the magnitude of mercy we’ve been shown.
As shown in the opening story about the man on the subway, we’re often quick to judge others rather than offer mercy and grace. Thankfully, our triune God is more than willing to shower us with unstoppable mercy, and Jesus Christ is the incarnational evidence of God’s love. No matter where we begin our journey in seeking God, we can be sure that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been seeking us first.
Call to Action: When you feel frustrated in traffic or with a coworker or family member, consider other reasons that might explain any upsetting behavior. Take a breath and then pray and ask God to help you offer mercy, patience, and grace, remembering the divine mercy and grace that has been shown to you.
For Reference:
Wright, N.T. Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/coveys-subway-story-power-perception-erik-van-alstine
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/1-timothy-1.html
Rev. Dr. Jared Michelson—Year C Proper 19
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR067-Michelson-YearC-Proper19.mp3
September 14, 2025 — Proper 19 in Ordinary Time
1 Timothy 1:12-17 NRSVUE
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Program Transcript
Rev. Dr. Jared Michelson—Year C Proper 19
Anthony: Let’s transition to the next pericope of the month. It is 1 Timothy 1:12-17. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 19 in Ordinary Time, which is September 14. Jared, would you read it for us, please?
Jared: Yeah.
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Anthony: So, you’re a researcher that focuses on the doctrine of God. So, tell us about this God revealed in Jesus Christ through this text.
Jared: Yeah, it tells us a great deal about this God, doesn’t it? One of the things that really jumps out to me, and I think this does get to the character of God, maybe it’s getting there in a roundabout way, is that Paul seems to say something that is very implausible. Is it the case, that Paul is actually the worst of all sinners?
The fact that God enjoins us sometimes to enact what we might call moral fictions to counteract the ways we can go wrong by living as if something were the case. So, think of Philippians, I think it is, when he says, consider others more significant than yourself.
Does that mean that literally you are less valuable and other people are more valuable? I don’t think so. The way I sometimes describe it when I’m doing a wedding with people is saying, one of the things I had to learn for myself is that I have a remarkable capacity to keep meticulous detail of all of the chores I have done around the house, and to just so happen to not see all the ways, all the things that my wife has done. And I’m not doing that deliberately. It’s my kind of blindness. And so actually, if I just try to keep things 50/50, they won’t be 50/50 at all. I need to try to treat her as more significant than myself.
And I think that’s part of what Paul is saying here. This isn’t a kind of worm theology where Paul is saying, “I’m so bad” and he’s whipping himself. Instead, to your point, he is I think overwhelmed by the grace of God, the mercy that he has received. And that is him choosing to live a life that is continually aware of that. And that’s his motivating sensor.
One of the words that really jumps out to me is in verse 16 where it says, Jesus has showed patience with me. And this actually becomes a really important word in the Christian tradition. And funnily enough, it’s one of the words that helps create our modern idea of tolerance.
We sometimes think that tolerance just means being a relativist or being indifferent, but it doesn’t mean that at all. Tolerance means bearing with something that you find objectionable for the sake of maintaining communion or relationship or community with the others. And with the other. And this is what God does with us — that despite our brokenness, despite our sinfulness, God is continually bearing with that so that he can maintain union with us and communion with us and drawing us into deeper union with him.
So, to me that’s a part of the kind of beautiful vision of God’s character that Paul is talking about here. He’s not emphasizing his sin to beat himself down, but he’s overwhelmed by the fact that though he can look back and see all of his many missteps, that God has been walking with him through that all the time. He’s that kind of good shepherd, walking with us through the valley of death and being patient with us in countless ways we don’t know. So yeah, to me that patience is a wonderful kind of exemplification of God’s character and love.
Anthony: Yeah, my eyes are drawn to verse 14, “the grace of our Lord overflowed.” Andrew Purvis talks about this super overflowing abundance in God. It overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Overflowing good. Yes … including the patience that you mentioned.
It seems odd to me that people would interpret the text this way, but I have seen some react to this interpretation that God is conditional, that Paul was strengthened by the Lord because he was considered faithful. Verse 12, he received mercy because he acted out of ignorance, not willfully. In verse 13. So, Jared, is God’s kindness based on conditions?
Jared: No, but I think it goes back to a bit of what we spoke about before. There are conditions and there are conditions. Let me put it this way …
Anthony: Tell me more.
Jared: This is an analogy I’ve used before, where we can go back to this kind of idea of slaveholding. I’m not an expert on these things, but apparently this kind of situation actually did happen in the American South. You had the legal declaration that slavery as an institution was ended. And so, you had men and women that were held slaves, that lived in terrible conditions, that were forced to do backbreaking labor, that had very little agency and very little prospects in life.
Slavery was abolished, and then they went to live in the exact same houses. They worked in the exact same fields. They had the exact same limited prospects in life doing the exact same back-breaking labor, but they received a very small amount of money at the end of the week, which they had to use to pay for those very terrible houses they used to live in. Would we say that person is free?
Formally, perhaps their official condition is free, but if nothing has materially changed about the facts of their life, they’re not actually living as free people. They’re functionally still in bondage. And so, part of what the gospel … and I think sometimes we view the gospel that way when we say, is there no conditions? What is there isn’t is any standard you need to meet in order to be forgiven. Part of the kind of amazing discovery of the reformation is that Jesus has he has paid the penalty for sin. And that being united with him allows you to have in a sense all of the conditions met, but it necessarily will lead you into a new life.
And you are not actually being freed. You are not actually being saved. You are not actually living in Christ unless you are living a renewed, transformed, different life. Not so that you can earn God’s favor, but so that you can actually experience salvation. You can live as a free person and this too is not somehow something you earn off on your own.
It’s living into your union with Christ. It is grace upon grace. It is, as Paul said, working out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you.
Anthony: Yeah, that brings some great insight in terms of just the way that we experience salvation. And thanks be to God that salvation is not a one and done act. But it’s the ongoing perpetual reality of God that he is saving us, that he is delivering us from bondage each and every day. Hallelujah. Praise God for that. And so that makes sense. It almost puts a subjective reading on scripture like, yes, this is objectively true what God has done — forgiving me, but it’s there is this act of living into the salvation that he has so graciously given to us. I think that’s what you’re saying, right?
Jared: That’s exactly what I’m saying. I think you’ve put it as, as often happens with me, I think you’ve put it far better than I have, so thanks for doing that. But exactly the New Testament speaks of salvation as something that is being completed and as something that is completed. It is both of those. And sometimes we can have this very unhelpful view that being saved is just simply a question of, am I going to heaven or not? And that is not at all how the New Testament uses this very multifaceted language of being saved. You are always in danger when you try to summarize the richness of the gospel.
But for me, the gospel is about the renewal, the restoration of our entire person. Indeed, it is about forgiveness. It is about eternal life, but it is just as much about living this abundant life in Christ now, being restored and renewed into his image, and then making this entire cosmos new.
Anthony: That reminds me of a quote from Eugene Peterson where he said, resurrection is not exclusively what happens after we’re buried. It has to do with the way we live right now. The kingdom is near; the kingdom is here. Let’s be about the Father’s business.
Jared: Absolutely. That is the meaning of that word.
Program Transcript
Rev. Dr. Jared Michelson—Year C Proper 19
Anthony: Let’s transition to the next pericope of the month. It is 1 Timothy 1:12-17. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 19 in Ordinary Time, which is September 14. Jared, would you read it for us, please?
Jared: Yeah.
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Anthony: So, you’re a researcher that focuses on the doctrine of God. So, tell us about this God revealed in Jesus Christ through this text.
Jared: Yeah, it tells us a great deal about this God, doesn’t it? One of the things that really jumps out to me, and I think this does get to the character of God, maybe it’s getting there in a roundabout way, is that Paul seems to say something that is very implausible. Is it the case, that Paul is actually the worst of all sinners?
The fact that God enjoins us sometimes to enact what we might call moral fictions to counteract the ways we can go wrong by living as if something were the case. So, think of Philippians, I think it is, when he says, consider others more significant than yourself.
Does that mean that literally you are less valuable and other people are more valuable? I don’t think so. The way I sometimes describe it when I’m doing a wedding with people is saying, one of the things I had to learn for myself is that I have a remarkable capacity to keep meticulous detail of all of the chores I have done around the house, and to just so happen to not see all the ways, all the things that my wife has done. And I’m not doing that deliberately. It’s my kind of blindness. And so actually, if I just try to keep things 50/50, they won’t be 50/50 at all. I need to try to treat her as more significant than myself.
And I think that’s part of what Paul is saying here. This isn’t a kind of worm theology where Paul is saying, “I’m so bad” and he’s whipping himself. Instead, to your point, he is I think overwhelmed by the grace of God, the mercy that he has received. And that is him choosing to live a life that is continually aware of that. And that’s his motivating sensor.
One of the words that really jumps out to me is in verse 16 where it says, Jesus has showed patience with me. And this actually becomes a really important word in the Christian tradition. And funnily enough, it’s one of the words that helps create our modern idea of tolerance.
We sometimes think that tolerance just means being a relativist or being indifferent, but it doesn’t mean that at all. Tolerance means bearing with something that you find objectionable for the sake of maintaining communion or relationship or community with the others. And with the other. And this is what God does with us — that despite our brokenness, despite our sinfulness, God is continually bearing with that so that he can maintain union with us and communion with us and drawing us into deeper union with him.
So, to me that’s a part of the kind of beautiful vision of God’s character that Paul is talking about here. He’s not emphasizing his sin to beat himself down, but he’s overwhelmed by the fact that though he can look back and see all of his many missteps, that God has been walking with him through that all the time. He’s that kind of good shepherd, walking with us through the valley of death and being patient with us in countless ways we don’t know. So yeah, to me that patience is a wonderful kind of exemplification of God’s character and love.
Anthony: Yeah, my eyes are drawn to verse 14, “the grace of our Lord overflowed.” Andrew Purvis talks about this super overflowing abundance in God. It overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Overflowing good. Yes … including the patience that you mentioned.
It seems odd to me that people would interpret the text this way, but I have seen some react to this interpretation that God is conditional, that Paul was strengthened by the Lord because he was considered faithful. Verse 12, he received mercy because he acted out of ignorance, not willfully. In verse 13. So, Jared, is God’s kindness based on conditions?
Jared: No, but I think it goes back to a bit of what we spoke about before. There are conditions and there are conditions. Let me put it this way …
Anthony: Tell me more.
Jared: This is an analogy I’ve used before, where we can go back to this kind of idea of slaveholding. I’m not an expert on these things, but apparently this kind of situation actually did happen in the American South. You had the legal declaration that slavery as an institution was ended. And so, you had men and women that were held slaves, that lived in terrible conditions, that were forced to do backbreaking labor, that had very little agency and very little prospects in life.
Slavery was abolished, and then they went to live in the exact same houses. They worked in the exact same fields. They had the exact same limited prospects in life doing the exact same back-breaking labor, but they received a very small amount of money at the end of the week, which they had to use to pay for those very terrible houses they used to live in. Would we say that person is free?
Formally, perhaps their official condition is free, but if nothing has materially changed about the facts of their life, they’re not actually living as free people. They’re functionally still in bondage. And so, part of what the gospel … and I think sometimes we view the gospel that way when we say, is there no conditions? What is there isn’t is any standard you need to meet in order to be forgiven. Part of the kind of amazing discovery of the reformation is that Jesus has he has paid the penalty for sin. And that being united with him allows you to have in a sense all of the conditions met, but it necessarily will lead you into a new life.
And you are not actually being freed. You are not actually being saved. You are not actually living in Christ unless you are living a renewed, transformed, different life. Not so that you can earn God’s favor, but so that you can actually experience salvation. You can live as a free person and this too is not somehow something you earn off on your own.
It’s living into your union with Christ. It is grace upon grace. It is, as Paul said, working out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you.
Anthony: Yeah, that brings some great insight in terms of just the way that we experience salvation. And thanks be to God that salvation is not a one and done act. But it’s the ongoing perpetual reality of God that he is saving us, that he is delivering us from bondage each and every day. Hallelujah. Praise God for that. And so that makes sense. It almost puts a subjective reading on scripture like, yes, this is objectively true what God has done — forgiving me, but it’s there is this act of living into the salvation that he has so graciously given to us. I think that’s what you’re saying, right?
Jared: That’s exactly what I’m saying. I think you’ve put it as, as often happens with me, I think you’ve put it far better than I have, so thanks for doing that. But exactly the New Testament speaks of salvation as something that is being completed and as something that is completed. It is both of those. And sometimes we can have this very unhelpful view that being saved is just simply a question of, am I going to heaven or not? And that is not at all how the New Testament uses this very multifaceted language of being saved. You are always in danger when you try to summarize the richness of the gospel.
But for me, the gospel is about the renewal, the restoration of our entire person. Indeed, it is about forgiveness. It is about eternal life, but it is just as much about living this abundant life in Christ now, being restored and renewed into his image, and then making this entire cosmos new.
Anthony: That reminds me of a quote from Eugene Peterson where he said, resurrection is not exclusively what happens after we’re buried. It has to do with the way we live right now. The kingdom is near; the kingdom is here. Let’s be about the Father’s business.
Jared: Absolutely. That is the meaning of that word.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Have you ever had an experience like the story about the man with the unruly children on the subway where you later found out a legitimate reason for others’ behavior? How do you feel about your initial reaction, and how will this inform your reaction to others in the future?
- Have you ever experienced God’s mercy and patience through another person? If so, please share your experience and how that influences your interaction with others now.
- Why does hearing the story of Paul (or the author of 1 Timothy) help us have hope?
- The sermon suggests that understanding the mercy and compassion of the triune God results in praise and worship, which spills over into our interpersonal relationships. Why do you think this is true?
