By Elizabeth Prata
1 Timothy 1:13 says, with Paul writing,
Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus…
Paul is not making excuses for his sin. The John MacArthur note in Daily Bible for October 22 says,
“1:13 I acted ignorantly in unbelief. Paul was neither a Jewish apostate nor a Pharisee who clearly understood Jesus’ teaching and still rejected Him. He was a zealous, fastidious Jew trying to earn his salvation, thus lost and damned. His plea of ignorance was not a claim to innocence nor an excuse denying his guilt. It was simply a statement indicating that he did not understand the truth of Christ’s gospel and was honestly trying to protect his religion.
His willing repentance when confronted by Christ (Ro 7:9; Php 3:8-9) is evidence that he had not understood the ramifications of his actions-he truly thought he was doing God a service (Ac 26:9).”
If Paul understood that his sincerity as a Jew in thinking he was doing something good for God wasn’t going to get him to heaven, in fact, that he was condemned, what of Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc.? Sincerity in any faith outside belief in Jesus as the resurrected God-man will keep you in your default destination of hell.
Sincerity doesn’t get you to heaven.
But the foolish Children of Men do miserably delude themselves in their own Schemes, and in their Confidence in their own Strength and Wisdom; they trust to nothing but a Shadow. ~Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the hands of an angry God, sermon, July 8, 1741.
Paul was saying in that verse that he was earnest. We know he was knowledgeable of the Old Testament scriptures, for sure. He was zealous, usually a good thing in faith. (Though, there is good zeal and there is bad zeal). But his earnestness, zeal, and knowledge was leading him down a wrong path. He was in fact, a murderer.
His ignorance of the Gospel didn’t excuse him, either, from being on the road to perdidtion.
Trying real hard doesn’t get you to heaven. Being sincere about being a good person won’t do it either. When we pass away, we pass into eternity. There is life after life. Where will you spend it? In one of two places: hell, or heaven.
Tis everlasting Wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this Fierceness and Wrath of Almighty God one Moment; but you must suffer it to all Eternity: there will be no End to this exquisite horrible Misery: When you look forward, you shall see a long Forever, a boundless Duration before you, which will swallow up your Thoughts, and amaze your Soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any Deliverance, any End, any Mitigation, any Rest at all; you will know certainly that you must wear out long Ages, Millions of Millions of Ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless Vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many Ages have actually been spent by you in this Manner, you will know that all is but a Point to what remains. So that our Punishment will indeed be infinite. ~Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the hands of an angry God, sermon, July 8th, 1741
How DO we get to heaven?
And now you have an extraordinary Opportunity, a Day wherein Christ has flung the Door of Mercy wide open, and stands in the Door calling and crying with a loud Voice to poor Sinners; a Day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the Kingdom of God; many are daily coming from the East, West, North and South; many that were very lately in the same miserable Condition that you are in, are in now an happy State, with their Hearts filled with Love to Him that has loved them and washed them for their Sins in his own Blood, and rejoycing in Hope of the Glory of God. Edwards, ibid.
We poor sinners are due God’s just wrath. But Jesus came down from glory to live and preach and teach the everlasting Gospel to us.
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Romans 10:9).
but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. / He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:24-25).
Jesus absorbed all God’s wrath for sinners who will come to Him, substituting Himself for us and taking our punishment. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
