"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15)

The grace of God turned Saul, the persecutor, into Paul, the preacher. It turned Paul, the murderer into a minister and a missionary! So dramatic was the change in Paul’s life that the church in Jerusalem suspected that it was a trick, and they had a hard time accepting him.

Was Paul the worst sinner in the world? Of course not. Paul did not use the ‘chief of sinners’ description to compare himself with others. He used it to show the state of sinfulness that all of us find ourselves in until Christ comes to redeem us. He also used the phrase to demonstrate the depth of God’s grace and Paul’s gratitude to the Lord for his salvation.

• The depth of God’s grace. Paul had a deep appreciation for God’s grace that sought him out and saved him. He was a persecutor of Christ who oversaw the death of the first Christian martyr – Stephen. After the death of Stephen, Paul – then called Saul – persecuted the Christians further. In the course of fighting against Christ, the Lord graciously touched him. This was why Paul was so overwhelmed by God’s grace. The Lord loved him when he was so full of anger against Him.

• The depth of Paul’s gratitude. Paul treasured his salvation above all things. So appreciative was he of his salvation that all other pursuits paled in comparison. Even after years of knowing the Lord, Paul was still overwhelmed with thankfulness whenever he thought of that transformation that Christ had brought into his life.

Would to God, that all believers would have the depth of appreciation for the grace of God that saved us and brought us to Christ. It should be our prayer that we would live all the days of our lives to honour the One who loved us and drew us unto Himself with cords of love.

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