“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,” (1 Timothy 1:12 (ESV)
I Timothy, along with 2 Timothy and Titus, is a pastoral epistle by the Apostle Paul. It is also one of Paul’s most personal and autobiographical. The epistle not only contains sound doctrine, but also personal reflections. Today’s text is one example of the latter.
Paul recalled to his young protégé Timothy, God’s call for the former Pharisee to be converted and to serve. The apostle could not do anything else but serve the Lord as a missionary, evangelist, pastor/teacher, author of sacred Scripture and an apostle. However, prior to his conversion (Acts 9), Paul was as much a false teacher as those he described in 1:3-11.
“God’s sovereign purpose for Paul and for all believers works through personal faith. Until Paul was turned by the Holy Spirit from self-righteous works (see Phil. 3:4–7) to faith alone in Christ, he could not be used by God. He was in the same condition as the useless false teachers (1 Tim. 1:6–7),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
God called my wife and I into full-time ministry, following my conversion to become a believer in Christ three years earlier, What a surprise! This sovereign call to serve necessitated my studying at an accredited Bible College. Detroit Bible College (DBC) fit the bill.
I spent three years at DBC of concentrated exposure to the Scriptures, theology, apologetics, pastoral ministry, missions, and philosophy. I describe myself at the time being like a dry sponge placed into a deep well of biblical truth. I soaked it up. It was an amazing time in my life. My wife shared this joy with me.
The phrase appointing me to service (θέμενος διακονίαν; themenos diakonian) means to be sovereignly placed by another into ministry. Paul clearly affirmed the one who appointed him to serve was none other than Christ Jesus our Lord.
Once Jesus called him into ministry, the Lord also gave Paul the strength (ἐνδυναμώσαντί; endynamosanti), or power, to serve. The call to serve is accompanied by the ability to fulfill the call. They are complimentary.
The Lord called the apostle into the ministry because He personally judged (ἡγήσατο; hegesato), or considered, Paul was faithful (πιστόν; piston). This means to be trustworthy, dependable, committed and honorable. What a humble privilege it is to consider the Lord calls individuals into the ministry who He knows will be faithful to the call. I desire to be faithful to the call to serve by the one who is faithful.
These words by Paul were not stiff, formal expressions to a false god. Rather, they were heartfelt words of gratitude to the One, True God who delivered the apostle from darkness into His marvelous light of grace and truth. The tone of the text is one of deep and intense emotion.
“Great is the dignity — of the apostleship, which Paul has claimed for himself; and he could not, looking at his former life, be accounted at all worthy of so high an honor. Accordingly, that he may not be accused of presumption, he comes unavoidably to make mention of his own person, and at once frankly acknowledges his own unworthiness, but nevertheless affirms that he is an Apostle by the grace of God. But he goes further, and turns to his own advantage what appeared to lessen his authority, declaring that the grace of God shines in him so much the more brightly,” explains John Calvin.
“When he gives thanks to Christ, he removes that dislike towards him which might have been entertained, and cuts off all ground for putting this question, “Does he deserve, or does he not deserve, so honorable an office?” For, although in himself he has no excellence, yet it is enough that he was chosen by Christ. There are, indeed many who under the same form of words, make a show of humility, but are widely different from the uprightness of Paul, whose intention was, not only to boast courageously in the Lord, but to give up all the glory that was his own.”
Paul’s perspective ought to be affirmed by each and every one who serves the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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