“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” –The Apostle Paul 1
The Proper Attitude of Man Under Grace by William Newell
- To believe, and consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.
- To refuse to make “resolutions” and “vows”; for that is to trust in the flesh.
- To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth.
- To testify of God’s goodness at all times.
- To be certain of God’s future favor; yet to be ever more tender in conscience toward Him.
- To rely on God’s chastening hand as a mark of His kindness.
- A man under grace, if like Paul, has no burdens regarding himself; but many about others.
“If God justifies a sinner, it does not mean that he finds reasons to prove that he was right –far from it. It does not even mean, at this point, that he makes the sinner a good man. It means that God treats the sinner as if he had not been a sinner at all.” –William Barclay
Perhaps for Paul not to acknowledge that he is the worst of sinners would, quite possibly, be the greatest conceivable ingratitude against God.