Christ Jesus Came Into the World to Save Sinners

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

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The apostle Paul gives to us here in this verse the purpose, goal, and reason for which Christ Jesus came into the world. And that reason, he says, very plainly, was to save sinners. This is why the Lord Jesus came; why God took on flesh, suffered upon a Roman cross, and was buried in the earth: to deliver the undeserving, to rescue the guilty, and to lay down His life, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God. This statement, the apostle says, is trustworthy — true, sturdy, and dependable — and deserving of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of that, there should be no doubt.

This, it turns out, is a tremendous encouragement to us when we are in the throes of sin and the struggle of repentance. What it means, among other things, is that despite our filthiness and wretchedness — which are both very real and very true — the Lord Jesus Christ remains totally inclined to our salvation, totally committed to our redemption. He does not waver for a moment when He sees our sin and unrighteousness because that is why He came. Just as a surgeon doesn’t become squeamish at the sight of blood, or a good physician at the presence of illness, neither is Christ deterred by the ugly reality of our sin: His whole vocation, mission, life, death, resurrection, and priestly office exist for the purpose of dealing with these ailments. He has come into the world and suffered for sins, borne the wrath of God, and has been raised from the dead in order that He might forever be the Saviour and Redeemer of sinners.

So as we confess our sins and labour in the pursuit of holiness, let’s always remember that we are not coming to a Saviour who is aloof and far off, nor one who despises us in our condition. Rather, we are coming to Jesus Christ, the Heaven-sent Mediator between God and man, whose express purpose and aim is our salvation, to the praise of His own glorious grace.

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. So believe it. Cherish it. Build your life upon it. And, most importantly, throw yourself daily upon this Saviour, knowing that all who come to Him will never be cast out (Jn. 6:37).