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

This is one of my favorite Bible verses! Let's dive into it together:

1) Something trust-worthy.

Think about what "trustworthy" means. We could say "Worthy of Trust." Sometimes we use this term to describe a faithful friend or a son or daughter who has shown themselves to be responsible. Praise God for good friends and responsible children! But even the most "trustworthy" human, is still just a human. We might trust them to bring the veggie tray to the party, and they might get stuck in traffic or perhaps an emergency comes up that is beyond their control (Of course, we should understand and forgive them).

The "trustworthy" in this verse is far stronger than we can use it to describe a human or anything else besides God Himself. Paul calls the statement in this verse "trustworthy" because God Himself had said the same and God is always true and does not lie.

The statement is worthy of trust because God said it, and God is supremely worthy of trust.

He further describes this saying as "deserving of full acceptance." Because it is SO true, it deserves to be accepted.

2) God on a mission

So what is this saying that Paul describes as so trustworthy and deserving of acceptance?

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"

The Son of God, second person of the Trinity, entered the world He created. This world so full of death, filth, disease, hate, abuse, and all evil. Philippians 2 talks about this more. Because we can't comprehend just how mighty and majestic God is, we can't even begin to understand the wonder that He would come into our world. The One who holds all things in existence, see Him laying there as a newborn baby in the feeding trough, in a barn, surrounded by dirt, and odors! Imagine the One who created water becoming thirsty! The one who created the digestive system needing to eat!? What a wonder this is! We could go on, bet it's enough for now to say:

We will never ever comprehend the infinite humbling the King of the Universe voluntarily endured in order to come into the world the way He did.

3) The objective

What was the objective of God's mission to planet Earth?

I'm picturing the Angels at this point. There is baby Jesus, laying in the feeding trough in that barn with his poor parents trying to keep Him warm by wrapping Him in rags. "What's this? Amazing! What could God be doing?" Wouldn't God only come into this sinful and evil world as a conquering King to judge the wickedness of mankind? What would cause God to come as a helpless baby when He is all powerful? I imagine that they eagerly watched to see what Jesus would do. I imagine their awe as Jesus lived a life of poverty and homelessness, followed by a rag-tag band of the scum of the earth, and looked upon with disdain by the more respectable religious people. I picture their utter shock and confusion as Jesus gave up His life in the most cruel and torturous form of execution know to man: crucifixion. He made the metal and the wood on which He would die. He sustained the heartbeat of the man that brutally whipped Him.

And why?

"To save sinners"!

This, my friends, is the best news in the universe! You may be trying to get your act together before you come to God. Maybe you are trying to be good enough so He will accept you. It won't work. There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor. Ephesians 2:8-9 days that salvation is by grace (un-earned favor) through faith, and not of works. Yet for you, unworthy sinner, Christ offers you Himself. He offers you His righteousness; He offers to take your place and you take His. Perhaps you are burdened with guilt and sin and feeling hopeless. Or perhaps you feel that you aren’t good enough for this gospel and that you’ve sinned away any chance of being accepted by God. Well, then this good news of Jesus Christ is for you: Christ calls all men everywhere to repent of their sins and to believe in Him and He will give them rest for their souls. Repentance means confessing your sins to the Lord and crying out to Him for forgiveness. Belief is the entrusting of yourself wholly to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He says that “all who come to Me, I will never cast out.” Come to Christ. He is a merciful Savior, ready to forgive. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". Jesus said in Mark 1:15 to "repent (turn from your sin) and believe in the gospel". Give up trying to earn God's favor by your works. Believe in what Jesus did to save sinners like us, and that it is the only thing that will save you. Ask God to help you turn away (repent) of your sins. Turn away from sin and turn to God. He is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).

Christians, those who know Christ as their Savior and Lord, let us not be ashamed of this message, for it is the power of God unto salvation for anyone who believes (Romans 1:16). This news is good news! Let's think on it every day, and boldly and lovingly share about the One who saved us poor sinners and gave us new life!