I Myself Am the Chief of Sinners

The sermon begins by affirming the significant role of Apostle Paul in Church history for over 2000 years. Paul is considered a great man because of his extraordinary moral achievements and missionary work within 35-40 years, which transformed the history of the Church and the Western world. Many theologians and churches call Paul a saint because of his sacrifice, faithfulness and holy, righteous life. His teachings about sin, grace, and salvation through Christ in his 13 epistles are studied and applied by billions of believers daily.

However, the most remarkable thing is that in the last years of his life, Paul confessed: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the chief of sinners." The sermon analyzes several misguided interpretations of this confession. Some scholars claim it is merely a figure of speech or metaphor, not a literal statement. Others regard it as false humility intended to gain praise. A third group views it as a sign of religious fanaticism or unresolved guilt from the past. However, these interpretations are inadequate because they fail to consider the historical and theological context of Paul's words.

The context of this confession is highly significant. Paul wrote these words near the end of his life, approximately 30-40 years after his conversion to Christ, in his three final epistles (1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy), alongside four other times he affirmed these are "trustworthy sayings." This proves that Paul's confession came not from a spiritually immature believer, but from someone who had spent over 30 years in ministry, suffering, and developing deep understanding of God. Furthermore, this was not the first time Paul expressed such sentiments; in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10 he called himself the "least" of the apostles, and in Ephesians 3:8 he termed himself "the least of all saints." These repeated statements emphasize a growing spiritual awareness of his own sinfulness.

The reasons Paul could declare himself the chief of sinners lie in four main points. First, before his conversion, Paul persecuted the Church without realizing he was sinning, because he lacked faith and could not see his own error. This demonstrates that humans cannot perceive their own sin without the light of the Holy Spirit. Second, when the Holy Spirit begins working in a person's heart, they begin to recognize their sinfulness. For example, Martin Luther was haunted by the image of Christ as a strict judge and struggled with confession day and night seeking peace. Third, as a person continues to grow closer to Christ, they increasingly perceive God's holiness and glory, and therefore become more acutely aware of their own smallness and sinfulness. As Paul said, Christ is the sun while his own righteousness is but light from a match stick; God is the infinite universe while each person is merely a grain of sand. Fourth, Paul recognized the immeasurable value of Christ's blood shed to redeem his sin; therefore, when declaring himself the chief of sinner, he was expressing that compared to such infinite worth, his own worthlessness is immense.

The sermon concludes by applying this teaching to the congregation's practical life. When believers are shown more clearly by the Holy Spirit their own sinfulness, when they more deeply understand the priceless value of Christ's blood, and when they more profoundly comprehend the width, length, height, and depth of Christ's love, they will develop attitudes of humility, compassion, and empathy toward the weak and stumbling rather than criticism and judgment. This is precisely the lesson Paul wishes to convey through his confession: the genuine recognition that one is a sinner, saved by God's grace, forms the foundation for becoming a true disciple and a living witness to the Gospel.