Paul -- The Worst of Sinners -- Jesus: Sin Itself

Perhaps you are overcome with morbid  shame about some terrible thing that you have done?

Perhaps you have committed a series of bad things -- you have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. Do you think of yourself as the worst of sinners?

The Bible declares that another person has already taken that title: Paul the Apostle, who once introduced himself as the least of saints:

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;" (Ephesians 3: 8)

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. " (1Timothy 1: 15-16)

Yet Paul did not wallow in his shame, but rejoiced in the righteousness that he received in Christ:

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

"And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3: 8-11)

The excellency -- the far better element of growing in knowing Jesus and His love for us -- outweighed Paul's good works, and certainly His many evil works, enough that he could declare:

"And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." (Acts 24: 16)

Paul was the worst of sinners, yet became the Apostle to the Gentiles and the author of three quarters of the New Testament because Jesus Christ became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Whatever shame, whatever blame, whatever infamy you have committed, at the Cross Jesus paid for every sin and has purged your conscience forever more from dead works (Hebrews 9: 14)