Paul thanked God for changing him to enable Timothy to appreciate the fact that God can transform even the worst of sinners and enable His saints to accomplish supernatural feats. What precipitated Paul's testimony here was the difficult situation Timothy faced in Ephesus made even harder by Timothy's personal tendency toward timidity. The evidence that Timothy tended to be timid, perhaps partly because of the strong opposition he faced, comes out more clearly later in this epistle.
"V. 11 with its assertion that the gospel was entrusted to Paul provides the setting for vv. 12-17. Paul demonstrates how this entrusting and his own reception of mercy and grace in Jesus Christ provides an illustration that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for any sinner, because it has been that to him, a terrible sinner."40
1:12-14 Did God save Paul because He foresaw that Paul would be faithful (v. 12)? No, but God entrusted him with the ministry he had received at least in part for that reason.
"Not skill or knowledge but faithfulness is the first qualification for a minister of Christ (I Cor. 4:2)."41
Paul had not opposed Jesus Christ and His church because he wanted to dishonor God. Paul believed he was serving God by persecuting Christians. He was mistaken about who Jesus Christ is. For this reason God had mercy on him.42The Greek word translated "violent aggressor"("violent man,"NIV; hubristes) means a proud, haughty man. Such a person heaps insulting language on others and or does some shameful act of wrong against them.
God poured out grace, trust, and love on Paul even though Paul had poured out blasphemy, persecution, and violence on God.
"Jesus recognized this principle when He prayed on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34). Their ignorance did not save them, nor did Christ's prayer save them; but the combination of the two postponed God's judgment, giving them an opportunity to be saved."43
1:15 Seven times in the Pastorals Paul evidently alluded to statements that had become proverbial in the early church. They may have been parts of early Christian hymns or catechisms (manuals for the training of new Christians; cf. 2:5-6; 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; 2:8-13; Titus 2:11-14; 3:3-7).44They may be restatements of what Jesus said about Himself (cf. Matt. 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32; 19:10; John 12:46-47; 16:28; 18:37).45Paul probably alluded to one of these classic statements here, as seems likely from his use of the introductory, "It is a trustworthy statement."Here the great truth affirmed is that the purpose of Christ's incarnation was the salvation of sinners.
"The repeated formula is always attached to a maxim (relating either to doctrine or practice) on which full reliance can be placed."46
Was Paul really the worst sinner of all time (cf. 1 Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:8)? Obviously many people have lived longer in a more depraved condition than Paul did. He became a Christian relatively early in his adult life. Perhaps the apostle meant that he was the "foremost"sinner in the sense that his sin of aggressively tearing down the work that God was building up was the worst kind of sin. It was much worse than simply ignoring God and going one's own way.
Note, too, that Paul still regarded himself as a sinner though a forgiven one: ". . . I amforemost."
"The fact is that it is always the characteristic of a true saint to feel himself a real sinner. The air in a room seems to be clear, but when it is penetrated by the sunlight it is seen to be full of dust and other impurities: and so as men draw nearer to God, and are penetrated by the light of God (1 John i. 5), they see more clearly their own infirmities, and begin to feel for sin something of the hatred which God feels for it."47
1:16 God was unusually merciful to Paul because He desired to make the apostle an example of how God can change the worst of sinners into the best of saints. His greatest enemy became His greatest servant. In the light of Paul's conversion no one should conclude that his or her sin is too great for God to forgive. God may be patient with anyone since He was patient with Paul.
1:17 Such grace prompted Paul to glorify God in this brief doxology. God is the King of the ages (sovereign), immortal (eternal), invisible (spiritual), and the only God (unique). To Him belong all honor and glory eternally. "Amen"means, "So be it."The Christians often uttered this word out loud in their meetings as did the Jews in their synagogues.
The reason Paul referred to his conversion in this section (1:12-17) was to encourage Timothy to be faithful in the ministry with which God had entrusted him (1:3-11). In his ministry at Ephesus Timothy would never encounter a more difficult case than Saul of Tarsus had been. The fact that God had completely transformed Paul shows that He can do the same to anyone. This gives hope to everyone who seeks to win people to Christ and to help them grow in Christ.
