Foremost

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. – 1Timothy 1:15

Do you think of of yourself as the “foremost” of sinners? In light of the Holy Spirit’s powerful conviction in his heart, and his nearness to God, Paul could not imagine anyone being a “worse” sinner than he. Godly people with some self-knowledge are likely to think of themselves in this way. But remember Paul’s reference is to his past sins persecuting the church, not his saved-by-grace life in the Spirit, which is where every believer lives now.