NOTES for Ti1 1:15

How should we understand Paul's words that the Messiah came into the world to save sinners? And why does Paul consider himself the foremost of sinners? The simplest answer might be that people in general are sinful, and if they are to be saved, then by definition sinful people will have to be saved, simply because there are no others. But this is perhaps only part of the answer.

Another part of it is perhaps hinted at by Paul's words about himself as the foremost of sinners. Indeed, what does salvation essentially mean? Obviously, liberation from the power of evil and sin. And how can one be guaranteed to get free of it? Only by entering the Kingdom. But sin is precisely what prevents a person from entering it. Obviously, a fallen person has to begin sharing in the life of the Kingdom while at the same time resisting his own sin. And the closer a person comes to that fullness of the life of the Kingdom to which he is called, the more noticeable this sin becomes.

Not only Paul, but other Christian righteous people as well, considered themselves the greatest sinners, and this was neither self-torment nor display. The point here is probably something else. Once, at a scientific gathering, the possibility of interstellar flights at near-light speeds was discussed. Among other problems one somewhat unexpected problem emerged: it turned out that interstellar matter could hinder such flights. Its density is negligibly small; from the standpoint of speeds familiar to us, interstellar space can be considered empty, a few atoms per cubic kilometer being negligibly few. But at near-light speeds they "thicken" and become an insurmountable wall for potential travelers. So it is with sin: a multitude of small sins, like dust, is constantly present in our life, and as long as we do not approach the Kingdom, we do not notice them because they do not hinder us. But as soon as we take a step in that direction, what was previously unnoticeable becomes noticeable. The intensity of spiritual life increases, and what we previously did not even notice begins to hinder us seriously. And when spiritual life becomes what it should be in the Kingdom, these same previously almost unnoticeable sins become a heavy burden leading one away from the goal. Only the Savior's help allows this burden to be overcome.