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 would be that people in general are sinful, and if they are to be saved, then by definition sinful people must be saved, simply because there are no others. But this may be only part of the answer.

Another part of it may be hinted at in Paul's words about himself as the foremost of sinners. What, in essence, does salvation mean? Clearly, liberation from the power of evil and sin. And how can one be definitively freed from it? Only by entering the Kingdom. But sin is precisely what keeps a person from entering it. Clearly, a fallen person has to begin sharing in the life of the Kingdom while at the same time resisting his own sin. And perhaps the closer a person comes to the fullness of the Kingdom's life to which he is called, the more visible that sin becomes.

Not only Paul but other Christian righteous people also considered themselves the greatest sinners, and this was not self-torment or showmanship. The matter here is probably something else. Once, at a scientific gathering, people were discussing the possibility of interstellar travel at near-light speeds. Among other problems, one rather unexpected one emerged: it turned out that interstellar matter could hinder such flights. Its density is negligible; from the standpoint of the speeds familiar to us, interstellar space can generally be considered empty, with a few atoms per cubic kilometer being insignificantly little. But at near-light speeds they "thicken" and become an insurmountable wall for potential travelers. So it is with sin: countless small sins, like dust, are constantly present in our lives, 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 unnoticed becomes visible. The intensity of spiritual life increases, and what we once did not even notice begins to hinder us seriously. And when spiritual life becomes what it should be in the Kingdom, those same sins, formerly almost invisible, become a heavy burden pulling us away from the goal. Only the Savior's help makes it possible to overcome that burden.