Scripture to Read: 1 Corinthians 15:9
God called Paul to be one of His apostles. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:9, “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Paul never considered himself worthy to be an apostle due to his persecution of the church before his conversion. Most Christians do not consider themselves worthy of the salvation we have through Christ because of our past, but God does not hold our past over us; He cleanses us completely and makes us brand new through Christ. We read in Colossians 1:13–14, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” God the Father is the one who rescued us from the kingdom of darkness through Christ and then transferred us to Christ’s kingdom. It’s only through Christ that we have been given the full, complete forgiveness of sins. Without Christ, we are doomed to an eternity separated from God, but because of God’s incredible love for us, through Christ, we have been adopted into God’s family and we are His beloved children (1 John 3:1, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”). We may feel unworthy, but thanks be to God who makes us worthy through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Challenge & Application
Why did Paul feel so unworthy of being an apostle, and why do we feel unworthy of salvation?
What would you share with someone who says that they are not worthy of being saved?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!