This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst (1 Timothy 1:15).
Moral honesty is the genius of Alcoholics Anonymous. When an AA meeting begins, there is no hiding from the truth. Everyone is living in the light of a common struggle with alcohol. There is no pretense. Everyone is standing on level ground.
The apostle Paul shows us what kind of posture fosters an AA type of ethos. In 1 Timothy 1:15, he writes, “This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.”
Did you notice he speaks in the present tense? Paul never claims his sin and personal struggles are in the past. He doesn’t say, “I was the worst of sinners,” but “I am.”
What if I could live with that kind of self-awareness? What if husbands, parents, and leaders in the church embraced such a posture? What if Sunday mornings and small groups were more like AA meetings? What if our families were more like AA meetings?
I think we’d be on our way to authentic community.
Prayer:
Jesus, help me be honest about my need for your shed blood so that I can be a safe place for other sinners to be real and experience your grace.