This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
All Commentaries on 1 Timothy 1:15 Go To 1 Timothy 1
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Pay attention to the apostle Paul, “The word is faithful and worthy of total acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.” He said, “of whom I am the first.” How was he the first? Weren’t there so many Jews who were sinners before him? Weren’t there any sinners before him in the whole human race? … So what’s the meaning of “of whom I am the first”? That I am worse than all of them. By first he meant us to understand worst…. Remember Saul, and you’ll discover why. Isn’t he the one who wasn’t satisfied with only one hand to stone Stephen, and who took care of the coats of the others? Isn’t he the one who persecuted the church everywhere? … So he it is who was the number one persecutor. There was none worse than he.
