A Testimony for the Ages

 

I Timothy  1:12-17 is the 2nd reading for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke.  The lectionary apparently likes the Pastoral Letters since, going forward, we will have seven weeks of these readings.  This brief reading is testimony, plain and simple.  It is Paul's testimony in summary.  Given that, this might be an opportunity for the preacher to offer the story of their calling, or have a member of the congregation offer theirs.

(The following questions have been developed in order to raise up the function of the Word in a text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  Other sets of exegetical questions will also be helpful to the preacher, so these are not meant to be exhaustive. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This text is pure Gospel as Paul celebrates the grace of God extended to him in Christ.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no Law here, no sense that the Word is functioning to call us to repentance, even though Paul does list some of his most egregious sins.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text? We are those to whom this letter is addressed, marveling in the grace of God shown Paul, and joining him in praising God.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word functioning as Call to Obedience is characterized by an invitation to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  There is no such call here, though Paul mentions that God has "appointed [him] to God's service."

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  We can take Paul's testimony and fashion some couplets from them.  Some suggetions:  blasphemer/proclaimer; persecutor/protector; man of violence/ man of peace.

6.  Exegetical work:  One can see immediately in this passage that the doctrine of grace is no mere theoretical concept for Paul.  God's grace has changed his life.  It is telling that the false teachers he warns Timothy about in verses 3-7 are stuck in "myths and endless genealogies that promote speculation" rather than the life of service and love.  Eric Barreto, in his 2016 Working Preacher commentary, notes that Paul's testimony is "more a story of calling than of conversion."  Barreto says that Paul's words are a good reminder that "God's grace not just delivered me but delivered me for the sake of another."  The language Paul uses in the first verse bear this out as he says that Christ Jesus "has strengthened me"... "and appointed me to his service."  Christian Eberhart, in his 2013 Working Preacher commentary, agrees, noting that Paul's conversion "occurred within Judaism, namely from the Pharisaic to the Messianic-Christian movement."  Finally, Eberhart notes the vast contrast between Paul's behavior: "acted ignorantly in unbelief", and God's grace and patience with this "foremost" of sinners.

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Robin Morgan goes back to the story of Paul's Damascus Road experience to fill out the fallen nature of Paul, prior to his encounter with Christ.  Morgan then simply relates the grace found in this passage to fill out the Gospel, as Paul gives testimony.  See the details at crossings.org/text-study, archived under its reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!