"YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 4/9/26

“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (I Corinthians 15:8-10)

In this chapter, Paul emphasizes to the church that believing the Gospel means believing in the death and resurrection of Christ. The faith required is not blind faith, because after Jesus died, He was seen alive again by many, including the apostle Peter (whom the Corinthians knew) and the rest of the twelve, as well as more than 500 eyewitnesses. Finally, Christ appeared to Paul. He describes himself as someone who was “born out of due time.” He is referring to how he came to faith in Christ after Jesus ascended back to Heaven, when others had already done so. Paul includes himself among the eyewitnesses to Jesus' post-death life, meaning that it really was the Lord "in the flesh" who confronted Paul's unbelief in Christ's deity and resurrection.

Because of the timing of His conversion and his past mistakes, he calls himself “the least of the apostles.” By “apostles,” he means not only the twelve, but all other ministers of the Gospel that were sent out by Christ to preach it. No man was ever fit for such an office because they really wanted it. Mankind doesn’t create apostles; only God does. Though Paul was chosen, called, and qualified by the Lord for this service, he felt unworthy of the call because of what he’d done.

Compared with his contemporaries (Peter, John, James, etc.), he was better educated, more accomplished, and likely more mature. Paul penned over half of the New Testament, planted numerous churches, and nurtured the faith of many. Yet here, he labels himself as less than the rest because of his past. He made havoc of the church, carried men and women to prison, and continued to breathe out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. According to his own account, he shut up many of the saints in prison, advocated against them when they were put to death, and chased them across the world. In sum, he did a lot of damage to faith. He mentions this both for his own abasement and humiliation, and to magnify the grace of God, to which he ascribes all he was, had, did, along with all he would become.

Even though he was a bad man, God’s grace made him so much more. He uses the word “but” here, and every time I encounter this word, I think of a quote I heard once: “nothing anyone says before the word “but” really counts.” Saul, before he became Paul, was a villain. He was an enemy to the faith and all who practice it. But thanks to God’s intervention, his past didn’t matter. Saul died on that road to Damascus (shown by the name change); it is now Paul who lives on.

It was only by the favor of God that Paul could serve earnestly. He says, “What I have is to be traced to Him, and not to any merit of my own. My future is His.” Though other disciples lacked the advantage of a personal conversation with the risen Lord Jesus, he expresses his gratitude that so great a sinner had been made an apostle and enabled, by the grace of God, to work harder than all the rest to fulfill his duty. Tom Brady is probably my favorite athlete ever, not because he has a stronger arm than the rest, nor because of his speed, but because of how hard he worked. He dedicated almost his entire adult life to football: following a strict diet, training religiously, going to bed early during the season, and, on the downside, throwing away countless relationships in pursuit of his goals. Love him or hate him, you have to respect his dedication.

Now, imagine if he had dedicated himself to something that mattered as Paul did. He was more committed and diligent in preaching than any. Thanks to the severity of the trials he encountered, he had exerted himself more as well. He gave his life (literally and figuratively) to the Lord. But he makes no boast in any of this, but attributes all to the grace of God. He remembers his former state well, his persecution and attempted destruction of the faith. His disposition to labor and all of his success are to be traced to the grace of God.

If we have been successful in serving the Lord as an instrument of good, we can’t forget the fact that it would be foolish to be ignorant of Who deserves the credit. It is all owing to the mere mercy of God; a truth that should promote humility and gratitude and not pride and self-righteousness.