Paul said this concerning himself:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. I Timothy 1:15
Why would Paul call himself the chief of sinners? After all he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and he expressed his pedigree in this way:
If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Philippians 3:4b-6
The Apostle Paul was not a drunken sot, he was not a profane person, and he was not an adulterer or a thief. Furthermore he was blameless concerning the righteousness in the law. How could he possibly call himself the chief of sinners?
I believe Paul considered himself the chief of sinners because in spite of the fact that he knew the Scriptures inside and out, he had failed to recognize and receive the righteousness of God provided in the substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.
Paul was so confident in his own righteousness that he not only persecuted those who were recipients of God’s righteousness, which is found only in Christ, but he killed them as well.
How does that relate to you and I? Well, many of us were raised to fear God and respect the truth of Scripture. And yet we turned each one of us to our own way, going about to establish our own righteousness (doing it our way), while rejecting the righteousness found only in God’s Son, Messiah Jesus.
Oh, what wickedness that is to be found in self-righteousness! Self-righteousness rejects God’s righteousness and provision for our sin!
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:17-19
Paul goes on to say:
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3:7-9
It is no wonder that Paul would say:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. I Timothy 1:15
O the love that sought me!
O the blood that bought me!
O the grace that brought me to the fold,
Wondrous grace that brought me to the fold!*
…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
*In Tenderness He Sought Me by W. Spencer Walton 1850-1906