1 Timothy 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
The Scriptures are full of precious truths regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, but some seem to have extra degrees of preciousness to them, especially when the weight of sin is upon the conscience. For those who struggle with sin in their hearts and know that their intents and motives are never pure, they have no hope of anything or anyone but Christ. There are those who follow a legal path in some way and find some hope in Christ and some hope in their goodness, self-righteousness, and keeping the law; but folks like that are lost as lost can be. But for those people, perhaps even despised by the churches and the world, who know that they are sinners and that they are unable to save themselves or obtain the least bit of righteousness on their own, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners like that.
The apostle Paul did not look to his training in the law and he did not look to his time as a Pharisee. He did not look to his duties as an apostle or as a missionary, evangelist, or preacher. Paul looked to the grace of God in Christ Jesus and knew that he had no hope but in Christ and His grace. When Paul looked at himself, he looked at himself as the chief of sinners or the foremost of all sinners and he knew that Christ was the only One who could save sinners. There is no hope for any sinner on this planet at any time in all history that has any well-grounded hope at all for salvation or sanctification but Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners and no one else. There is hope for sinners, but only when the eyes of sinners are opened by grace and they lay down all other hopes and righteousness and rest on and in Christ alone. Really bad sinners, which humanity is made up of nothing but really bad sinners, if they could but see it, don’t look to their faith either. These really bad sinners don’t look to their repentance. Really bad sinners look to Christ for faith and repentance.
The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to save sinners who can come up with faith and repentance on their own, but He came to save sinners from their unbelief and unrepentant hearts and grant them faith and repentance. God demonstrated His love toward sinners while they were yet sinners in that He gave Christ to die for them, that is, to die in their place by suffering the wrath that they so richly deserved. God did not send Christ to suffer wrath in the place of those who would come up with faith and repentance on their own, but He sent Christ to suffer wrath in their place so that they would have faith and repentance given to them by grace and grace alone. The Lord Jesus Christ saves sinners, and that being even the worst of sinners, not for anything found in them or anything they can do, but because He was sent to save sinners and no one else.
While some say that this is grace is too free, I would argue that true grace must be free and is the only kind of grace. Some may argue that people need to become better in order to be saved, but I would argue that they must become worse (in their own eyes) in order to be saved. Christ did not come to save those who become better in their own eyes and in their own strength, but He came to save those like the publican who cried out for God to have mercy on him, the sinner. The hope of the Gospel is not in becoming more moral or more active in the churches. The hope of the Gospel is not to become cleaned up so God will have mercy on you. The hope of the Gospel is grace, grace, and nothing but grace as is found in Christ, Christ, and no one but Christ.
It is true that when Christ and His grace dwell in sinners they will become more outwardly moral, but it is also the case that they will begin to see more and more sin in their own hearts. Sinners must never have any foundation for forgiveness other than Christ and His grace or they will always be wavering on the sandy soil of their own obedience and righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners and He does so to the praise of the glory of His grace. We must learn that we are sinners and we are not to share in any of the glory. We must learn to look to Christ when we are weak and when we think we are strong. We must learn to look to Christ for faith and repentance as unconverted sinners and converted sinners alike. Anything less is our effort to contribute to the work of Christ. This is nothing but sheer wickedness and we must repent of that by looking to Christ to grant it.
God Loves... Himself 
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