Paul: The Least of All Saints and God’s Grace

“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3 :8-9 NKJV)

Paul as the Least of All Saints

Paul describes himself as “less than the least of all the saints.” He is not suffering from low self-esteem or engaging in self-deprecation to show humility. Rather, he is revealing something profound about his history. Paul never forgot what he did to the church. He did not resort to self-loathing; instead, he drew on his past to deepen his appreciation for God’s mercy and grace. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says he is not worthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted the church of God, yet that sense of unworthiness motivated him.

Grace for the Least of All Saints

Because he persecuted the church, Paul felt unworthy to be numbered among the apostles as Christ’s special ambassador to the Gentile world. However, that profound sense of unworthiness motivated Paul to work harder than his fellow apostles. He was not trapped in his past; instead, he used his profound gratitude for God’s grace to propel him forward in a new, righteous direction. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul again highlights his past, describing himself as a “blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man.” So grave were his crimes that he called himself the “chief” of all sinners.

Redemption for the Least of All Saints

Paul’s story reminds us that none of us are too far beyond redemption. God used a man who consented to the deaths of Christians, threw them in prison, and sought to destroy the church as His instrument. If God could save such a man and give him a purpose, surely He can save you and me. If you think you’ve done too many wrong things, that there is no way God could ever forgive you, you’re wrong. As Paul says to Timothy, he obtained mercy so that Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering as a pattern to those who believe.