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     When we think of the mystery of God and redemption, sometimes the answers become a little complicated. St. Paul, however, keeps reminding us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the meaning of our redemption is very simple. In answer to the question: Why was Jesus born? St. Paul responds in the First Letter to Timothy: “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” (1Tim 1:15)

     In other words, sinners could not reconcile themselves to God. Only God could do this and so he sent his Only-Begotten Son as our Savior to bind us to him in a new and everlasting covenant. Who are the sinners? Paul tells us in the very next verse that he was the foremost of sinners, one of the worst, but he was given mercy by Jesus for an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. In the Letter to the Romans, Paul teaches that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:24) With that, it is clear that Jesus Christ comes to save us because we are sinners. His mercy is shown by the water and blood that flowed from his side on the cross, that washes us in the waters of rebirth. 

     Jesus has shown us the same mercy that has he has shown St. Paul  so that we too can be an example for those who were to believe in Jesus for eternal life. This mercy is so great that if only one person had sinned, Jesus Christ would have come and died for him. He desires that all people share in everlasting life. Paul’s joy in possessing this life impels him to tell others about the mercy of God and urges them to repent from their sins.

     To be a Christian, we must we willing to admit that while we are sinners, God in his goodness gives us his Son, so that the sin that separates us from Him is not replaced by the grace that makes us his children.