保羅引用了一句他及提摩太都相當熟悉的話──也許它是早期基督教信徒或聖詩中的一部份：「基督耶穌降世為要拯救罪人」。這「話」，保羅說：「是可信的，是十分可佩服的」。你們可以相信它。

        讓我們來觀察它的句構。這話的主詞是基督耶穌。「基督」一詞是指「受膏的人」，或是用猶太人的語氣說，它是指「彌賽亞」。在今天的以色列國家裡，猶太基督徒仍稱耶穌是：「Yeshua ha Meshiach」──祂就是以賽亞所提：「奇妙、策士、全能的上帝、永在的父、和平的君」（賽9：6）。所謂「降世」，英文用了一個動詞「來」（Came），就是指耶穌從永恆來到我們短暫的世間（參看腓2：4~11）。這個活動稱之為「道成肉身」(Incarnation)──「道成了肉身，住在我們中間」（約1：14）。「拯救」(to save)在英文文法中是不定詞，描述道成肉身的目的。人類已經病入膏肓，而且是不潔、毫無希望、永遠失喪、遠離上帝的救贖作為的。因此上帝要差遣祂的獨生愛子降世。祂在十字架上流的血，一舉竟全功救贖了我們的罪。我們所必須做的事就是坦承我們的需要，並且信靠祂。

        本鑰節的最後幾個字：「在罪人中我是個罪魁」(of Whom I am Chief)，是要告訴我們，保羅不祇是在做神學講論。他承認他有救恩的需要，此需要如此之深以致他認為他是罪人中的罪魁。他在這裡毫不為自己找台階下，反倒懇切的承認了：「世人都犯了罪，虧缺了上帝的榮耀」。

        父啊，感謝您，我們一度遠離了您，可是我們藉著耶穌基督的寶血，又來到了您的面前。我們用感恩的心來到您的面前，領受您的憐憫與大愛，因為當我們還死在罪中時，您就使我們與基督一同復活。奉主耶穌基督聖名，阿們！

English

        Paul is quoting something he, and presumably Timothy, have both memorized — perhaps it's part of an early Christian creed or hymn: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This "saying", Paul says, is "faithful and worthy of all acceptance." You can trust it.

        Let's look at its component parts. The subject of the saying is Christ Jesus. The word "Christ" means "the anointed one", or, in the Jewish context, "the Messiah". To this day in Israel, Jewish believers refer to Jesus as "Yeshua ha Meshiach" — He is the One spoken of by Isaiah as "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Is.9:6). The verb "came" speaks of movement, in this case "into the world", from the eternal dimension into and onto our temporal earth (see Philippians 2:5-11). This movement is called "incarnation" — God becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). The infinitive "to save" describes the purpose of the incarnation. Mankind was terminally diseased and unholy, without hope and eternally lost, apart from some redemptive act on God's part. That's why God sent His Son. The blood He shed on Calvary's cross once and for all atoned for our sin. All we must do is confess our need and put our trust in Him.

        The final words of the sentence, "of whom I am chief", tell us that Paul is not speaking merely in theoretical terms. He recognizes his need of salvation, so much so that he sees himself as chief of sinners. There's no rationalizing of behaviour here. Rather, there's a strong acknowledgement that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

        Thank 'You, Father, that we who were once afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. We come to you with grateful hearts for your mercy and great love, for even when we were dead in our transgressions, Yow made us alive together with Christ.