¹³Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; ¹⁴and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

The grand “yet” invades the fallen world of sin. God is the supreme interrupter who breaks into every conversation about sin. He delights in disrupting the downward flow of human lives spiraling into the vortex of self-centered failure to live up to His image. We are all like sheep who have gone astray. The inspired prophet wrote, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Yet . . . God interjects, interferes, disrupts, butts in, intrudes. The Lord Almighty, Creator of all things that exist, overwhelmingly takes over the cascading story of our lives, and says, “Yet . . .” What an amazing God we have!

We have seen in the previous passages that Paul was quite the sinner. This text today clarifies that he “acted ignorantly.” Could he have been forgiven if he had acted knowingly? Would mercy and grace not have been sufficient if his pre-conversion life involved knowing and willful sinful actions? The OT speaks of the sin of a “high hand” or a “deliberate defiance” of God (Num. 15:30). That is the person who, in the words of the writer to the Hebrews, “go[es] on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins . . .” (Heb. 10:26). His unbelief blinded Paul; he did not realize that his actions were working directly contrary to God. He sincerely believed he was preserving the honor of God. His actions were a fulfillment of what Jesus said would come: “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God” (John 16:2).

Had Paul rejected the revelation on the road to Damascus, then there would be no recourse because his unbelief would then be rooted in disobedience to the revealed word of God. The only hope for any of us is to obey the word of truth; that is, we must believe in God’s solution for our sin. Rejecting the truth after revelation is no longer a matter of unbelief but defiance! Mercy and grace extend to those who humble themselves and receive and believe the Word.

The result? The teaching of the gospel of mercy and grace proves pivotal to the abundant overflow of faith and love to the believer. The teaching of the Law does none of this. Therefore, those who teach the Law as the basis for Christian living are to be censured, for this has no part in the word of the gospel of Christ.

Lord, thank You for Your abundant forgiveness for all my sin!