“To me, the very least of the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8).
Paul was so overwhelmed by God’s grace and his own unworthiness that he felt compelled to dwell on the topic of grace a while longer. The literal translation would read “less than the least of all saints.” Paul invented a comparative of a superlative to underline his unworthiness. This is no false humility. When one fully understands the gravity of one’s sin he/she will always be overwhelmed with God’s “amazing grace.”
Paul was not at this moment thinking about his past as a persecutor of the church, he was simply so patently aware that there was nothing in himself that deserved such mercy from a holy God. Not only was he allowed to be a recipient of grace, he was privileged to become a preacher of this grace to the Gentiles. By the way, you don’t have to be an apostle to the Gentiles or a pastor of a church to be a preacher of grace. Once you have experienced God’s grace you are, of necessity, a preacher of grace.
If you have been reading this letter along with these devotional thoughts, you have probably noticed Paul’s love for terms that speak of infinite wealth and value. “Unfathomable” simply means that we have neither human ability to comprehend nor terms to describe the “riches of Christ.” Christ Himself is the “unfathomable riches” Paul was allowed to preach to the Gentiles who had never heard of Him before. Did you know that when you tell someone your story, you are preaching the unfathomable riches of Christ?
Prayer: Give me greater boldness to declare Christ to someone who needs Him today. Amen