\u201cChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life<\/em>\u201d (I Timothy 1:15-16).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Under the influence of the gospel, Saul became a radically different man. The change was not superficial or temporary; it was deep and lasting. And later, writing now as Paul the apostle, he could offer himself as an example to prove just how sinful a person can be and still be saved by the gospel: \u201cI obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.\u201d If the prosecutor\u2019s charge is that a truly wicked person can never change, Paul is \u201cExhibit A\u201d to the contrary. He is a courage-giving example to anyone who has ever worried that they might be a hopeless case or a lost cause.<\/p>\n My suspicion, however, is that most of the time our problem is just plain discouragement. The devil fights against us with a war of attrition; he keeps coming back, coming back, and coming back, trying to wear us down. After a while, our cause looks like it\u2019s lost.<\/p>\n But the great hope of the gospel is that, while life lasts, none of us is a lost cause. Our defeats need not be final. Our failures need not be fatal. Real change for the better is always possible.<\/p>\n Whoever you are, my friend, believe this: your wreckage can be repaired. If God can turn a fire-breathing, murderous Pharisee into the great apostle of grace, he can surely help you get pointed in the right direction. Your fate is not fixed, and you\u2019re not just a victim. You are a living person capable of great growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Gary Henry \u201cChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life\u201d (I Timothy 1:15-16). Under the influence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[390,502],"class_list":["post-25964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-conversion","tag-hope"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2935,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-cleanse-my-soul-and-forgive-myself\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":0},"title":"How do I cleanse my soul and forgive myself?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 10, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'd like to ask you for some verses on how I can cleanse my soul and learn how to forgive myself for a mistake that I did. Answer: \"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90748,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/some-old-stains\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":1},"title":"Some “Old Stains”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dennis Ross The other day, while washing dishes, I came upon a small pot that had been scorched during its use. Even though I had soaked it for quite a while, in hot water and soap, I still had a great deal of difficulty removing all the stains from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2136,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":2},"title":"What Must I Do to be Saved? (Walker)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 25, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wayne S. Walker Of all the questions asked ... Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? The most important question ever asked was: \"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?\" (Acts 16:30) In the sixteenth chapter of the book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19148,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":3},"title":"What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Frank Richey via The Elgin Hills Examiner, Vol. 4, Nos. 4-6, April -- June 2009. Notice we do not ask the question, \"What does a particular church teach about salvation?\" The reason for this is that no church has the divine right to teach anything about salvation other than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Bible-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42602,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-just-committed-fornication-how-can-i-forgive-myself\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":4},"title":"I just committed fornication. How can I forgive myself?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just had been surfing the net and came across your post an hour ago. I'm a 22-year-old male from a Christian family. I was well brought up, but I fell into fornication yesterday for the first time in my 22 years on earth with a Muslim friend. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17143,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-just-cant-seem-to-forgive-myself-and-i-dont-know-what-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":25964,"position":5},"title":"I just can’t seem to forgive myself and I don’t know what to do","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am 22 years old and have been raised in the church. I have been struggling with forgiving myself. I have committed fornication. I've repented but I just cannot seem to forgive myself. I knew that I was disobeying God and I knew that my body was a temple\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25964\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/car-repair-300x200.jpg\")
Most people, if they\u2019re honest, know what it\u2019s like to struggle with deeply ingrained character flaws. As we struggle to remove these flaws, we become frustrated. In time, we may come to doubt that real change is even possible. Sometimes we start thinking that way because we\u2019ve been influenced by a determinism which says that at birth we are already \u201cdetermined\u201d \u2014 i.e., whatever we are, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll always be. At other times, we may be plagued with a victim mentality. We see ourselves as the victims of circumstances and influences that are more than we can handle.<\/p>\n