Paul exemplified through his conduct that he lived by faith in the Son of God. If Paul did not believe in the Son of God, he would be considered dead, though alive in the body. For as Paul tells us, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Paul would have considered himself dead in Adam if he continued to live under the law of sin. But God’s gift to the world is eternal life. We who live in the world today do not need to wait until we are delivered into heaven to taste eternal life. We can have eternal life in the present by being restored and reconciled to Christ.
Paul says that the Son of God loved "me" and gave himself for "me." We all know that the love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, descends upon all people under heaven. Jesus gave His life for all sinners of this world. Yet Paul does not say that Christ loved "us," but stresses that Jesus loved "me" and died for "me." Paul does not say that Christ gave Himself for "us," but for "me." We need to ask ourselves if we understand and feel the love of Jesus today as intimately as Paul did.
Paul’s personal vision of Jesus’ love for him shows he was convinced that even if all people under heaven were righteous and he were the only sinner, Christ would still have come to give His life for him and deliver him from death to life. The three parables of the Lord in Luke 15 place primary importance on the individual salvation of each and every sinner. Jesus laid down His life for each individual.
Paul was willing to crucify the world on the cross, to the extent of considering his life in this secular world worthless. Paul set his heart and mind upon finishing the race and completing the task the Lord Jesus had entrusted to him. This monumental task was to testify to all people the good news of God's grace. Paul’s profound experiences of Jesus' love for him always inspired him onward.
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