As the Apostle Paul sat in a Roman prison awaiting his sentence, which proved to be death by beheading, he wrote these words to his spiritual son, Timothy;
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
- 2 Timothy 4:8-9
So, what is Paul doing on his "death bed?" Is he writing down his spiritual resume, all the great things he has done, all the things he will offer to Jesus when he stands before Him?
May we not read his words in this light. Paul shows us that from beginning to end that our salvation rests firmly in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.
Look at what he says to a couple different churches;
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9
Paul is not pointing to himself and his efforts in that Roman prison, he is pointing to God's grace in Jesus. Here is what he says about God's grace to another church.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly that they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
The word grace means unmerited favor. God forgives and shows mercy to the undeserving. But grace is also the transforming power of God working in and through those He saves.
What is the final reason why we know Paul isn't trying to write out all the things he has done that will earn him acceptance before God? Paul writes of the "crown" of righteousness. Interestingly enough, in the language which Paul wrote this letter [Greek], the word for crown and the word for Stephan are the same.
I don't think this harsh reality would have been missed by Paul. Stephen was the first Christian martyr in the book of Acts. The Apostle Paul before his conversion was at that murder and was eagerly supportive of it.
How could Paul look forward to standing before King Jesus when he was a part of the murder party who killed one of His children? Paul knew and believed the gospel. He knew and believed that his sins had been fully pardoned by Jesus on Calvary. He knew that Jesus' perfect righteousness had been accredited to him, and he knew that the Spirit of the resurrected Christ lived in him and had transformed him into a new man.
He knew that his sins would not be held against him, and he knew that God was going to graciously reward him for the things that Jesus had worked in and through him by His Spirit.
With these truths riveted deeply in his heart and mind, he looked forward to meeting his Savior, Lord and King!
