1 Timothy 1:13

13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man – Those of us who have accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior can relate to this statement. Before we were saved, we were walking in darkness. We once were something or someone we didn’t want/need to be. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but before we were saved, we lived with the sin day after day after day.

I was shown mercy – By the grace of God, we are shown mercy. Mercy: “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment ”. God showed us His compassion when we did not deserve. By faith, we believed in Him and through His grace, He showed us mercy and accepted us into His family.