Something For Holy People to Glory In
One of the surprises of the Christian life is that as you grow more holy in life and practice, you also grow in your awareness of your own sin and depravity. In fact, the latter is a key to the former. As a result, while you are in reality becoming more sanctified, your daily experience is often that of feeling less sanctified.
So J.I. Packer once noted that in I Corinthians (c. 54 AD), Paul calls himself the least of the apostles. In Ephesians (c. 61 AD) he calls himself the least of the saints. By I Timothy (c. 65 AD), he describes himself as the chief of all sinners.
Packer's conclusion: Holy people glory, not in their holiness, but in Christ's cross; for the holiest saint is never more than a justified sinner and never sees himself in any other way. (Keeping In Step With the Spirit, page 105)
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