To me—less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ
After all is said and done, Paul said that his job was to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.
In another place, he said God has not called him to baptize but to preach Christ (1 Corinthians 1:17).
Still, in another place, he said that he does not want to know anything among a group, except Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
So he proclaims the unfathomable riches of Christ to the Gentiles.
In the next verses, he talks about enlightening everyone about what God wants to do through the church, which is to manifest His manifold wisdom through the church.
We do not know the fullness of that, but Paul is saying, we are not alone in the universe, there is a cosmic power move at play that involves God and other celestial beings, that also involves the church.
But before then, in this verse, he reiterates that he is unqualified. He called himself the least of all the saints.
That contrast is meant to arrest your attention, just as it did with the bush burning and not burning in the wilderness before Moses's attention was arrested (Exodus 3:1–3).
So the man who vigorously persecuted the church, but now can't stop talking about the advancement, is a strong spiritual signal that can cut through demonic noise trying to drown out the voice of God.
So Paul became God’s megaphone in his life and words.
But let us not try to give the impression that until you have a bad past like Paul, then you are not worth much to God.
Far from it. It does not matter who you are; you were born in sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1–3), and each story is the story of the grace of God.
We were all dead in trespasses and sins; how that is presented in real life may differ.
We somehow have the idea that one sin is different from others before God. But look at what James wrote:
For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
But God can save all kinds of people and is saving all kinds of people, including the one who is morally upright in the eyes of men, including the religious fanatic like Paul.
Let the person with a bad past not boast in it; let the person with a neutral or positive past, or a Christian heritage, not boast in that either; we are all recipients of the grace of God.
Nevertheless, what Paul is saying in this focus verse should not be lost on us. He said he was less than the least of all the saints.
That is his self-evaluation. That is the man God uses. The man who leans heavily on the grace of God because he does not have any other thing that recommends him.
He had mentioned grace in the context of salvation (Ephesians 2:5, 8–9); now, he is mentioning grace in the context of the operation of a spiritual gift. By grace we are saved, and that grace does not just raise us up; it gives us a seat, as Hannah wrote in her song.
He lifts the weak from the dust;
he raises the poor from the ash heap
to seat them with princes—
he bestows on them an honored position.
The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD—
he placed the world on them.
The grace that saves us is the grace that impacts us with spiritual gifts. As Paul wrote, we are God's workmanship in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10).
As we become saved, our function can come alive immediately, as with Paul, but in other cases, we can have seasons and seasons before our full blooming. But it is still our role to prepare ourselves in seeking, etc.
That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or do what his master asked will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know his master’s will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.
As we reflect together on the words of Paul, let us all see ourselves in the same light of being the least of all the saints.
Jesus said the greatest shall be the servant of all (Mark 9:35), focusing our minds away from being preeminent to being the servant of all. He wants there to be competition for the servant position.
There is a tone of elation in this verse when Paul talked about the inestimable riches of Christ, the depth of which we cannot fully plumb.
He is a man driven by conviction. There is nothing half-hearted about it at all. And this is not a small assignment; it is an assignment from the living God.
So we need to ask ourselves: if there is something in our ministry that does not align with Paul's proclamations, are we serving the living God, or have we been captured by principalities and powers to do their will?