And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. (1 Timothy 1:12-16)
The Apostle Paul knew from personal experience the grave danger of unbelief. The resistant unbelieving person is not merely one who has not heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, but an individual who has made the decision not to believe. Unbelief is not purely intellectual. A popular assumption among non-Christians is that secularism is an intellectual pursuit and that Christianity is the domain of the uneducated and unintelligent. But the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul debunk this notion. The reason so many people have not committed to Jesus Christ is because, unlike Paul, they refuse to admit that they are wrong. It is difficult to humble oneself before God and admit that one is wrong, but this is what repentance and belief involve. Dear listener, where are you in this picture? Are you resisting the Gospel, or have you submitted to Christ?