Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 1:12

"I thank him that enabled me, [even] Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to [his] service;" — 1 Timothy 1:12 (ASV)

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me.—Better rendered, who hath given me strength within. The ancient authorities here are divided; the majority omit the first word of the verse, the connecting “and.”

With or without this word, the sense is much the same; for on the words, “the gospel . . . committed to my trust,” the Apostle pauses, overwhelmed with the flood of grateful memories which such a thought let loose. “How I thank God,” wrote Saint Paul, “who hath strengthened me within, with this power to bear witness to my Master!—me of all persons, who was once a blasphemer of His royal name! What an example I—your teacher, the founder of this Church of Ephesus—am of the transforming grace of the gospel—of its sweet, mighty power to forgive sins.”

It was the thought of the great love, passing understanding, of the tender, pitiful mercy which allowed such a wondrous trust to be committed to the charge of such a sinner, that called forth the exclamation of deep thankfulness we read in the twelfth and following verses.

If we ask more particularly regarding the exact way in which Jesus Christ “enabled,” or “strengthened Saint Paul within,” we must think of his extraordinary power of winning men to his Master’s side; we must remember his miraculous gifts over disease and even death; and last, but not least, that strength of endurance, that brave, sweet patience which made his life of suffering borne for Christ so beautiful, so touching, an example for men.

For that he counted me faithful.—The All-seeing, knowing from the beginning that Saint Paul would continue steadfast and true, selected him as “His chosen vessel” to bear His name and the glad news of His salvation into many lands.

It is observable, however, that this very faithfulness, this unflinching steadfastness, which seems to have been the reason why the Lord chose him for his great work, Saint Paul, in a well-known and remarkable passage, refers to as a gift of grace which he had obtained by the mercy of the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:25).