Describe (with biblical references) the development of Paul’s “self-image” as he matured.

As Paul matured and his intimacy with Jesus Christ deepened, he saw both God and himself more clearly, and it steadily lowered his estimate of himself. Around A.D. 59 he called himself the least of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9); a few years later, the very least of all saints (Ephesians 3:8); and at the end, writing to Timothy, the worst sinner in the world (1 Timothy 1:15). Growth did not make him feel better about himself; it opened his eyes to the fact that his sin nature was worse than he had ever imagined, and it was incorrigible. He saw more clearly every day the depth of his need for grace, and that was the secret of his greatness.