The gospel enables us to both hate the sins around us and love the sinners with a desire for their salvation. Instead of shunning notoriously sinful places and people, Paul brought the gospel directly to this dishonest, brutish island. Calvin marvels: “It was truly a wonderful purpose of God, that he called a nation so depraved, and so infamous on account of its vices, to be among the first who should partake of the gospel.… In that country so corrupt, as if in the midst of hell, the Church of Christ held a position, and did not cease to be extended.”

福音使我們既恨惡周圍的罪惡，又愛罪人，渴望他們得救。保羅沒有避開臭名昭著的罪惡之地和人民，而是將福音直接帶到了這個不誠實、野蠻的島嶼上。加爾文驚嘆道：“上帝確實有一個奇妙的旨意，他把一個如此墮落、因惡習而臭名昭著的國家稱為第一批應該分享福音的國家……在那個如此腐敗的國家，如果在地獄之中，基督的教會仍占有一席之地，並且沒有停止擴展。”