Articles
Saints or Sinners?
I frequently hear Christians call themselves “sinners,” especially in discussions about our continual struggle with sin and our absolute dependence on God’s grace. While I understand and agree with what they mean by this, is this the full picture of how the Bible describes us?
Christians are called “saints” more than any other theological term in the New Testament, some 60 times. Paul especially emphasized this idea in his letters, addressing God’s people as saints a full two-thirds of those times. There is no doubt that God wants us to see ourselves as his beloved holy ones, even in all our imperfections.
On the other hand, there is only one place where a Christian is referred to as a “sinner” (1 Tim. 1:15), and the exact usage in this passage is different than what we often mean. Paul famously calls himself the “chiefest of sinners.” The context suggests he is referring to his former life as a persecutor and how God saved him by grace. In this passage Paul is not discussing his current struggle with sin as a child of God, though he does in others (see Rom. 7).
Did you get that contrast? Saints—sixty times. Sinner—once, and not even in the same way we use it.
Yes, we still sin, and to deny it is to make liars of ourselves and God (1 John 1:8-10). We can even continue in sin so willfully that we lose our salvation (Heb. 10:26-31). This is not about us being better than others; self-righteousness is unequivocally condemned throughout the Bible (Luke 18:9-14).
The question is, what defines our identity in Christ—our sin or God’s grace? Yes, I still sin as a Christian, but does this determine who I really am in God’s eyes? Does the fact that I sin mean I am no different than an unbeliever? Surely not, for if we continue walking in darkness we have no fellowship with God at all (1 John 1:6).
This is the point: we are so much more than sinners. We are sinners who have been washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Cor. 6:11). We are sinners who trust in God’s love for us and by obedience are adopted into his family. We are saints saved by God’s grace.
Here are two reasons why it is important to present the full picture in our language.
First, the way we talk reflects our view of ourselves and God. Are we so beat down by our struggles that we fail to trust in God’s mercy and compassion? Do we despair in our weakness and fear that God will shut us out forever, even if we cry out to him? No, God is for us, and it is he who has made us saints!
Secondly, the world needs to see that God has made a dramatic difference in our lives. While admitting our own struggle with sin helps us connect with the lost, what hope will they have if they see us as no different than them? We can affirm our past and present struggles, but more importantly, we must point them to what gives us hope beyond our weaknesses. If God has made a difference in our lives, he can do the same for others.
How would you describe yourself today? The same Paul who said he was a sinner also wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). Can you say this with confidence?
