Sinner or Saint?

By Pam Durham,  C.A.R.E. Director

How do you refer to yourself?  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, how do you think of yourself?  Do you think of yourself as a “Sinner saved by grace” or as a “Saint, the righteousness of Christ?”

I quickly put the word “sinner” in as a word search in BibleGateway.com.  The term in the New Testament is not referring to Christians.  Paul’s reference is to his past.  Not once is the term “sinner saved by grace” found.  The closest thing to that is in James 4:8 (“Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”) James is referring to the double-minded person being directed to purify his heart; the terms grace, holy, redeemed, etc. are not found in the verse or those around it.  Are you thinking that you are a sinner and have been saved by grace?  I mean we all were sinners and once we’ve trusted Christ as our Savior we are saved by grace, but is “a sinner saved by grace” how you see yourself and refer to yourself?  If you do, I must ask if you struggle with your identity in Christ.  Having worked with many women who have struggled with their past, I can tell you that most if not all have felt at some point that they were not as good as those they attend church with.  They saw themselves as unworthy. 

I remember praying about a situation where I had taken responsibility for possibly offending a group and I went to each one and asked for their forgiveness.  Even though they all said they did forgive me, there were one or two whose actions didn’t confirm their words.  While praying I asked why they were rejecting me.  Almost verbally, God said, “They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting me through you.”  How freeing that was to understand rejection from God’s perspective.

Galatians 2:20 states that Christians have been crucified with Christ so that they no longer live but Christ lives in them.  If Christ lives in you, are you still a sinner or a saint?  Again 1 John 3:9 tells us, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”  And Romans 8:1-2 states, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Break free from this mentality; don’t mix your old identity with your new identity.

I am set free to be a righteous saint.  I remember when I first became a Christian over 40 years ago.  I thought that you became a saint when you were old and had white hair.  I soon learned that a saint was a person chosen by God.  That included me in my teen years.  In the NIV version, it’s translated as holy people.  Do you think of yourself as being holy and righteous?

Here are some scriptures where righteousness is used to describe Christians. Romans 5:17 & 19, plus Romans 5:21, “… just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Can grace reign when we are filling our mind with being a sinner?  I Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”, Ephesians 6:14,

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…” If you see yourself as a sinner (saved by grace) the breastplate cannot fully protect you from the enemy because of the “half-truth” you are believing.  Philippians 1:9-11,  ^“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” and 3:9, “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

I am not saying we live the rest of our lives sinless.  Until we are taken home to heaven, we will be imperfect.  But, we are what we think and speak.  Have you heard about self-talk?  It is so important to speak the positive.  This is supported with Scripture as well.  2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” And Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I haven’t always walked in this truth.  For many years I was still bound by the shame of my past.  My self-value didn’t change overnight – it was work!  But now, I am the righteousness of Christ Jesus – I am a daughter of the King of Kings.  I stand on this identity.  Where do you stand?