There
are many Christians who have deficient, and sometimes quite dogmatic, views of
the proper identity and character of believers.
Saint, Not Sinner: Some insist believers are no
longer sinners. Christians do sin, from time to time, they will admit, but they
are no longer “sinners” by definition. Instead, they are children of God,
united with Christ, and a new creation.
Sinner, Not Saint: Others seem to revel in their
fallenness. “I’m no saint,” they seem, almost proudly, to affirm. Though
believing in the new birth and having assurance of their salvation, these see
themselves primarily in light of their sin.
Both sides quote Scripture for their
view. The “Saint, Not Sinner” will point to Galatians 2:20. The “Sinner, Not
Saint will cite Romans 7:25b. So who is correct? Which am I as a Christian?
Both perspectives express truth
about the believer, but both, by making one part the whole, are wrong.
Christians are saints, a word which
simply means holy one in the Greek NT
(Rom. 1:7). We are children of God (Rom. 8:15-16) and are no longer defined by
the sinful lifestyle that once held us in bondage (1Cor. 6:9-11). But
Christians are also sinners. We continue to “fall short of the glory of God”
(Rom. 3:23). More than that, Paul affirms, “Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1Tim. 1:15). Not I was the foremost; Paul says I
am. Even as a redeemed and reconciled saint, Paul knew he was still a
sinner. The truth in this case is not saint or
sinner. Every Christian is “Both Saint and
Sinner.”
There are several important,
practical implications and applications of this doctrine which I hope to
address, by God’s grace, over the next few weeks in brief articles. Here is the
plan:
