Sinners and Saints
What is our identity? This question is at the root of all of our behaviors, choices, and beliefs. We often confuse our identities with those that the world tends to throw at us as well as misread how the Bible describes the people of God. Is our identity as a believer defined as a sinner or a saint? I would guess that the answers to that question would depend on how we defined each of these titles.
For the purpose of this article, let’s define saints as those who are justified by Christ in the eyes of God and sinners as those who continue to sin even in their justification. Given these definitions, to the tension of whether we are sinners or saints, I would answer that question with a “Yes!” The idea of being one or the other is not consistent with what Scripture teaches – we are simultaneously both. Take a look at Ephesians 2:1-10:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
In these verses, Paul is addressing the churches in Ephesus concerning their salvation. Notice that the first few verses of this passage speak to the previous condition of the Ephesians (and truthfully, us too!) when all of the sudden, the tone changes. Starting in verse 4, we have some of the most beautifully writtenwords about what God has done for us. He is rich in mercy, He loves us greatly, He made us alive despite our deadness. He even “raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places…” Does that not sound like “saint” to you? God has changed our identity by moving us from being children of wrath to being His children, alive and saved by His grace.
But before we get too caught up in the fact that God considers us saints, let’s pause to remind ourselves that we did not get there by our own doing. Look at verses 8 and 9, starting with, “For by grace you have been saved…” and notice that all of the actions are done by God rather than us. Here, Paul is reminding us that God saved us out of His own grace as a gift that He has given to us. Our “saint” status is not an earned title like a college degree or a career choice, but a gift that God has given to His children for His purpose.
So then, given all that we have read in Ephesians 2:1-10, where does the idea of “sinner” come into our understanding of our identity? We can read passage after passage (especially in Romans) on how we have been saved from the grip of sin and that we are now considered righteous, but let’s be honest with each other – we still sin regularly. In fact, our sin is present every day – just as the toddler who selfishly stole the crayons away from his sister or the older church member who has been walking with Jesus for many years, but still struggles with pride and discontentment. We are unable to go even one day without committing a sin against each other and a sin against God. So then where does that leave us? I think that question really gets to the heart of our struggles with guilt contrasted with living in the freedom of Christ. Are we damaged goods in the eyes of God because of our daily fight with sin? Does God view us as weak because of our sin? The answer to these questions may surprise you, but yes, God does view us as weak, weak enough to need a Savior who would live the perfect life, die an undeserved death, and rise again on the third day for our salvation. God views us as weak, but He does not leave us there! Look at what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Our weakness and sinful tendencies push us to a greater dependence on the Lord – both for our growth as believers and for the forgiveness that Christ offers. Christ is displayed in our weakness, his forgiveness and love are shown in our sinfulness.God knew when He inspired John to write 1 John 1:9 that though His people would be justified and saved by grace, that they would still sin and need forgiveness. Our sin is very present in our lives, but it points to a gracious and loving Savior who came to take the punishment for us so that we might be called saints.
What does all of this mean for how we live our daily lives? Each day as we seek to reflect and worship Christ in all that we do, we must recognize that we are both saints saved by grace and sinners in need of mercy. We cannot fall into the trap of legalism by thinking that we must work harder for our salvation because our status as sinners. On the opposite end, we cannot fall into the trap of arrogance and pride by thinking that we can no longer sin or that we no longer need the forgiveness of God. Each day we must be aware that we will sin, but the Christ is waiting for us to return to him, as his children, for forgiveness and mercy. Our identity is a sinner, saved by grace, considered a child of God.
