Articles
“Sinners or Saints?”
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12
Is it right for Christians to think of themselves as “sinners” or ought we to think ourselves as “saints”? We understand that there is no such thing as a Christian in this life who is without sin for John tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” (1 Jn. 1:8-9a) Christians have a real need for God’s continued mercy because we continue to struggle against sin. James says, “if anyone among you [you Christians] wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (Jas. 5:20-21) Again, here is another passage that refers to Christians as “sinners.” But notice these are Christians who have wandered from the truth.
It is much more common for Christians to be described as “saints.” The word “saint” means holy one, consecrated one, one who is set apart by God. Paul calls Christians “saints” forty times in his letters and almost never calls them “sinners” in the present tense. Romans 5:8 says “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The implication is that those who are in Christ are no longer to be identified as “sinners.” Though we still struggle with sin, we are primarily identified by our association with the Lord. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Now that we have responded to the gospel and received the forgiveness of our sins we are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” (Col. 3:12)
To think of ourselves as "saints" or “God’s chosen ones” seems embarrassing, almost arrogant. But these are not titles we give ourselves in hollow self-congratulation. These are names given to us by the God who has justified us in Christ: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession… Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet. 2:9-10)
The emphasis of New Testament authors is to motivate Christians to keep in step with their new identity as “saints” by living consecrated lives (see 1 Pet. 1:14-16). In Christ, we really are, right now in the present, “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” The challenge is for us to live consistent with that spiritual reality by putting “to death… what is earthly in [us]” (Col. 3:5-11; 2:10-11) and walking in newness of life (Col. 3:12-17; cf. Rom. 6:1ff).
Paul explores this tension between being clean and continuing to cleanse ourselves: “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor. 5:7) Because we have been forgiven of our sins in Christ, we “really are unleavened” and yet we must continue to “cleanse out the old leaven.” Again, Paul outlines several sinful practices that keep us from inheriting God’s kingdom and says of the Corinthians, “such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…” (1 Cor. 6:11) Yet, later, he tells these same washed, sanctified, justified people, “let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (1 Cor. 7:1)
While Christians still struggle with sin, we must see ourselves primarily as “saints”: not sinless, but those who, in Christ, are empowered to sin less and less and look more and more like our perfect Savior. John strikes the balance between the responsibility of holy living and the need for grace: “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 Jn. 2:1)
