Sinners and Saints

   I pray that this blog would change the way you understand your identity, or strengthen you understanding of who you are. I also pray that God's words are written here and not my own.

   My whole life (new life) I have had the understanding that I am a sinner. In some ways, that is very true. I am very undeserving of God's grace, I sometimes am shy about making him famous, my sin weighed upon Jesus' shoulders, and at times I submit him to public disgrace all over again. I do what I don't want to do, and do what I don't want to do. I fail time and time again. I need to repent over and over again. Jesus took the cross that was meant for me. In my eyes, I am definitely a sinner. I am an unworthy recipient of grace.

   Thankfully, that is not who we are. We were sinners, and we were enemies of Jesus. We were once the scoffers yelling insults at Jesus and spitting on his face, but that's not who we are now. Jesus calls us his friends (John 15:3), children of God (1 John 3:1), and Romans 8 tells us that we are co-heirs with Christ, and more than conquerors. We have been given a new identity in Christ. In Paul's epistles he calls us "saints." That is a big deal. None of that language sounds like I should name myself a sinner. What else? Several verses tell us that we are DEAD to sin and alive in Christ (Rom. 6:11, 1 Cor. 15:22, Eph. 2:1-5, Col. 2:13). A man who is dead to sin is no sinner. We are not under that banner any more.

  That does not mean we can't fall, and it sure doesn't make me perfect all the time, but I am justified through the blood of the Lamb. I think that we have had the title of "sinner" put into our heads so much that we can't see that we are more than that. And I think that we have convinced ourselves that we are no more than that. Example: if you have been called worthless your whole life, you might start to think that the accusations are true. We have been found not guilty, and the accusations aren't true. We have a merciful judge behind the bench. Since we have convinced ourselves of a lowly status, we have also convinced ourselves that we have little potential, we have paralyzed ourselves. We have rendered ourselves useless. Satan has convinced us that all we are is wicked sinners, when God has told us that we are already victorious. I don't trust a fallen angel with jealousy issues more than the author of creation. Again, I do sin, but I am no sinner. I think it is disrespectful to call ourselves that, and discredits God's authority.

I refuse to accept such an unjustified title. I also refuse to take our new titles for granted, and take it as an excuse to be stale. We are saints... we are the hands and feet, the kingdom come, the royal priesthood, the co-heirs! I will not take those titles lightly. Don't give up saints, their is no time to waste. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)