Sinner And Saint Series

And it is this “cognitive dissonance” between our identities as saints and our sinful actions that leads us to repentance. We repent because these sins are not ordinary and expected. They are fundamentally contrary to who God has made us to be. It is this tension between our identities and our actions that is lost when we cease to think of ourselves as saints.

In the end, I am not suggesting that Christians can never refer to themselves with the word “sinner.” If rightly understood, this can be fine. But, we should also be keen to think of ourselves as saints. After all, when Christ returns that is what we will be. In glory, there will be no sinners. Only saints.

I like this quote from Neal Anderson: “What you do doesn’t determine who you are; who you are determines what you do.”

And so, if you are saved…

1. You are a saint who has been sanctified.

2. You are a sinner in the process of being sanctified.

Watch this video to be reminded of who God says you really are.

Closing Video: Identity

This is our identity. And let’s be reminded that sainthood is a mission, not just a mindset. We are set apart for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel according to 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

On Wednesday morning I was out for a run and was slowly chugging up a hill in East Moline when I noticed a truck parked with its flashers on. As I looked around I saw a man walking in the woods. I decided to stop and see if he needed some help. He told me what he was doing and asked my opinion about it.

That led to him sharing that his wife died just six weeks ago. I was able to express sympathy to him. That led to the conversation going deeper and he told me he was an agnostic. I told him I was a believer in Jesus. He seemed open to talk so we engaged in some common questions about Christianity.

He then told me that he doesn’t need to believe in Jesus because he keeps the Golden Rule. I said, “Really?” I can’t keep it; how do you do it? He admitted he couldn’t either. That got us right into the gospel and I explained that Jesus died as our substitute to forgive all our sins. He pushed back and told me that he’s mad at God (he used stronger language than that). He then told me he’s OK with going to Hell. I told him he’s not really an agnostic if he believes in Hell and appealed to him to turn to Christ before it’s too late.

While Bill didn’t get saved I’m praying that he will…before it’s too late. I tell you that for two reasons. One, maybe you’re not saved yet. Two, if you are saved, you’ve been set apart as a saint to live on mission for Christ. See your interactions with people as God’s appointments this week.

Remember this…

We become sinners by being born.

We become saints by being born again.

And if you’re saved…

1. You are a saint who has been sanctified.

2. You are a sinner in the process of being sanctified.