"Are You A Sinner?"

  In his preaching he made a statement that we are all sinners. People nodded in agreement while some said "amen." It made me think! Are you a sinner? What does the term "sinner" mean? The Scripture speaks: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) 

  Paul spoke of Jesus: "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." (I Tim. 1:15) Paul knew that he was among the world's worst sinners and he was the "chief" of sinners. But backing up and looking at the context, Paul spoke of his sinful condition as "formerly." "Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor..." (I Tim. 1:13) Paul speaks of himself as a sinner but only in the sense that he had sinned and was undeserving of God's mercy and grace.

  Paul did not see himself in Christ as a sinner but a saint and an apostle! Paul addressed all those in Christ Jesus as saints, not sinners (I Cor. 1:1-2). Forgiveness brings a new creation. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (II Cor. 5:17) Forgiveness brings us under God's work. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Eph. 2:10) Forgiveness brings us into the likeness of God. "And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph. 4:24) 

  When Christ died for us, before we came to Him, we were sinners but now, those in Christ Jesus are no longer sinners! "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." (Rom. 5:8-9) We are children of God, the saved wearing His name. To say we are sinners is not giving Christ Jesus His rightful place.

  Does that mean we no longer sin? Of course not! "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (I John 2:1) While we struggle against sin we no long walk in sin and are no longer slaves to sin (Rom. 6:1-7). Our sins are not held against us (Rom. 4:8/Heb. 8:12). We will always have our struggles against sin in our life but we are joined to Christ, called by God as His child and saints and we are no longer "sinners." We are new and made new. We are no longer part of the world of darkness but are in the world of the kingdom of His beloved Son where forgiveness is found (Col. 1:13-14).

  If you're still practicing sin you're a "sinner." If you have been joined to Christ Jesus, you are His brother. We need to give thought to who we are and where we stand.