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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
“Well, nobody’s
perfect, we are all sinners, just sinners saved by grace.” How many times have you either heard that or said it yourself?
Is it true that we are all “just sinners?” Of course we all agree that we are “sinners saved by grace,”
but what is a sinner that has been saved by grace, now that he is saved? Is he still just a sinner or is he something different?
What does the Bible say? That’s always a good place to start to find out the real answer to any question.
The New Testament never calls a person who is “born again” a sinner. You never find that term
used in reference to a Christian anywhere in the New Testament. What does the Bible call a person who has been “born
again?” Here are the most common words used to describe those who have been saved by grace.
·
The Term “Saint” is used
62 times
·
The term “Disciple” is
used 243 times
· The term “Church” is used 77 times
The Apostle Paul almost always addressed his letters to “the saints.” James called himself a
bondservant of God and addressed his letter to “My Brethren.” Peter called himself an Apostle and addressed his
letter to “the pilgrims” and the “elect.” John addresses his letter to “my little children”
and then goes on to plainly and forcefully say that the person who truly knows the Lord does not, in fact cannot, continue
in sin.
Christian, stop calling yourself what you aren't (a sinner) and start calling yourself what you are (a
saint) and then - by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within you - start living like it.
Pastors, stop calling
your congregations sinners. If you continue to call them sinners, they will continue to practice sin! If you have a congregation
full of sinners, you have a real problem, because the Scripture plainly tells us in 1 John 3:9 "Whoever has
been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
Of course we all know from experience and from the affirmation of the Bible that we are not above sin or exempt from
commiting sin, but what the Bible is teaching here is that a Christian does not continue in a sinful lifestyle.
Perhaps
one of the reasons that we will not call ourselves saints is that the very word denotes a life that we are not willing to
live.
Keep praying!!
Jeff
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