“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:8
God is love, not because others love Him, but because He loved all men, while they were yet sinners. Your love is also gauged, not by how much people love you, but by how much you love others. Even those who are your enemy.
“And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” II Ki. 5:3
Though Naaman was a leper, the little maid did not despise her master. In fact, she had great compassion on him and desired for him to see the prophet in Israel so he could be healed. Saints, we must never despise the lepers in this world, after all, we were once a spiritual leper (sinner) ourselves. We must have compassion on the lost souls in this world, hating their sin because it is destroying their soul, but loving their souls enough that we would pray for and preach Christ to them.
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” Lk. 15:7
While praying this morning for some lost sinners I know of, I prayed that these sinners would get saved so all of heaven would rejoice. Then I had the thought that when I got saved it got the attention of heaven. Many people want to get the attention of some of this world, some even want the whole world to applaud them, but what a marvelous thought that when you got saved Oh saint of God, all of heaven rejoiced over you. Hallelujah!
As I stated in last month’s article, I will continue to expound on, what I consider poor theology, Christians considering themselves sinners. I will be the first to admit that I have sinned since I have been saved, and I do not know of any believers that have not sinned since they became a believer. However, sin must not be our habit. You are what you practice. If you practice righteousness, holiness and faithfulness, then that is what you are. If you practice or have a habit of sin, then you are a sinner.
In last month’s article I closed with the suggestion that some may ask, “what about Paul claiming to be chief of sinners?†I would like us to take a look together at this portion of scripture where Paul makes that statement. It is found in I Timothy 1:15; “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.†No doubt that the way this is translated into English it appears Paul is claiming to be the foremost sinner. Before I continue to look more into this verse I want you to consider a few things. If Paul is really stating that he is not just a sinner, but the worst of them all, why would he rebuke the Corinthians for allowing that man to have an incestuous relationship with his father’s wife? If Paul told them to remove that man from the church should they not remove Paul too, especially if he is a worse sinner than that man? If Paul was the worst of sinners, should he not heed his own warning to the Corinthians about the Lord’s Supper when he said, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.†(1Co 11:29). The worst of sinners would most certainly drink in an unworthy manner.
Again I ask, do you think the great apostle Paul was the worst of all sinners after he became a believer? I am sure he wasn’t and I am sure you don’t really believe he was either. I am a stickler when it comes to reading the bible. I believe, for the most part, we must believe the bible for the simple words it says, but every once in a while something is said that seems contradictory. When that happens we have to take a closer look at the passage(s). One of the most important rules of good bible study is to take the verses around a verse and let it help bring a clearer understanding to the passages in question. I tell my church often, “let the scriptures interpret the scriptures†Of course we cannot leave out the biggest factor of true bible study and that is the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. As we apply the rule of keeping scripture in context, not just with the verses around it, but the text of the whole teaching of the bible, we can get a clearer understanding of what Paul was really saying. Let’s look at the few verses that surround what Paul said in regard to being a chief sinner. Notice how often he talks in past tense in I Timothy 1:12-16.
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; (13)Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (14) And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (15)This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (16)Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.â€
In verse 12, Paul acknowledges that God found Him faithful. In verse 13 he states that he “was before†a blasphemer and persecutor, who at that time obtained mercy. In verse 14 he states that grace “was†exceeding abundant. Then going on to verse 16, Paul tells us he obtained mercy (past tense). When you read these verses together you can come to a simple conclusion that Paul wasn’t considering himself a sinner at the writing of this epistle, but that his life prior to his conversion was when he considered himself to be chief of sinners. Don’t forget, Paul persecuted the church of Jesus Christ and that is one reason why he felt he was such a sinful man. If there is one verse that I would think summed up Paul’s life after his road to Damascus experience it is, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.†(Gal 2:20). I am certain none of you would argue against the point that if Christ’s life is being lived out in Paul and his natural life is reckoned dead, then he is not a sinner. The same is true for you as well. This truth helps bring clarity to what John meant when he said, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.†(1Jn 3:9). That seed of Christ, which is in us, cannot sin. When we live according to the Spirit of God that is in us, we live the life of a saint, not a sinner. This is what is called walking in the Spirit.
When you walk in the Spirit, you are walking according to the nature, character and righteousness of Christ, in the measure of light He gives you. If you walk in the flesh, you can’t help but to express the deeds of the flesh. That is a sinful life. As I said in last month’s article, this could be the reason some Christians make the statement that they are just sinners saved by grace. It may be because they refuse to walk in the Spirit and instead walk in the flesh. If you walk in the flesh you are not going to feel very saintly; if you live in the flesh you are not going to feel close to God. However, if you walk in the Spirit, you will have the peace and joy of the Lord, and you will go out with confidence and boldness to tell others they too can be delivered from being a sinner.
Let me finish by saying that when we became new creatures in Christ, we received the indwelling Spirit, but there also remained that old fleshly nature. Through the Spirit we have power to overcome our flesh, and through the cross we can reckon our old man dead and crucified with Christ. If you are one that insists that we are still sinners because we have that old nature that we give into once in a while, I won’t really argue that point with you. I am well aware of the battle between the Spirit and the flesh. However, if you would read the New Testament in its entirety, you will see that the title of being a sinner is not given to the saints of the living God. If God doesn’t call us one, I am not going to argue with Him.
There is a little phrase or slogan that is being said quite often in our church generation. That phrase is, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.†There is even a song that the Gaither’s sing called “Sinner Saved by Grace.†Here are some of the words from the song: “And made me what I am today, just an old sinner saved by grace. I’m just a sinner, saved by grace.†So, is that what we really are? Evidently, many Christians think so, for I hear them say it, and I know many more believe that. I want to deal with this statement, so I ask you to give prayerful consideration to what I will be saying.
I want to start with a simple lesson from everyday life. Before I was married, I was free to live an independent life. I was what is called single. Once I stood before God with my bride and said “I do,†I gave up my independent single life. I became one with my wife at that moment and left that altar a married man. Since that day I got married, I have had some moments of desire for that independent life. There were even some times my wife got frustrated with me for doing my own thing, being selfish. Anyway, let me ask you a question to start challenging your thinking. Would my marital status change if I acted like a single man? Was I not still married even if there were moments I may have acted contrary to that? Now that I have you thinking a little bit, consider this scripture, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.†(1Co 6:10-11) There was a time I was a single man, and such were some of you brothers reading this article, but today you are married. You are not called a single man, but a married man. There was a time in my life, and in yours, if you are born again, when we were called sinners. I was a sinner, and I knew I was a sinner. Some of my sins I liked, some I was ashamed of. One thing for certain, I was in bondage to sin. However, when I got saved, I didn’t just get my sins forgiven and promised heaven, but I was also given power over sin and freed from the bondage of sin in my life. So with that said, I stand confidently before the Lord today and tell you I am no longer a sinner. I am washed, I am sanctified, and I am justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I belong to Him now, and I identify with His life now. I must add that I do sin sometimes, but thank God sin is not my common practice. Righteousness, holiness and obedience to the will of God is the life I identify with.
Let’s go back to the example of marriage. You who are married, would you ever even think to deny you are married just because you failed your spouse sometimes? If I heard a married man say, “I am just a single man that is married to a woman,†I would consider him a selfish man that probably doesn’t want to be married. So I ask, why are some Christians so willing to identify with that old life they once lived, and consider themselves that same old sinner? There can only be a few reasons they would say such a thing. One reason is they may have never really been born again and made a brand new creature, but have somehow been convinced they are saved. Another reason is that, some just repeat what others may teach. A new believer tends to accept what older Christians say as a true Christian doctrine. A final reason is that some Christians may really be unwilling to fully yield to Christ. Therefore, they find some comfort in the idea that they are still just sinners, and shouldn’t be expected to live truly righteous lives.
So I think by now you can see that I do not agree with the statement that we are just sinners saved by grace. Instead, I say, “I was a sinner that got saved by grace.†Here is what the bible calls us that are born again: saints (sacred, blameless), believers, disciples, Christians (first called that in Antioch), brethren, children of God, servants, righteous and a few other titles. In all my reading I have yet to come across a born again believer labeled as a sinner.
Why do I even bring this issue up? Is it really that big of a deal? I think so, and following is one example why I feel that way. I have ministered to prisoners with other fellow servants of God. You may be surprised that many of the inmates that attend our meetings profess they are believers or claim that they once served the Lord. How is it, that men claiming to be Christians, find themselves law breakers to such a point that they have to be locked up in prison? Now if they were in prison because of the testimony of Christ, that would be completely different, but that is not the case. Now some of these men are desperate for an answer, because they don’t want to be jail birds for the rest of their lives. They want and need a minister of God to come in and tell them of the delivering power of God. No matter how good our intentions might be, we must not go in and say to them, “you know what guys, I am no different than you. I too am a sinner, I am just saved by grace.†These men don’t need to hear that hopeless talk. They need to hear that there is more than just forgiveness for sin. They need to hear that there is life changing power given from God to deliver them from the sin that put them in jail to the righteous life that will keep them out. If sinners want to be delivered from the bondage of sin, but you go and tell them that you too are nothing more than a sinner, thinking that will help console them, you are terribly mistaken. I ask, are we delivered from a sinful life or not?
One of my favorite scriptures I use when preaching to the lost is ‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:†(Jn. 1:12). Yes, we are given power to be children of God. We do not remain a people that are overcome with sin. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.†(2Co 5:17). Therefore, I am no longer a sinner, I got converted to a saint. Hallelujah!
I know someone may ask, what about Paul claiming to be chief of sinners? I will deal with that question in next month’s article as I continue on this topic.
