If I Sin, Am I a Sinner?
The short answer is, “No.”
It’s important to recognize the difference between who we are and what we do. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, God says that Jesus was made to be sin so that you could be made His righteousness. In Romans 6:6 and Galatians 2:20, He says that old you died with Jesus at the cross. He says that you were raised to newness of life (Romans 6:4) and that He completely recreated you (2 Corinthians 5:17). He says you used to be a sinner, but you’ve been made clean, set apart for God, and declared not guilty. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
This is the reason we never see those who are in Christ called sinners in scripture. Instead, they are called holy ones, the sanctified, or saints. Just read the introduction to one of Paul’s letters to the churches. (See Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, etc.)
God says that you who are in Christ are righteous, holy, blameless, and above reproach. Colossians 1:21–22 makes it clear that at one time this was not true of you, but now it is. It reads, “And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” (NASB 2020)
But we still behave in ungodly ways. In fact, any time we do not walk by the Spirit, we err. Notice that we are talking about behavior here, not identity.
We all stumble in many ways as James wrote in James 3:2. The world and all its systems press and tempt us constantly to live by our senses (the flesh) rather than by faith (dependance on God). All this pressure and temptation from the fallen world and its evil ruler sometimes persuades us to act differently from who we actually are. When our actions and attitudes are not godly it is because we have an earthy mindset. Scripture says that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (see Galatians 5:16) It urges us to have a spiritual mindset in Colossians 3:2. Jesus pointed this out in the negative in Mark 8:33 where we find, “But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.” (NASB 2020)
The unsettled and uncomfortable feeling you have when you choose to do ungodly things is Holy Spirit within you urging you toward godliness. If you were not in Christ, you wouldn’t feel the same way about sin.
All who are in Christ want to behave in godly ways. We want to walk by faith consistently. We all wish we could achieve that instantly, but growth takes time. You can trust that Father is working to mature you by His Spirit within you. You’ll see the changes over time.
Philippians 1:6 (NASB 2020) “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.”
You are not a sinner.
You are a saint.
You are righteous.
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
E3 Ministries
LarryEiss.com
