Are you still a sinner?

[Andrew]

Thank you SnuP.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Sun service.

Shalom

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Our language tells us that a "baker" is "one who bakes". And of course this is true.

But when we say that a "sinner" is "one who sins", we are only partially correct. In the Biblical context, a person who sins is not always a sinner. In the Biblical context, there are two kinds of people:

• Unregenerate, childern of the devil who sin because it is their nature to sin and there is nothing they can do about it, and
• Regenerate, children of God who sin because they are walking according to the flesh. They can help it but fail. They are not sinners, they are children of God who are walking outside of their nature. If they walked according to their regenerate inner man, they would not sin. They cannot sin..

 1Jo 3:9 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.

I know that this is hard for some to accept. But there it is. If you are a believer, you cannot sin from the heart, therefore you are no longer a sinner. You may sin from the flesh, but that does not make you a sinner in the same way an unregenerate is a sinner. He is a sinner by nature.

I may bake biscuits... but I am not a "baker".

 

[mellymell]

You can't be a saint and a sinner at the same time. The two things are opposite. You can be a sinner who does good things, and you can be a saint who does bad things. But, you can't be a saved sinner.

Now, you can be a saint who commits a sin, but that doesn't make you a sinner by nature anymore because the Bible says that if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature.

Playing a piano doesn't necessarily make me a pianist. Fixing a toilet doesn't necessarily make me a plumber. By nature (occupation), I am no longer a sinner. But, from time to time, I do commit sin and still need forgiveness.

Hope that helps.
God bless.

 

[devoted]

Mellymel,

That was a very good post. I guess I am becoming a fan of yours.

The difference between a sinner and a saint and the saint that sins;

The sinner when he falls in the mud stays in the mud loves the mud wallows in the mud and the thought of being clean repulses him.

The saint that sins, falls in the mud and debates and doubts if he should stay in the mud because he thinks he is not worthy to clean himself up, but eventually the dirt becomes too mush for him to handle and he pulls himself out and cleans himself off.


The saint that falls in the mud immediately knows his savoir is there for him to clean him off and he does not hesitate for one second to run to him and become clean again.

I know which one I am, which one are you?

 

[mellymell]

Originally posted by devoted
Mellymel,

That was a very good post. I guess I am becoming a fan of yours. 

...

I know which one I am, which one are you?

Thanks.

I'm a saint who falls from time to time but immediately gets back up again... and I get up CLEAN from that sin because God said that if I'd confess my sins, He's faithful and just to forgive me of those sins AND cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

HALLELUJAH!

 

[Jephunneh]

I'm a saved sinner... and I get up CLEAN from that sin because God said that if I'd confess my sins, He's faithful and just to forgive me of those sins AND cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Amen!

 

[dignitized]

Jephunneh: what good is confession without repentance? I can confess my sins by bragging about them just as easily as with repentance . . . .

 

[linda4jesus]

Yep...still a sinner, but saved by Grace through the Blood of Jesus

 

[mellymell]

I think that the whole point has been missed. People are still calling themselves sinners. You're either a sinner or a saint. You can't be both. You can be a saint who commits sins, but you can't be a saved sinner. You can be a saved person who WAS a sinner... But, we have been MADE the righteousness of God through Christ. Accept it.

 

[Blindfaith]

Hi mellymel! Where have you been?

 

[dignitized]

um . . . I'm a sinner saved by grace. A true saint NEVER calls himself one. St Francis who is/was a saint of God if ever there was one always saw himself as a sinner and yet he pretty much saved the Christian faith by his witness. God figure. The Humble man always views - or at least tries to - from God's point of view. FILTHY UNWORTHY DESPICABLE a SINNER. If others wish to call me a saint, that is their business. But I would never be so proud as to claim that title for myself.

 

[Apologist]

Originally posted by mellymell
You can't be a saint and a sinner at the same time. The two things are opposite. You can be a sinner who does good things, and you can be a saint who does bad things. But, you can't be a saved sinner.

Now, you can be a saint who commits a sin, but that doesn't make you a sinner by nature anymore because the Bible says that if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature.

Playing a piano doesn't necessarily make me a pianist. Fixing a toilet doesn't necessarily make me a plumber. By nature (occupation), I am no longer a sinner. But, from time to time, I do commit sin and still need forgiveness.

Hope that helps.
God bless.

We are sinners practically, but we are saints positionally.

 

[HalfPint]

Well, in the words of Paul:

1 Tim 1:15 -- Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst.

Paul uses the present tense in this verse, even though he was already saved at this time.

 

[Andrew]

The Epistles never address the saints/brethren as sinners.

 

[dignitized]

Andrew: quite correct. Paul calls HIMSELF a sinner and the people to whom he wrote - saints.

 

[mellymell]

Hey all.

Hi mellymel! Where have you been?

I've been around. LOL. Was just letting a few people post before I responded.

We are sinners practically, but we are saints positionally.

A true saint NEVER calls himself one. St Francis who is/was a saint of God if ever there was one always saw himself as a sinner and yet he pretty much saved the Christian faith by his witness. God figure. The Humble man always views - or at least tries to - from God's point of view. FILTHY UNWORTHY DESPICABLE a SINNER. If others wish to call me a saint, that is their business. But I would never be so proud as to claim that title for myself.

The Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive AND to cleanse. If we're cleansed, then the stain is gone. Also, it says in 2 Cor. 5:21 - "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." We should no longer consider ourselves as sinners unless we're prepared to call God a sinner. We don't wear our own righteousness. We wear God's righteousness. If that still makes us sinners, then God Himself is a sinner.

Another verse: 2 Cor. 5:17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." If you are in Christ, the sinner in you has become new, and you are now the righteousness of God.

My being a saint is not a result of being canonized as one after my death, but because I am in Christ. All Christians are His saints. It's not a boast in ourselves. It's a boast in the Lord and in His ability to save. If I'm still a sinner, then apparently the blood must have went wrong somewhere. No, I WAS a sinner, but am now saved by grace. Saved from what???? Saved from SIN, hence I'm no longer a sinner. Remember Matt. 1:21 - "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." If I've been saved from my sins, then I am no longer a sinner.

God bless!

 

[MyJhongFist]

I am saved and sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost. You betcha I am still a sinner. That just means that I am human.

Being saved does not make anyone a perfect being. King David was called, by God, 'a man after God's own heart' and he was not sinless. But he was probably as close as a human cold possibly get.

 

[eldermike]

LK 18:13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

LK 18:14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."


It's our nature that had to be forgiven, if it was sin then the law would have worked just fine. Because of my nature, I am a sinner, because of God's sending His Son to die of a cross to pay the price for me, to buy me out of slavery, I am a saint because my nature to sin has been paid for, but still a sinner because I have to live this life with this nature, the full value of the price paid for me comes in the next life.

My 2cents worth: I am a sinner saved by the grace of God.

 

[MyJhongFist]

Originally posted by mellymell
You can be a sinner who does good things, and you can be a saint who does bad things. But, you can't be a saved sinner.

Now, you can be a saint who commits a sin, but that doesn't make you a sinner by nature anymore because the Bible says that if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature.

Playing a piano doesn't necessarily make me a pianist. Fixing a toilet doesn't necessarily make me a plumber. By nature (occupation), I am no longer a sinner. But, from time to time, I do commit sin and still need forgiveness. 

I agree completely.  Very well said.

 

[Apologist]

Originally posted by mellymell

No, I WAS a sinner, but am now saved by grace. Saved from what???? Saved from SIN, hence I'm no longer a sinner. Remember Matt. 1:21 - "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." If I've been saved from my sins, then I am no longer a sinner.

God bless!

As I said in another post, positionally we are declared righteous because of Christ, but practically we are still sinners.
Maybe we have a semantics problem here.

We do still sin as it is clearly stated in 1 John 1:8:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

I think Martin Luther had it right when he said we are, "Snow covered dung." A very apt description I would say.