There’s been a lie circulating in the “church” for a very long time, and that doesn’t surprise me either. I’m telling you, once I’m done, you will truly understand the difference between sheep and goats. So, before I begin exposing the lie, we will both need to come to agreement on some basic biblical truths.
- The Word of God was written for believers (2 Tim 3:16-17)
- Believers are those who have been drawn through the Holy Spirit and God, understood the truth, accepted the Messiah, and are spiritually born again into His family. (John 6:44-45, John 16:8, John 14:6, Romans 10:8-10, John 3:3,5)
I want to give you some quick analogies.
- My husband and I well occasionally hold hands, move in real close and sway from side to side, but, I am not a dancer.
- I cook almost nightly for my family, but I am not a chef.
- I volunteer with students at my children’s school – help them with math, but I am not a teacher.
- I commit ACTS of sin, but I am not a sinner.
In a conversation, I was told that I was a sinner (by this time, the conversation became very hostile b/c of some biblical truths I had said). I asked the person to please do not lump me in that category, as I am NOT a sinner. Then this verse was thrown to call me a liar:
Rom. 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”
But see, this verse has a semicolon, and many who quote this verse tend to forget the last part of that sentence. So let’s explore….
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
***Well, look it there, there’s a colon as well, which means, there’s more to follow, although that sentence can stand alone….***
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Here, I’ll give it to you in an easier version, because sometimes the KJV can be difficult to understand. Let’s take the NLT (New Living Translation) version:
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Do you see that truth there? Those who believe in Jesus (which is more than just saying “yeah I believe in Him” but actually DOING the will of the Father as stated in Matt 7:21) are declared righteous by God…righteous people are NOT sinners.
Let’s look at other verses about sinners/Unbeliever vs a Believer/Saint.
2 Corinthians 6:14(NLT) - 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?
**I like the KJV because it says “unequally YOKED”. To yoke means to be tied together, bound together, connected.***
This verse is separating those who are “righteous” from those who are “wicked”. And, we just established above, that God calls us “righteous”.
Here’s another:
Eph 4:18-20 - 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.
Here, in verse 18 and 19 the apostle is speaking of unbelievers. Those, as verse 20 points out, have learned about Christ. Remember, in our agreement above, those who have been drawn, believe and have learned of Him. So again, believers are not sinners.
1 Corinthians 2:14 states:
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But we also clarified that one must be BORN again of the spirit, not the natural man if you are in Christ right? Here are a few more verses to show the difference between a sinner and a believer to draw contrast:
2 Corinthians 5:17 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And
John 10:26-27 - 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
**and added bonus: 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. [a] No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ← only saints/believers, not sinners will have eternal life.
So, you see? IF you are truly seeking the Truth of God; If you have recognized your sin, REPENTED and let go of the world, it’s system, and all of the things that it lures you with in desire (James 4:4); if you have believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your savior and are letting HIM be Lord over you; if you have been born again in the Spirit and not living in your flesh, you are not a sinner, and neither am I.
If we fit those qualifications, we should walk as the new creature God has created us to be. Stop leaning on the half-truth that we all are sinners. It’s a lie, and an escape route for us to be lazy and continue in our sin. GOD DOES NOT CALL HIS PEOPLE TO LIVE IN SIN!
I will leave you with this 1 John 3:4-9
4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.
Now, do we mess up? Sure we do. Jesus recognized this in the Lord’s Prayer : Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
So, what do we do? We stay vigilant by knowing the Word of God. It is declared in His word, that when we come upon temptation, He will give us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that we are to
humble ourselves before God and RESIST the devil (James 4:7). Is it easy? No. But, that’s why if we are in Christ, we are under God’s grace.
Now, we should never abuse that grace and keep putting ourselves in situations to sin. To lean on the stick of “I’m just a sinner” or one of the favorites “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” (which AIN’T even IN the BIBLE!! Don’t believe me? Try to look that up and see what you get) as an excuse not to ask God to help us face our sin (either done TO us, or by us). It is a cop-out that people love to put in our head.
If you are in CHRIST you are NOT a sinner. You do commit ACTS of sin that you MUST repent from and be forgiven of. If YOU are in CHRIST, you KNOW His voice and understand His Word…..and if you can’t, then, may I suggest taking a trip back to the drawing board.
I am not a sinner,
+Deidra Hall
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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4 Translation: We never lose!!
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