Why I Am Not So Concerned About Sinning As I Once Was

Today I realized that I had made a significant paradigm shift in my life of faith, and that is that I am not so concerned about sinning as I once was.  Don't get me wrong -- if anything, I now see sin as more destructive than ever before. So how can I be less concerned about sin?

I am less concerned because I am more concerned about deeply understanding who I really am in Christ.  The reality that I am a son of God has sunk deeper than ever into my soul.  Worrying about not sinning takes up emotional bandwidth that could be better used for dreaming with God about what I can accomplish as a prince. Jesus has made a way across the divide of sin to an abundant life with the King of kings.

Most mornings, I write in my journal that I am a prince in the Kingdom of God.  I know that is a human analogy, and the Bible doesn't really address our being sons or daughters as "princes" and "princesses".  Nevertheless, I like the analogy because it gives more flavor to the concept of being a son of God.

Here's the punch line in this post.  What I have found is that as I have really internalized the reality of being a prince, a brother of Jesus, that reality has positively affected my thought life and my behavior.  It means that I want to act like a prince, think like a prince, talk like a prince and love like a prince in the Kingdom of God.   And as those thought patterns and  behaviors become more and more who I am, sin is increasingly squeezed out of my life.

I am no longer a sinner.  I am a saint.  I am on God's side. And not only am I a saint, I am a son of the living God; a prince in His Kingdom.  I do still sin, but I am no longer a professional.  Sin separates me from God, but because of the sacrifice of Jesus, I can repent and be forgiven.

If you are a Jesus-follower, the same is true for you: you are a saint.  You are not a low-down miserable worm who cannot look God in the eye.  You are chosen, holy and dearly beloved!  You are a son or daughter of the King, and your life in Christ is ever so much more than "not sinning"!  And if you have not yet made the decision to follow after Jesus, what I have written can be true of you by beliving in your heart and confessing with your mouth Jesus is Lord.

How about you?  Can you see yourself as a prince or a princess in God's Kingdom? As someone who is more concerned with the Kingdom than with sin?

Sinner or Saint?

I am a disciple of Jesus. Am I a sinner or a saint? The answer seems almost obvious, but to hear the talk of other believers one could be led to wonder.

For example, I often hear other disciples say this: “I’m a sinner saved by grace.”

I understand what this little bit of Christianese means: “I am a person who sometimes sins, and the grace of God has saved me through Jesus Christ.” I certainly agree with this, but just because a disciple sins, does that make him a sinner?

Paul called the believers in Rome saints (Rom 1:7). Luke reported that when Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:40-41), “he called the saints and widows, presented her alive.” (KJV). There are many other such usages in the New Testament.

We have become culturally accustomed to using the word “saint” in the sense of some exceptionally holy person. Wikipedia explains:

“Saint is a term used to describe a person who is perceived of being an example of exceptional holiness. It is predominantly used within Christian religions, which have specific usages for the term depending on the denomination involved. The word is derived from the use of the word "hagios" (Greek άγιος meaning "holy" or "holy ones") in the New Testament, where it is used to describe the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.[1]

As Christianity developed, the word "saint" became to be used more commonly to designate specific individuals who were held to be exemplars of the faith, and who were commemorated or venerated as an inspiration to other Christians. Within the Roman Catholic tradition, a formal process of canonization developed for identifying individuals as saints. Within Protestant traditions, "saint" is also used to refer to any born again Christian.”

I suggest that the writers of scripture made no such distinction. From the usages of the word in the New Testament, it is clear that they are referring to believers. While there have been some towering examples of faith in Christ, I and they are alike in that we are both saints.

Well, isn’t this just a trifling matter, a question of semantics?

I don’t think so. It is a matter of identification. I sin; although by the grace of my Master, I sin less today than years ago, and I believe I will sin less in the future as I grow in Him. But I am not a sinner. Sinning is not the trajectory of my life.

My identification is that of a saint.