I have chosen to do a repost today. This was written in December 2008, and here it is March 2010 and I see that many people yet struggle with this truth. I want to create a little dialog amongst believers. Are you in the same place you were before? Have you been enlightened on a truth of scripture? Do you yet struggle with your identity in Christ?
Again this post is designed for dialog. We may not all agree and that is fine. However we need to talk about these things. So if you read any further YOU MUST POST A COMMENT in response to the questions below! Smile!
- Is the individual whom the Lord called to receive salvation a sinner or a saint?
- Should believers refer to themselves as sinners or saints? Why or why not?
- What does God's word say about sinners and saints?
- Do you find yourself creating an identity with something God has called you out of?
- If so then who is your trust in?
Come back tomorrow for part 2. By the way men, you can participate as well! :)
4 comments:
Thank you, Nicolle, for always making us think :) .... I have addressed these questions before with 2 precious sisters in Christ (one of them is 85 years of age & she never ceases to inspire & bless me with her desire to be all Christ has called her to be!!!) ... the 3 of us continue to meet to study His Word & in fact we are meeting tomorrow .... our Pastor has called us the Three Saintly/Sinners ... So, I guess you would say that we have split personalities ... we are works in progress .. sinner/saint .... saint /sinner ... the Journey continues day-by-day until that day when we will finally meet our Glorious Savior face-to-face! Have a beautiful day! Hope all the Fletchers are healthy today!!! Saying prayers for you! See you tomorrow morning for MITI! Love ya!
Wow..great conversation :) Here is what I have learned a while back and continuing to grow in undestanding...
**Is the individual whom the Lord called to receive salvation a sinner or a saint?
- The individual is indeed a sinner. Jesus says throughout the gospels that He came to call not the righteous but the UNRIGHTEOUS unto Himself.
**Should believers refer to themselves as sinners or saints? Why or why not
- Well, I believe I am BOTH. We are simultaneously saints and sinners. Apostle Paul talks about believers as Saints (Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1) I am a Saint not only in my standing before God but in my essential person as well. I am a NEW creature in CHRIST, the Holy Spirit has come and dwells within me and I am no LONGER a SLAVE TO SIN. But despite all this, I still SIN everyday,(many times lol)and in that sense we are sinners. What I have learned is that we should view ourselves in BOTH terms of what we are in Christ that is a Saint and what we are in ourselves namely Sinners. (Wasnt it Paul that said that he was cheif sinner)
I am learning that I should rejoice in my righetousness I have in christ..When I refuse to identify myself as a sinner as well as a saint I risk the danger of deceiving myself about my sin and becoming like the self righteous Pharisee. I mean my heart is so deceitful(Jer. 17:9) all of us have moral "blind spots".
**What does God's word say about sinners and saints?
-
ABOUT THE SAINT-
God promises to guard the feet of his Saints- 1Sam. 2:9
Spirit interceedes for the Saints in prayer- Romans 8:27
Give to the poor- Romans 15:25-27
called to hope..in his riches of His glories inheritance- Ehp. 1 & Col.1
known the mysteries that has been hidden for ages- Col.1:25-27
Blessed us with every spiritual blessing- Eph.1
Chose us before the creation of the world-Eph 1
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of SIn- Eph 1
**Just read the whole first chapter of Ephesians! LOL
ABOUT THE SINNER-
( now I am talking about the sinner who does not submit to the LORDSHIP of Christ in his DAILY LIFESTYLE)
- He will be destroyed-Psalm 37:38
-will be broken-Isa. 1:28
- God will destroy-Isa 13:9
Jesus calls them unto Himself(repentance)- Luke 5:32;Matt. 9:13
-Angels rejoice over one who REPENTS- Luke 15:10
-Christ died for the sinner- Romans 5:8;1 Tim.1:5
**Do you find yourself creating an identity with something God has called you out of?
- I dont. I find myself growing and learning WHO I AM IN THE LORD and walking in that TRUTH. Yes, there are times when I sin and I have to preach the gospel to myself everyday to remind myself that this "old man" is no longer who I am.. I am not a slave to sin anymore. For me the more I and taught and understand WHO I AM IN CHRIST that helps me to live under that identity.Though I sin, its NOT WHO I AM, thats NOT MY CHARACTER/lifestyle..I am now a CHOSEN people, a royal preiesthood, apart of a HOLY nation, a people belonging to God, who has called me OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT, Once I was not, but now I am, once I did not recive Mercy, but now I have.
(1 peter 2)
** Who is your trust in?
MY TRUST and IDENTITY IS FOUND in CHRIST JESUS. I am who I am by the GRACE of GOD and because CHRIST lives in me.I am righteous through HIM and HIM ALONE. It is no longer I who live.
I know one thing...I love this, you got a sista wanting to go spend time in the word! LOL!! Thanks for spuring me on. :)
I am a saint. It's hard to say sometimes because it sounds prideful to the people around me. The truth is, as I sit here right now, my Savior (and Father) consider me blameless. It would be prideful instead for me to imply that God is not big enough and his sacrifice was not good enough to cleanse me right where I stand. As if my sin was bigger than Jesus' perfect blood.
I have been called by God ...therefore I am a Saint. And there is nothing I can do to erase or nullify that. It is an honor bestowed upon me by nothing I have done, but by God's grace even when I was a sinner.
If I consider myself anything less than a new creation then I will not walk that walk...I will find a scapegoat. That's the nature of my flesh- to return to sin. So I choose life in Christ. Blameless life. As a saint. All glory to God!
What's say you Nicolle??
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