Can a Saint still Sin?
Dear friends, now we are children of God. . . . All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
Believers are “called to be saints” (Romans 1:7, NKJV). Being a saint is part of God’s calling. Notice that Paul writes “to the saints” in Ephesus (see Ephesians 1:1) and Philippi (see Philippians 1:1). Saints are not necessarily those who have earned such a lofty title by living an exemplary life or achieving a certain level of maturity. In the Bible, all believers are described as “saints,” which means “holy ones” (see 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1).
Being a saint does not necessarily reflect any present measure of growth in character. Saints are those who are rightly related to God. In Scripture, believers are called “saints,” “holy ones” or “righteous ones” more than 200 times. In contrast, unbelievers are called “sinners,” “children of wrath,” and “unrighteous ones” more than 300 times. Clearly, the term “saint” is used in Scripture to refer to the believer and “sinner” is used to refer to an unbeliever.
Although the New Testament teaches that believers can and do sin, it never clearly identifies the believer as a “sinner.” However, Paul’s reference to himself as “the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16) seems to contradict this teaching. Despite the use of the present tense by the apostle, Paul is actually referring to his pre-conversion opposition to the gospel.
First, Paul’s reference to himself as “sinner” is in support of the first half of the verse, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (verse 15). The reference to “the ungodly and sinful” a few verses earlier (verse 9), along with the other New Testament uses of the term “sinners” for those who are outside salvation, show that the “sinners” whom Christ came to save were outside of salvation.
Second, Paul immediately follows his reference to himself as a “sinner” by the statement, “But for that very reason I was shown [past tense] mercy” (1 Timothy 1:16). This clearly points to the past occasion of his conversion. Paul, the worst of sinners, uses himself as an example of God’s unlimited patience. Because of his past action, Paul considered himself unworthy of what by God’s grace and mercy he presently was, an apostle who was in no respect “inferior to the ‘super-apostles’” (2 Corinthians 12:11).
Third, although Paul declares he was the “worst” sinner, at the same time he declares that Christ had strengthened him for the ministry, having considered him faithful and trustworthy for the ministry to which he was called (see 1 Timothy 1:12). The term “sinner,” therefore, does not describe Paul as a believer but rather is used in remembrance of what he was before Christ took hold of him.
As believers, we are not trying to become saints; we are saints who are becoming like Christ. Being saints is part of our positional sanctification. In no way does this deny the continuous struggle with sin. Christians can choose to sin, and many are dominated by the flesh and deceived by the devil. Because believers sin, we want to call them sinners, but what we do does not determine who we are. Telling Christians they are sinners and then disciplining them if they don’t act like saints is counterproductive at best and inconsistent with the Bible at worst. Believing who we really are in Christ determines what we do.
A few questions to ponder:
Why is it impossible for Christians to become “saints” through their own effort?
What does being a “saint” imply? What does it not imply?
Since the epistles always identify believers for who they are in Christ, why is it counterproductive to label ourselves and others by who we were in the flesh?
What labels have you placed on yourself that are counterproductive to your growth?
How can seeing yourself from God’s perspective alter your sense of worth and change how you live?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.