Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Are Believers also Sinners?
I have heard people say they are saved and are still a sinner. I have heard others try to say that once we are saved we never sin anymore. The confusion comes from not truly understanding the definition of a sinner.
First let us clarify one thing. We all sin. Those who think we stop sinning are wrong, plain and simple, and they clearly ignore what John says...
1 John 1:8 (NASB)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Take special note of the use of words like "we", "ourselves" and "us". John was not talking about others. He was including himself in this. If John admitted he sins, how can we believe we do not sin? We are human. Human beings are prone to make mistakes. We all sin. But does that make us a sinner?
Common logic says it does. If we run, we are a runner. If we gamble, we are a gambler. So if we sin, we are a sinner. By this logic, we must all still be sinners. Except that logic is not biblical.
The real mistake is in thinking the word sinner is used as a noun. But that is not how it is used. It is a title. A title given to the unsaved.
Likely you have heard this scripture before. Many love to use it as proof that sin sends us to hell...
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NASB)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
The problem is that is not what this scripture is saying. These are not a list of sins that send us to hell. They are a list of sinners. The thing you need to understand is Paul was writing to a church. Other believers. The key to understanding what he was saying is in the next verse, which is always conveniently ignored.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB)
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
You see, Paul was telling these other believers that these sinners will not go to heaven. Then he reminded them that they used to be these sinners, but they are no longer. They have been washed clean, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus Christ.
So according to John, we all still sin. Then here, Paul says we believers are no longer sinners. If you use "sinner" as a noun, you create a contradiction in God's Word. God's Word has no contradictions. So how do you make this work? By realizing that a sinner is not a noun but a title. A sinner is someone who has rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior. They are slaves to sin and their souls are stained with sin. But the believer has been washed clean, our souls are clean and righteous in God's eyes. We are forgiven for our sins. Though we still sin, we are not sinners.
First let us clarify one thing. We all sin. Those who think we stop sinning are wrong, plain and simple, and they clearly ignore what John says...
1 John 1:8 (NASB)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Take special note of the use of words like "we", "ourselves" and "us". John was not talking about others. He was including himself in this. If John admitted he sins, how can we believe we do not sin? We are human. Human beings are prone to make mistakes. We all sin. But does that make us a sinner?
Common logic says it does. If we run, we are a runner. If we gamble, we are a gambler. So if we sin, we are a sinner. By this logic, we must all still be sinners. Except that logic is not biblical.
The real mistake is in thinking the word sinner is used as a noun. But that is not how it is used. It is a title. A title given to the unsaved.
Likely you have heard this scripture before. Many love to use it as proof that sin sends us to hell...
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NASB)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
The problem is that is not what this scripture is saying. These are not a list of sins that send us to hell. They are a list of sinners. The thing you need to understand is Paul was writing to a church. Other believers. The key to understanding what he was saying is in the next verse, which is always conveniently ignored.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB)
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
You see, Paul was telling these other believers that these sinners will not go to heaven. Then he reminded them that they used to be these sinners, but they are no longer. They have been washed clean, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus Christ.
So according to John, we all still sin. Then here, Paul says we believers are no longer sinners. If you use "sinner" as a noun, you create a contradiction in God's Word. God's Word has no contradictions. So how do you make this work? By realizing that a sinner is not a noun but a title. A sinner is someone who has rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior. They are slaves to sin and their souls are stained with sin. But the believer has been washed clean, our souls are clean and righteous in God's eyes. We are forgiven for our sins. Though we still sin, we are not sinners.
