Who am I? week 3

The last couple of weeks we have been going through our Who am I series.

Some of you may remember this: *diagram of identity and quick summary of it*

What comes to mind when you think of the word saint?

Sometimes we think of a saint as someone who has been in the church for decades at a time or as someone who has some office they hold such as pastor or elder. The word says differently though.

1 Corinthians 1:1–2 HCSB

1 Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother: 2 To God’s church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

If you remember 1 Corinthians is a letter of Paul talking to Christians who were in sin. Upfront Paul reminds them that they were set apart for holiness and called aka invited by God to be saints. Paul spends a good portion of the letter telling them to live in accordance to who they are. Because the way these Corinthian Christians were living did not show that they understood their new creation identity in Christ. 4 Key Elements to Understand our Identity in Christ are in verse 2.

1. who have been sanctified (set apart for God, made acceptable to him, and able to enter into and enjoy his presence, intended to serve his purposes). To sanctify something is to take something, even something profane, and purifying it, setting it apart for the express purpose of being used by God Himself. We were sanctified by Christ. This is an action that was completed in the past but the effects of that action continues into the present. At the moment of our conversion something happened to us and continues to impact us till this very day. This is not something we do but is done to us. We cannot sanctify ourselves. That should give us some relief. It is not our work but Christ’s work.

2. in Christ Jesus refers to their union with Christ, through which they share his risen life as stated in Acts 26:18

Acts 26:18 HCSB

18 to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified.’

3. Saints by calling. The word saint comes from the Greek word hagios, which means consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious. We are called by Jesus into sainthood into being holy. We share in God’s purity because He grants it to us and sets us apart for His work.

4. With all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours not just Corinthian Christians but all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ share in this state of sanctification and call to be holy.

Christians are sanctified by virtue of their connection given by Jesus Christ and the call to be saints. Christians progressively have their daily life more closely match their position in Christ for God’s intended purposes. This is the biblical description and calling of the saints.

Transition: There are many false beliefs that want to replace our proper identity in Christ. One of them is that you are a sinner saved by grace. This is not to say you were not a sinner saved by grace. Rather that in Christ you are no longer a sinner but a sanctified and called saint.

There are problems when we do not believe that though. *insert sinner saved by grace into identity on the board*

Sinner is the noun, sin the verb. So your inclinations by this statement are to sin which lead to sinful actions and then to sinful consequences that bring about a reality in which you sin.

Example: let’s say someone has a problem with getting drunk before coming to Christ. That person when they feel they’re sad or had a terrible day will be tempted to drink. Because they’re identity is a sinner then when the inclination to get drunk comes it is easier to have an attitude of, “Well this is just the way I am.” That inclination to get drunk leads to an action. Maybe you really had a bad day and that feeling to self-medicate by drinking leads to you taking action to get drunk. Then bad consequences of your bad action because of reckless behavior. For example drunk driving leading to a DWI which can lead to a job loss. These consequences lead to a new reality where you are in trouble. This reality leads to the inclination to drink again to self medicate again. The cycle then continues again. If you consider yourself a sinner saved by grace then the natural thing for you to do is sin. It is important to know who you are.

In the NT believers are called saints over 200 times. Christians are shown to sin in the Bible but no wherein the NT are born again believers are given the identity of still being just sinners. If you are not in Christ you are a sinner and if you are in Christ then you are a saint, a holy one, a righteous one. How is that possible?

Romans 5:19 HCSB

19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Because we all came from Adam, what is true of Adam is true of us. This happened at the moment of our birth. We are all sinners at birth not sinners at some later point when we choose to sin. Yet through the obedience of one man (Jesus Christ) many will be made righteous. If you are in Adam you are predisposed to sin, but if you are now in Christ you are to walk in holiness. Normal life is to walk in holiness if you are in Christ. If you are in Christ and you are supposed to walk in holiness, but you think you are just a sinner. Then you will live a life not aligned with who you are.

Should Christians call themselves sinners?

The truth is we still sin. But our new status as saint brings us to confess and repent, all while not changing our status in Christ. When we think of ourselves as just sinners saved by grace, we do not elevate or honor Christ by pretending that what He has done on the cross did not make us holy. We glorify Christ by understanding what He did on the cross was enough to turn a wretch into a saint.

You can no longer have the identity of just a sinner. If you are a sinner then you are not saved and if you are saved, then you are not a sinner. Your identity stopped being a sinner the moment you were saved by Jesus Christ. Another way to see this happening to us is in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

2 Corinthians 5:17 HCSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

A new creature or creation meaning made and not something being improving upon that already exists. That is why when we are saved we are a new creature and not just a more holy sinner. So, if you are saved by Christ you are not a sinner saved by grace. You are a saint who sometimes sins. Our focus towards these two different identities matter. Because what we believe about these two identities determine how we live our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:18–21 HCSB

18 Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Sometimes you may not feel very holy or righteous. We can go with our feelings or what God says. Feelings are real and they do indicate some things. The issue is that they do not always align with the truth of what God says.

*plug in Saint who sometimes sins into the identity circle*

Remember that saint comes hagios, which means consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious. When we believe that we are to live as a saint then that changes our inclinations, actions, consequences, and our reality.

Transition: Sinner’s focus on...

Rather than a sinner saved by grace who focuses on:

1. Sin Management. We meet with an accountability partner weekly/monthly and keep talking about how well we are doing or not doing.

2. Giving up the struggle against sin. This can happen when there’s a belief that there’s nothing one can do to stop themselves.

Transition: Saint’s focus on...

A saint who sometimes sins is set free to live a completely different life.

Knowing we are sanctified in Christ and called to live as saints. This means we are very focused on God’s will and the work He gives us to do.

Our holiness is ongoing sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:22 HCSB

22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification —and the end is eternal life!

Imagine a king gives an edict that says anyone who has committed the unlawful act of prostitution in the past and into the future shall be pardoned. I mean that does not mean much to most unless you are a prostitute. But there is not really much motivation to change if you can continue on in your behavior and you’ll just be pardoned. But imagine that king comes and decides to make one of those prostitutes his wife. Now they are no longer a prostitute but a queen. Do you think there will be motivation to change then? Yes! She is a queen now and the acts of prostitution are unbecoming for a queen. Why would she do that. God says that we are saints predisposed to seek to live our life out in holiness and righteousness.

So now when temptation comes, let’s say to be sexually immoral, then your first thoughts can be to realize what you would do if you were still a sinner, but you realize you are not a sinner anymore. You are a new creature in Christ and no longer the way you used to be. The Holy Spirit is in you and enables you to live what you are called to be, holy. This changes inclinations, actions, consequences, and reality. Notice that both identities deal with sin. However, one focuses only on sin and sin management while the other focuses on holy and righteous living in spite of sin.

Transition: Reflection

1. What are you focused on?

Sin management?

Or our proper identity and status in God’s plan?

2. How do you view yourself?

Are you a living saint who sometimes sins or just a sinner saved by grace? Are you living out an identity less than what God has said you are?