Saint & Sinner
I wrote this as a pre-event devotion for an upcoming youth event and thought I’d also share here…
As Christians, we fit into the mold of both a Saint and a Sinner. We are sinners because we are incapable of fulfilling the law and we are in a constant, daily battle with sinful desires and temptations. We are saints because we have faith in Jesus Christ and His righteousness that covers us.
Recognizing that we are both saint and sinner can transform our relationships with other people. Paul reminds us of our mold as a sinner in Romans 3:23.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
It’s pretty rough if we only look at this verse. It points out that because of our sinfulness, we literally fall short of God’s glory. But rather, Paul starts and ends with the righteousness of God that is imputed on all who believe, even though we are sinners!
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
So how does that transform our relationships with others? Just like we are in a constant battle with sin, so are our friends, families, teammates, teachers, Pastors, youth leaders, etc. When someone hurts us or mistreats us, we might only want to fit them into the mold of sinner. But just as Jesus’ blood covers us, His blood covers our neighbor, too – saints! And when we constantly remind ourselves of that, it becomes easier to forgive and love our neighbors just as Christ forgives and loves us.
