How About a Little Housewife Theology – Part One

Ephesians 1:18
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

A Divine Revelation

In the process of reading through the epistles, I noticed that Paul would open up many of his letters with a common reference to believers, as saints. I personally had never thought of myself as a saint before but as a sinner saved by grace. Once again, the Holy Spirit stopped me with a resounding, “WHY?” It was easy to see myself as a sinner because I still sin. However, if God doesn’t see me in my sin any longer, does He see me as a sinner? The more I researched this in the Scriptures the more I realized that once again man’s theology had duped me into believing something about my identity in Christ that was inaccurate.

To test my theory, I began to ask other believers whether they saw themselves as a sinner or a saint. To my utter astonishment, the majority of them (99%) saw themselves as sinners for the same reason I did. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one believing this. I came to realize that once again, Satan was at work devaluing the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints by defining us (believers) with a label that reflects who we were before we were saved, thus creating an identity crisis for the body of Christ.

Maybe we’ve bought into this because the word “saint” in some faith systems, refers to someone who accomplishes something of great importance while on earth and receives the status of saint to honor them. Since most of us would never put ourselves in that category of greatness, the title of a saint doesn’t quite fit us. The title of “Good Christian” is easier to buy into but is not true. Whereas, the title of saint” is true but too lofty of a title to embrace. After all, the title of sinner seems much more appropriate and easier to live up to. Maybe that’s why we eagerly embrace it.

I’ve also heard many pastors use the sinner classification for believers as a way to avoid thinking too highly of oneself and being prideful. Paul in I Tim 1:15 classified himself as being of the sinner status when he stated, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” Is he, therefore, contradicting himself when he refers to believers as saints in his letters? I don’t think so and here’s why. 

This passage in Timothy, refers to Paul as a sinner within the context of salvation. We all enter into salvation as sinners in need of a Savior. Paul was also making a comparison between himself and the Jewish leaders. Jewish theology taught that works were required to make one righteous before God, and therefore, they trusted in the law to save them and not Christ. Therefore, Paul being chief amongst the Jews makes himself chief amongst sinners to point others to their need for a Savior apart from the works of the law. The title of “sinner” is not used again by Paul in reference to believers or to himself in his other letters.

You may be thinking, “What’s the big deal about seeing yourself as a sinner vs. a saint?” Well, first of all, Satan the accuser of the brethren, would love for us to see ourselves as sinners. This label causes us to focus on our past/present sins and keeps us powerless over sin. Yet Christ did not die for you and me so we could continue to define ourselves by the sin He removed. Our identity as a saint of God was purchased with His precious blood as a free gift from God and not according to our works “lest any man should boast.” To embrace the title of saint IS to embrace the grace of God, the righteousness of Christ, and receive in full, the redemption for past, present, and future sins that was bought and paid for by His death on the cross. To embrace this truth also acknowledges that sin no longer has power to define us, and therefore, we are free to live as saints of God.

A Divine Challenge

Your identity in Christ has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Him. The title of “saint” challenges us to live out our “salvation with fear and trembling”. It also challenges us to depend on God “who is at work in us, to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Whether you prefer the title of “Good Christian” or “sinner”, those titles point to YOU and not to Him. Satan is very active in this area of the church, and I believe, because of this, our witness to the world has become ineffective. In believing we’re sinners, we live as such, and therefore, do not reflect the power that we have in Christ to overcome sin. To believe that we are “Good Christians” is to risk hypocrisy and become a stumbling block to the world around us. What hope does either one of these give to a world entrenched in sin? Therefore, they are an affront to the righteousness of Christ. I don’t mean to sound so abrasive. However, our identity in Christ is vital to how we live out our faith.

Call to Action

Do not be deceived! The titles we use to identify ourselves do affect the way we live our lives before a world that is desperate to see something more than hypocrisy or self-righteousness. To embrace the title of “sinner” after we’ve experienced salvation, doesn’t make salvation a very attractive proposition. After all, if you were a nonbeliever what title would you be more attracted to, sinner or saint?

Father, the title of saint is the redemptive title placed on our lives through the blood of Jesus. Help us to embrace it and allow You “to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!