Yes, you read that right. You are not a sinner if you have ever sincerely received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you disagree, the trouble may be that you received Jesus as a child, invited Him into your heart - as many are instructed to do - and then continued to grow up without a real relationship with Him, which will only develop as you personally study His Word and fellowship with other believers.
Others who have, "received Christ," are continually taught from the pulpits and in church classrooms, that they need to remember they are, "poor old sinners." My husband and I have even witnessed the pastor of a five-thousand member church pray from the pulpit for all of us sinners! And I instantly said, “You’re not praying for me!” I based that rebellious statement on these two facts: Jesus sealed me with His Holy Spirit at the time I received Him as my Savior and Lord. (Ephesians 1:13) That fact makes my spirit perfect, which assists my soul and body to become sanctified. And secondly, Apostle Paul writes letters to the early believers and he calls them as saints. (See Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, etc.) I believe that is true for me and every other sincere believer today.
Speaking of my husband, we have been married 23 years. Early in our marriage I was struck by how much he loved spending time in God's Word. He was always reading his Bible. I knew he had the teaching gift but Holy Spirit gave me the revelation that if you are called to teach, you are also called to study. That made perfect sense.
In recent years, he has attended as many as 15 men's meetings per week. If that sounds like he's in men's ministry - he is! As he continues to do this, he gathers empirical research with men as a mentor, in prayer groups, bible studies and book study groups. These men have been from various denominations, including Baptist, Catholic, Wesleyan, Episcopalian and others, plus one secular group.
One week after two back-to-back less than inspiring men's meetings, he told me what he was seeing. He witnessed men coming to the meetings who are genuinely seeking answers to the frustrations and difficulties of life. There, they are met with a pastor, teacher or group facilitator who sets them straight about why they are having problems and it's simply because they are sinners. One teacher told them, “It’s stupid for you to think you can be like Jesus!” But isn’t that exactly Who we are supposed to be like? After witnessing something like that, they leave the meeting more depressed and confused than when they arrived. What a disservice to the Body of Christ!
Considering this and my own experience with Christian leadership, I have become passionate about this issue. After living the Christian life for nearly 40 years, studying the Bible, leading a ministry for 12 years and being married to a man who is passionate about God's Word and washes me with it, I’ve concluded that the Body of Christ is being oppressed.
If Jesus did actually come to Earth to set us free, why does The Church in America keep Christians in bondage?
So then, how can believers in Jesus Christ understand that they are now considered saints, according to the Apostle Paul and not sinners, as taught by their Pastor or Sunday School teacher? It will be, and it has been, a hard sell. That was exactly what the pastor of a Baptist church told my husband several years ago when we met with him to discuss this very topic. He told us, "I don't disagree with you, but it will be a hard sell."
Another Biblical scholar teaches that as you pursue a dream or a vision in ministry, you will endure contradiction, and that has been so true.
If Jesus actually did come to Earth to set us free, why does the church in America keep Christians in bondage? Or, is it just too difficult for humans to believe that we are truly free from our sin, all of our sin - past, present and future - especially when our humanness seems to creep up on us consistently? Jesus tells us He has placed our sins, "as far as the East is from the West." In reality, those two points never meet, but in the Christian world it seems they are bound together pointing a guilty arrow right over our heads!
Here's a disconnect: how about the songs we sing in church? “Jesus Paid it All,” “Power in the Blood,” and “Victory in Jesus” – to name a few. It seems those lyrics just evaporate when we stop singing. If we took them to heart, wouldn’t it prompt questions from those who are told they are sinners? I think far too many individuals who believe they are Christians just check the box that they attend church regularly and the only Bible teaching they have is 40 minutes on Sunday. They spend far more time in the World, than in the Word. If we can improve on that, saints can better function in this World as God intended.
Those of us who know that sin has been defeated should tell the others, and keep on telling them. They may have had the sinner input over many years and it may take many years to reverse it. But won’t it be worth it when the light bulb appears over their heads instead of the guilty arrow?
Next time we’ll look at The Human Soul. It plays a big role in everyone’s life.
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