OK, so it's been two ice ages since I've posted. I figured the best way to thaw that ice would be to dive into something that's always set uneasily with me. That is when people say that they are "just a sinner saved by grace".
Just so that I don't get misunderstood, let me spend a moment to avoid some common errors. First off, according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary the word 'grace' means "an unmerited favor" or "a privilege given, not a right". The word 'grace' doesn't take on a completely different meaning in the Bible, so I use it as "unmerited favor" throughout.
Eph 2:8-9 clearly says that we are saved by grace. And Rom 5:8 equally says that Christ died for our salvation while we were sinners. So that means that sinners are in fact saved by grace. So what then is my beef? Good question; glad you asked. The problem then is in the difference between action and identity. Take a look at 1 Cor 6:9-11:
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor 6:9-11 NIV)
Verses 9-10 list several example types of sinners (not an exhaustive list to be sure). Notice, however, the verbs. Through verses 9-10 everything is future tense. However, compare this to verse 11. Here all of the verbs shift to past tense. Paul is contrasting what is and what will be from that which was. Notice the pivotal phrase in verse 11: "And that is what some of you WERE" (emphasis added). Paul says that they were idolaters, or adulterers, or .... - basically that they were identified by their sins. There sin was who and what they were. However, verse 11 says that this is all passed. Believers are washed from sin and into new life in Christ. Now their identity comes not from there sin but from their new identity in Christ.
A quick side note here. 1 John 1:8-10 says that all of us, believers include, sin. All of us have sinned, will sin and quite possibly are sinning. Only Jesus is sin-free. The rest of us can move towards a less sinful state, but we will never get there. Sin will always be a part of our existence, this side of the grave.
So what does that mean back in 1 Cor 6:9-11? Paul identifies people as their sins, but that is what they WERE but no longer are. Even though they do still sin. The difference is between identity and action. Before Christ, we sin. After Christ we sin (hopefully less). But, before Christ our identity (who we are) is sin. After Christ, our identity is found in Christ. We were sinners who sin now we are saints who sin.
The problem with someone saying that they are "just a sinner saved by grace" is that they are still identifying themselves by their sin. They are "just a sinner". What do sinners do by nature? They sin. If someone is "just a sinner" then we can't expect anything more from them than sin. But what about saints? What do they do by nature? They do the good works of God. 1 John 1:8-10 does say that even saints sin, but it is against their nature. By nature they do good works. If someone has put their faith in Christ, they are a "new creation". They are no longer a sinner, they are a saint.
So the next time someone tells you that you are "just a sinner saved by grace" think about it. If you have put your faith in Christ tell them that they're wrong. Tell them that you are "just a saint saved by grace". If you don't care for the "saint" label, try telling them that you "were a sinner, now saved by grace". Which ever way you go, however you want to phrase it, don't let anyone tell you that your identity is still in sin, now it is Christ.
ybic (Your Brother In Christ)
KevinS
Generous Apologist in training
Grace - Unmerited favor. That is, either getting that which you DID NOT earn, or NOT getting what you DID earn.
Identity - Who you are.
Action - What you do.
5 comments:
Yes!!! So good. Love this perspective. Been waiting on someone to make sense of this.
Turned on to the blog by Noah's facebook post, and found your position articulate. This is something that I've wrestled with as well, but coming to a slightly different view point. While I agree that we are by no means "just" a sinner saved by grace (this in fact would deny any regenerative work at all), I do not take issue with the phrase "sinner saved by grace." The question comes down to nature: what nature do we have? My reading of your post is that we have Christ's given new nature - which is the case, but you seem to not argue for the old nature still being present - a position that to be Paul's point in the book of Romans (5-8), a text i find to be his wrestling with a dual nature. If we deny a dual nature, we have quite the dilemma - how is it that Christ's nature sins (the only nature we have left (understanding that 'the flesh' is simply terminology for the old nature))?
It is in this way that "sinner saved by grace" I feel is not an abasement of the identity of the Christian - but rather a humble act of expressing ultimate and complete dependence upon God's daily grace - to daily overcome (put to death - why would it not be daily, given that in 6 the nature is dead, but in 7:24 its alive and well) the old man and live the new life. It is in this way that "sinner saved by grace" I think is best understood.
A very thoughtful blog...well done.
Jesse, thanks for the compliment. The "just" is the worst part. If that's all someone thinks they are they missed the point.
I brought in the 1 John passage to try and balance the view. I was somewhat trying to sidestep the discussion of the single/dual/triple nature of man. I didn't want to get too deep into theology. Maybe I should have dipped in a little.
I would afirm the dual nature. The question then is what is your primary nature. Paul had a sin nature and a saint nature, but the saint nature ruled most of the time. I'd rather think of myself that way. I would still avoid being identified by no old nature, just because then I might live like I used to.
Well put
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