Saints Not Sinners...

I do believe this is a really important concept for Christians to understand that MST brought up yesterday. Christians are saints, not sinners, and knowing our new identity and reminding ourselves of that daily, is extremely important!
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Is Sinning Against Our Nature As Christians?

The Biblical truth is, when we sin it goes AGAINST our nature. Our new nature. This New Man, this New Creation. Sin goes AGAINST our nature.

So when we sin, we aren’t doing what’s natural, as a believer, but we are violating our own new nature.

Because when you know the truth that you are not a Sinner, but a Saint, a separated one, a holy one, a new creation, then that truth can help to set you free.

As a believer, you are a new creation, a new spirit, a new identity in Christ, and the more you understand this, and review it, and believe it, the more your life will reflect it.

Let’s just look a little bit at our new identity in Christ. First, we are:

Holy (Eph. 1:4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”),

Righteous (2 Cor. 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”),

Saint of God (Rom. 1:7, “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints”),

Blameless (Eph. 1:4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”),

Christ as Our very Life (Col. 3:4, “Christ who is our life”),

A Son of God (Jn. 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”),

A Citizen of Heaven (Eph. 2:19, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”),

An Ambassador representing the Kingdom of God (2 Cor. 5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God”),

Son of the Second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit”),

Born from Him (Rom. 8:9, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His”),

With all your Needs (not greeds) Supplied (Phil. 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”),

Blessed with every Spiritual Blessing in Heavenly Places (Eph. 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”),

Unstopped by the obstacles of the world (Phil.4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”),

Navigating our Loving Father’s “obstacle course” designed to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”)

A New Identity

You have a new identity, not that of a Sinner, but of a Saint.

By grace the old you has died, and the new you has come. That’s why Rom. 6:6 says, “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.”

But we have to “reckon” that. We have to “consider that true”. We have to “choose to believe that”. Rom. 6:11, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Don’t deny when you sin. Admit it. Confess it. But recognize that’s not your identity. That’s not who you are. That goes against who you are. You’re dead to sin and alive to God in your spirit, in your nature, through Jesus Christ.

Stop saying you’re a Sinner. “Such WERE some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” -1 Cor. 6:11

You WERE a Sinner. Now you are a Saint.

Now Rom. 6:12 makes sense. After Paul tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, Rom. 6:12 says, “THEREFORE do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

See how that makes sense? If we were still SINNERS it wouldn’t make sense. It would be saying, “since you’re SINNERS, don’t let sin reign in your body.” That doesn’t make sense and that’s why so many Christians are confused. But if you are no LONGER a Sinner, then it makes sense to say, “don’t let sin reign in your body”. It’s not you. It’s AGAINST the new you.

Friend, accept this by faith as your true identity!

Set your mind on it!

Dwell on it!

Meditate on the truth of it!

Then, moment by moment act like it is true! Praise the Lord in all things, whatever circumstances you may encounter, acting as if Christ is expressing His Life through you.

Because He is.

Terry Rayburn Tweet