Q- Are saved people sinners or saints?
1. Sinners (Practice)
1 John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Turn to 1 John 1:5-10
Turn to Rom. 7:15-20
Summary: We are saved sinners who still sin because of that sin that remains in our flesh. We will not be freed from the presence of sin till our glorification at the resurrection or death.
2. Saints (position)
“Sanctify” is used 31 times in the NT and means “set apart,” or the state of being set apart. It speaks of position or relationship yet it is progressive as well.
“Holy” is used 12 times of believers in the NT and refers to the state of being set apart or being separated.
“Sanctify” does not mean:
1. Sinless perfection. The believers at Corinth were referred to as being saints yet they were carnal and fleshly.
1 Corinthians 1:2, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
2. Finality. We are called to higher degrees of holiness (Positional and progressive holiness).
Summary:
Sainthood is not subject to progression. Every believer is a saint at the moment of salvation. He is as much a saint the moment he is saved as he will ever be in time or eternity (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14; Jude 1).
The whole church which is His body is called out and holy. The Spirit chose to give us the title of “saints” more than any other. We are called “brethren” 184 times, “saints” 62 times, and “Christians” but 3 times.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (24) Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
We are saints by position and still sinners by practice till we shed these bodies of sin.
