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What Kind of Sinner Are You?
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” (Rom 3:23.) The undeniable truth is, we are all sinners of one kind or another, the important question is, “what kind of sinner are you?” Let me submit that there are three kinds of sinners.
1. Alien Sinner. By this I mean the individual who has never submitted to the Lord by obeying the Gospel. They have no claim as a son or daughter of God because they have not been “born again” into His family. Paul uses similar language to describe the previous condition of the Ephesians, “…that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Eph 2:12-13) What a unenviable and deplorable condition to be in! Peter describes it, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;
2. Resident Sinner. By this I mean the sinner who has been born into the family of God; an is now a Christian persisting in sin. Perhaps their sin is secret, known to no others, while leaving the impression that they are serving the Lord. Nevertheless, their spiritual condition is no more favorable than the alien sinner because, “…the souls that sins shall die.” (Eze. 18:20b) The term “resident sinner” also describes the Christian who has completely abandoned the commitment they made to their Lord, and returned to their former conduct as an “alien sinner.” Perhaps the church has dis-fellowshiped them. However, still a member of the family of God, they have been disinherited until such time they repent and are restored to a condition of favor with the Lord. In this condition, God has turned His face against them, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:12) The writer of Hebrews says of these who turn their back on Christ, “…they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Heb. 6:6b)
3. Forgiven Sinner. Hopefully you are a forgiven sinner. This is the only kind of sinner that will be able to one day stand in the court of Heaven, and face the Judge Of All The Earth with full assurance that they have been acquitted of the charges of which they are guilty. The forgiven sinner is that individual who has obeyed His Lord in baptism and maintains a relationship with Christ by being a “living sacrifice.” The forgiven sinner is the Christian of whom John writes saying, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)
Yes, we cannot deny that we are a sinner. To do so is to call God a liar. You choose what kind of sinner you are. Are you an unrepentant and unforgiven sinner? or a forgiven sinner.” There is really only one alternative. If you’re not a “forgiven sinner,” why not? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9-10) Think about it.
