Sinner or Saint?

Remember Who You Are in Christ

Too many of us live as if our connection to God is hanging by a thread—as if one stumble, one failure, or one bad day somehow places us on the edge of being cut off from Him. We become so focused on our failures that we begin defining ourselves by our sin instead of by our identity in Christ.

As gospel preacher Hiram Kemp pointed out in one of his messages, the New Testament consistently reminds believers of who they are in Christ—not merely what they used to be. You can find his teaching here: Hiram Kemp’s YouTube Short

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Stop Living Like Your Connection to God Is Thin and Fragile

One of the dangers Christians face is living as though our relationship with God is always one mistake away from collapse. When we sin—and we all do—we can become consumed with guilt, shame, and spiritual insecurity. We may even constantly refer to ourselves as “just sinners.”

Certainly, we must never minimize sin. Sin is serious. Sin separates. Sin nailed our Lord to the cross.

But here is something we also need to remember:

In the New Testament, Christians are not primarily addressed as sinners—they are addressed as saints.

The word saint means holy one, set apart. That is how God sees His faithful people.

To the church in Corinth—yes, even a church with struggles—1 Corinthians says:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints...” (1 Corinthians 1:2, NKJV)

Notice that Paul did not open by saying, “To the sinners at Corinth.” He reminded them of their identity in Christ.

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Your Identity Matters

Before Christ, we were sinners separated from God.

But in Christ, we have been washed, sanctified, and justified.

1 Corinthians says:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, NKJV)

Did you catch that?

Were.

That was your old life. That was your old identity.

Yes, Christians still sin. 1 John makes that clear:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, NKJV)

But our occasional failures do not erase who we are in Christ when we walk in the light, repent, and abide in Him.

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Our Security Is Found in Abiding

Our relationship with God is not built on perfection—it is built on abiding.

Jesus said in John:

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31, NKJV)

And again:

“Abide in Me, and I in you...” (John 15:4, NKJV)

When we abide in Christ, our spiritual life is not fragile and dangling by a thread. We are connected to the Vine.

Jesus says:

“I am the vine, you are the branches...” (John 15:5, NKJV)

Branches connected to the Vine are not living in constant fear—they are living in dependence.

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Confidence, Not Carelessness

This does not mean we become casual about sin.

It means we stop living in spiritual paranoia.

It means we stop acting as though God reluctantly keeps us.

It means we stop introducing ourselves by our failures and start remembering who God says we are.

Romans says:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 8:1, NKJV)

And a few verses later:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life... nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39, NKJV)

That does not sound like a thin, fragile connection.

That sounds secure.

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The Takeaway

Yes, take sin seriously. Confess it. Repent of it. Fight against it.

But don’t live as though your identity is still “sinner.”

If you are faithfully walking in Christ, you are a saint—holy, set apart, redeemed, washed, and secure in Him.

You are not hanging onto God by a thread.

When you abide in Him, you are held by the One who never fails.

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