28 Oct Real Men: Sinner vs. Saint (Romans 3:21-31)
Sinner vs Saint
Who Do You Think You Are?
- Secular – self-image, self-esteem
- Christian – identity – 1. who God is, 2. who you are, 3. who others are
- One thing that changes everything
- When you know who you are you know what to do
I am ________________?
- Position – in family, in company, in community
- Performance – in school, at work, in life
- Possessions – “conspicuous consumption”; or “competitive consumption”
Things explain you. God defines you.
=Satan in Garden “become like God”
Non-Christian Sinner
Romans 3:9-10 all…are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one…”
Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- Wrath – 20 words nearly 600X
- Over 300X Bible refers to “sinners”
- Total/Pervasive Depravity (Rom. 3:9-17) – all of a person is infected & affected by sin
- Utter Depravity – 1. Conscience (Rom. 2); Death (Rom. 50; Law (Rom. 13)
Saint in Christ
Romans 1:6-7 you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ…loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
Romans 3:24 in Christ Jesus
Romans 3:26 in Jesus
Saint
Catholic
I thought like Superheroes – Chastity Man
First Catholic saints honored martyrs
Father James Martin summarizes sainthood in the Catholic Church:
- Be a Catholic 2. Die 3. local devotion grows up around your memory 4. Your life is investigated
- Local bishop sends your case to Vatican 6. Pray for a miracle 7. Vatican investigates miraculous cure
- Vatican declares you, “Blessed” 9. Pray for another miracle 10. You’re a saint!
Can be venerated – holiday, patron saint schools & churches
Bible
- Over 300X Bible refers to “sinners”
- Only 3X does Bible “possibly refer to XN as “sinners”
- Over 200X Bible XN saints/holy/righteous
Sin may explain some of your activity but does not define your entire identity in Christ.
You will sin some of the time but you are a saint all of the time in Christ.
Sin is some of what you do but not the totality of who you are in Christ.
There is a difference between having sin and being sin in Christ.
Because you have a new identity as saint you can have a new victory over sin in Christ.
As a sinners you have a past but as a saint you have a future in Christ.
Like adoption – Father chooses, new identity, new family, works from not for relationship
Group Questions
- Do you primarily see God as angry judger or helpful Father?
- Do you primarily see yourself as a sinner or a saint?
- In your closest relationships are you more prone to point out sin or promote saint?
- How can we pray for you?
