Yesterday, I spent a good part of the day devouring one scripture. It’s about reckoning yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ; if this is true (which it is), then why do many in the church refer to themselves as “sinners?” This is a question not meant to be answered. It’s merely there to make a point.

On more than one occasion, I’ve heard followers of Jesus refer to themselves and everyone else in the church as a sinner. Our words hold so much power. Could the reason people can’t stop sinning over and over again is because they constantly identify themselves as a sinner? I feel like, as a whole, we’ve given sin so much power, when we should be dead to it.

I remember listening to a teaching. It could’ve been Dan Mohler or my friend, David. Whoever I was listening to was explaining how many people identify with sin (i.e. I’m a sinner; I’m an alcoholic; I’m an addict; etc.), and by identifying with it, they (sometimes) go right back to it because it’s become part of their identity.

Hmm…makes sense.

Well, yesterday, God was having me search out “dead.” The day before, it was “against.” These are not very uplifting words, but I hear what He’s saying. The first one I saw for “dead” was Romans 6:11, which is the “dead to sin alive to Christ” one. I had the bible, the concordance, and the dictionary out, and it was SO solid.

To reckon is to think on, conclude, impute.
Dead to sin is being dead, no longer alive, a corpse.
Alive to Christ is to live, be alive.

Those are God’s words to every one who follows Christ. So, are you a sinner or a saint?

I feel like if we speak the truth to ourselves, to the church, and to the world, we’ll be empowered and will experience more of Him everywhere.

Jesus lived a sinless life, no sin in Him at all. He died on the cross without sin. If THAT’s Who I live through, sin doesn’t exist. If I am one with Him and He is One with me, then sin is on the outside, trying to get in, trying to tempt me to agree, trying to convince me to identify with it.

No, I’m a saint, and my Savior freed me from sin. IF I do sin, I take it straight to Him, and He is quick to forgive, and so am I.