Our identity as God’s saints
Most believers, when asked who they are in Christ, as part of their answer, will say that they are “sinners saved by grace.” Perhaps, in their minds, this sounds humble.
When Jesus said He was God, it sounded anything but humble to those listening! But it was Truth. And He was the most humble Person ever because He was fully submitted to God, never acting out of His own volition.
So, we know that when truth is spoken, it may or may not sound “humble,” but it is truth and that's all that matters.
So yes, we were sinners but now, since we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8), who does that make us after the saving? We are new creatures in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The problem with saying we are still “sinners” is that it leaves a fundamental mark in our souls that says that our identity is still that of a sinner.
Don’t let the Catholic definition of a saint (as if we could somehow earn it) mar the truth of the identity that Christ died to give us, that is ours in Him.
Is Christ coming back for sinners or saints? The Bible states that Christ returns for His pure, spotless Bride (Revelation 21:2,9). Christ cannot become one with those who are yet sinners, not washed in His blood. We are the Bride of Christ! We are the Holy Ones for whom He is returning in the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
So, why is it that some may feel un-humble when we state the truth that we are His saints? We had nothing to do with it! Our identity as saints is a birthright when we were born again, not something that we earned. But you say, “I sure don’t act like a saint most days!” Knowing that you are a saint is no different than stating where you are from. You are simply stating a fact, “I am British,” for example. If you leave England to go to another country, you are still British.
And so it is when we still sin. We may "leave" who we truly are momentarily, but our "homeland," our identity, is still saints of God. Our citizenship is in heaven! (Philippians 3:20)
Paul addressed his letters to the saints in Ephesus, the saints in Corinth, etc., not the sinners (see his salutations in the openings of the epistles). Those saints had all sorts of problems that Paul addressed. They were not acting as they should, as their new identity warranted, yet he still called them saints because that is who they were!
When a boy is born into a royal family, he is destined to be prince or king or whatever his title may be. Whether he behaves foolishly or wisely in his life, his birthright is still that of royalty. He is who he is because of the family he was born into.
How much deeper and truer of us when we are born again into God’s Kingdom! Nothing or no one can steal our identity away from us as His Royal Priesthood (I Peter 2:9).
When we are born again we are re-born as saints! When Christ sees us, He sees Himself - that is the whole purpose of salvation and redemption. We traded in, so to speak, our old selves, old lives, old identity as sinners for the life of Christ. It is the work and miracle of Christ in our hearts that produces such a glorious identity.
So thinking of yourself as a "sinner saved by grace" is actually the more prideful thing to say. It is denying the Lord's work on Calvary for you. Did Christ transform you or not? Did Christ call you His own or not? To call yourself yet a sinner is to deny the power of Christ's work on the cross to deliver and save you and make you His saint.
If you fully realize this, you will not walk proudly but more humbly then ever because you know how you must then live: in obedient submission to the Father’s will. So we don’t try to “act” like saints, we choose to let Him live His Life in us and simply are being who He made us to be. There is total freedom in this! And joy! And peace!
This is our identity and birthright! Rejoice, oh saints of the Lord!
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