Where would you place yourself on a scale from "sinner" to "righteous"?
Sinner __________ Not too bad __________ Good __________ Righteous
Maybe it depends—some days we might feel more sinful, while others, perhaps, we feel closer to righteous. But the reality is, as Christians, we are both sinners and righteous at the same time. This can be a challenging reality to keep in view.
Over these last few weeks I’ve been reading a book called “Both / And” by Gary Millar, which dives into the great paradoxical truths of the bible. One that intrigued me is that we are both righteous and sinners at the same time. As I’ve been reflecting on this, personally, I tend to focus more on my sinful state, often fixating on my shortcomings. This can lead us to feelings of guilt and shame, maybe feeling like we’re not adequate to call ourselves Christian and serve God’s kingdom—wondering how a holy God could love sinners like us. I’m sure Satan is thrilled when such thoughts cross our minds. But it's in these moments that we need to remember God’s love for us as described in Romans 5:8:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
The hope in this verse is amazing: God's love is not dependent on our righteousness. It’s not about how well we perform, but about God's immense love for us. A love so great that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is the wonderful truth of the gospel: we’ve done nothing, but God has done everything. Through Christ's death, we are made righteous. Romans 5:19 continues to tell us:
"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus], the many will be made righteous."
What a beautiful truth to hold on to—that even in our sinfulness, Christ has made us righteous.
However, we also want to avoid becoming prideful or self-reliant, thinking that we can make ourselves right with God by our own efforts. This would undermine Christ's sanctifying work in us. On the flip side, we don’t want to constantly dwell in our sinfulness either. We need to remember that we are both sinners and righteous at the same time.
So, wherever we put ourselves on that scale. If we dwell more on the sinful side let’s remember the wonderful truth that we are righteous in Christ. Or if we are leaning towards the righteous side, lets humble ourselves before God, and praise Him for loving us even while we are sinners.
We need to constantly keep in mind that we are both sinners and righteous at the same time—until the day we are glorified with Christ in heaven.
Grace and Peace,
David