Does the Bible say we’re just sinners saved by grace? No, it actually doesn’t. No-fault religion has taught men to say that.
The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8). In other words, we were sinners and we were definitely saved by the grace of God. But every reference to us after salvation is not that of sinner– God calls us His children, saints, beloved, and the righteousness of God in Christ.
To continually claim you are “just a sinner saved by grace” is a trap of the enemy. The devil is trying to pervert your real identity. And maybe give you an excuse to continue in behavior that you can’t justify. Either way, it’s not correct.
Paul said righteousness looks and speaks differently.
“But what does (the righteousness of faith) say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8-10).
The “righteousness of faith” is God’s Word and God’s Truth. You must believe it and then say what it says.
In Genesis, we can read how Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Speaking of Abraham, Romans 4:23-25 says, “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses (not His), and was raised because of our justification.”
Here’s another big Bible word (it’s big because of its meaning, not just its long spelling). Justification is God’s declaration that the believing sinner is righteous and acceptable before Him.
I just told you not to call yourself a “sinner” anymore but in this definition it is exactly what it says! You were a sinner. Then you heard the word of God and became a believer. But for one moment in time, you were a “believing” sinner— a sinner whose heart was being transformed at the moment of salvation.
The most amazing part of this is that God declared it. And God doesn’t change His mind (He doesn’t live by feelings). These are the truths of your righteousness in Christ, but the reason people struggle is: one, they continue to live by their feelings and not faith; and two, they don’t know what God’s Word says about it.
E.W. Kenyon said, “All believers are in Christ, but [unfortunately] His Word is not in all believers.”
This is true, but it’s only supposed to be how every new Christian starts. Even the Apostle Paul. He said, “I discovered that [God’s Word], which was supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of God’s commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes” (Romans 7:10-13 paraphrased).
Let me say it this way: What you don’t know (and understand) can hurt you. But equally, what you choose (when your feelings are pulling you away from God’s truth) can make a big difference in your growth. Every born-again believer deals with the flesh. Galatians 5:16-17 says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you don’t do the things that you wish.”
The identity that you tap into will be the strongest– the flesh or the spirit, as a sinner “just saved by grace” or the righteousness of God in Christ.
I want to encourage you to keep feeding on the knowledge of who you are in Christ — no matter what! It’s your true identity.
