Do we need to believe we are sinners to be saved?

from the old testament

• Genesis opens with God creating the world and, specifically, men and women (Genesis 1:26–27). After creating humanity, we read that “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a). Being “very good” meant that there was no corruption or sin.
• However, shortly thereafter, Adam and Eve rebelled against God, eating from a tree He had forbidden them to eat from (Genesis 3:1–7). The result was that God cursed creation and humanity (Genesis 3:14–19). From that point on, because of the corruption brought about by the curse (cf. Romans 5:12–14), all of humanity was sinful.
• Psalm 14 pictured God looking around for anyone in humanity who is righteous. It reads, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2–3). David was saying that we are all corrupt and none of us is righteous.
• To believe we are not sinful is to express a lack of awareness of who we are as corrupted by our rebellion. It also demonstrates a lack of understanding as to why we need Jesus.

from the new testament

• John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The next verse says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17). The purpose of Jesus coming was to bring salvation.
• However, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Jesus was not saying that there is anyone who is truly righteous, since all have sinned (Romans 3:23). But the Jewish Pharisees and scribes thought they were righteous because they obeyed the Mosaic Law. Since they acquitted themselves by their good deeds, Jesus was effectively saying, “Salvation is not for you since I’m here to save those who know they are sinners.” Thus, to not believe one is sinful is to be rejected by Jesus!
• God’s wrath is against sinners. This is because He is holy and must judge all sin. It is a present tense wrath, meaning those who have not yet been saved are already under His wrath (John 3:36). However, there is a future day coming when God’s wrath will be poured out on all of humanity for its sin. When the Bible speaks of salvation, it refers to salvation from that day of wrath (Romans 5:9). It was accomplished when Jesus died in the place of repentant sinners, taking their sin upon Himself (1 Peter 3:18).
• Only those who have confessed their sin and believed in Jesus will be saved (Luke 18:13–14; Romans 10:9–10). To repent of sin, one must first believe he or she is a sinner! Therefore, it is critical to believe that we are sinners in order to be saved.
• In the first century, John wrote to believers to warn them against listening to the false teachers. While we don’t know their exact teaching, they had a wrong view of Jesus and sin. That was why John told them that if they claimed not to sin or to be sinless, they were liars (1 John 1:8, 10). Speaking of the false teachers, he said that their ongoing refusal to repent and practice of sin demonstrated that they were acting like children of Satan (1 John 3:8a), reminding them that Jesus came “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b).
• If we don’t believe we are sinful, we are like the Pharisees who thought they were righteous. Salvation is only for those who know they are sinners and understand that there is no escape from God’s wrath outside of Jesus (i.e., John 14:6).

implications for today

Salvation is not primarily about getting to heaven. It is about God dealing justly with sin in a way that avoids destroying the sinner. If you do not believe you are a sinner, then salvation is not for you!

That does not mean that you will get into heaven but that you are denying that salvation is needed, so it becomes useless to you. But God cannot save you if you do not think you need saving because salvation is about the forgiveness of your sin through Jesus’ payment for it. If someone thinks they are righteous on their own, they will not see their sin or need for salvation.

But Jesus does save those who humble themselves and repent. Repent means a change of mind which leads to turning away from sin and obeying Jesus. That does not mean someone can obey Him perfectly, but it means they acknowledge their need for God’s forgiveness through Jesus.

Do you see your sin? Do you recognize that you are a sinner by nature and by choice? That is, you naturally do not seek after God, and you do bad things? If not, we encourage you to read the Bible to begin to understand who God says you are. Think through your actions and thoughts. Are they good? Do they reflect God?

Until you change your view of yourself, salvation will be withheld from you. However, if you do see your sin, do not despair—you are the type of person whom Jesus saves! He spent time with the worst people in His day because they understood they were sinful, and He was quick to forgive anyone who truly repented of their sin (Luke 5:31–32). If you understand you are a sinner and have come to realize that you are under God’s wrath without a way to escape on your own, repent and trust in Jesus. He has promised never to turn away anyone who truly repents (John 6:37)!