Christians are saints positionally before God yet also sinners who still sin. Christ’s righteousness covers us and makes us saints, but until we shed our mortal bodies, we still have a sin nature.
The Old and New Testaments show that God’s people are saints in their relationship to God, but they still have a sin nature. The Old Testament records God establishing a covenant with the Israelites. They were to be set apart as His holy people (Exodus 19:5–6; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Peter 2:9), a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Instead, they adopted the sins of pagan nations, breaking their covenant with God (2 Kings 17:7–8; Judges 2:11–13; 2 Chronicles 36:15–17). The New Covenant is based on Christ, through whom believers are made positionally righteous and holy in God's sight (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:1). In this sense, Christians are saints. However, though God has broken the power and penalty of sin in believers’ lives, He has not eradicated its presence. Believers’ sin nature remains until the resurrection (Philippians 3:20–21; 1 John 3:2). The indwelling Spirit of God wages continuous war against believers’ remaining sin nature (Romans 7:14–25; Galatians 5:17; 1 John 1:8–9). To grow into spiritual maturity and become Christ-like, Christians must discipline and deny themselves and avoid grieving the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5; Colossians 3; Ephesians 4; 2 Corinthians 3:17–18). Christians are called to be saints (2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1). Until we’re called home to be with the Lord, Christians are positionally saints because of Christ but are within bodies prone to sin.
People on television and in movies who are facing a moral dilemma are often portrayed as having an angel on one shoulder and a d evil on the other: one prompting good, and the other evil. It’s popular because it feels real as we decide between doing good and evil . The angel wants us to visit the elderly church parishioner after work. The d evil tells us to go home and watch the game that’s streaming—he assures us that “other people” will visit. The angel tells us to pull over , so the car getting too close to us can drive past us, but the d evil tells us to let off the gas for spite. Sadly, sometimes the d evil wins. We’re all born with a sin nature that we’re not rid of until we die and are with the Lord. But unlike unbelievers, Christians have true hope because we have something stronger than that shoulder d evil: the indwelling Holy Spirit helping us conform to Christ. We are imperfect still, but having accepted Christ as Lord, we are on our way to becoming like Him (1 John 3:2). Until we’re called home to be with the Lord, Christians are positionally saints because of Christ , but we are within bodies prone to sin. That does not give us an excuse to sin. Instead, we have what we need to fight against sin and our flesh. Our struggle with sin is not the final word in our lives; it is the ongoing process of sanctification. As we yield to the Spirit’s conviction, we are empowered to resist temptation, repent when we do sin, and live more in line with God’s will. Every time we choose to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we grow more into the image of Christ. Even though we will continue to face challenges, the hope we have in Christ is that He will complete the work He has started in us (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, instead of resigning ourselves to failure, we press on, relying on His strength, knowing that our journey toward holiness is being shaped by God’s grace.