Are Christians saints or sinners? Or both?

TL;DR:

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.

what does the bible say?

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.

from the old testament

Exodus 19:5–6 shows that Israel was supposed to be a holy people, as God told Moses to tell them: “'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” Israel repeatedly violated that covenant. Christians today are set apart as saints because of the New Covenant based on Christ’s work on the cross.

from the new testament

Romans 7:22–23 captures the struggle Christians face as we are called to holiness yet still have a sin nature: "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."
First Peter 2:9–10 reveals what it means to become saints after accepting Christ: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Philippians 3:20–21 affirms that our status as saints won’t be completely actualized until we’re resurrected: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

implications for today

People on television and in movies who are facing a moral dilemma are often portrayed as having an angel on one shoulder and a devil 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 devil 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 devil tells us to let off the gas for spite. Sadly, sometimes the devil 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 devil: 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.

understand

Christians are saints because of Christ’s righteousness, which covers them and makes them holy before God.
Despite being positionally saints, Christians still struggle with sin due to their remaining sin nature.
Christians are sinners but are called to live in holiness.

reflect

In what areas of your life do you feel the tension between being called to holiness and struggling with your sin nature? How can you invite the Holy Spirit into those areas?
How does understanding that you are positionally a saint because of Christ’s righteousness affect the way you view your struggle with sin?
What are some practical ways you can yield to the Holy Spirit and resist temptation in your daily life?

engage

How does being a saint positionally, yet struggling with sin, practically shape the way we encourage one another in our walk with God?
What does the ongoing battle between our sin nature and our call to holiness reveal about the need for grace and sanctification in the Christian life?
How can the church support believers in the process of sanctification, particularly in response to dealing with sin?

More Resources