For sin shall not have dominion over you.
Should Christians see themselves as sinners? Many of us Christians do, and think we should--partly so we won't be prideful. But an Elder at my church spoke very boldly that he was not a sinner. I couldn’t believe his blasphemous words! Later that afternoon I thought about it and during the week, I studied it, and formed my own opinion. I’ll share it with you at the end of this blog, but before we get to that, let me share a number of Bible verses on the word “sinner(s).” Let's see what the Bible says:
Genesis 13:13 ~ “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord.”
Numbers 16:38 ~ “The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.”
1 Samuel 15:18 ~ “And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.”
Psalm 1:1 ~ “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
Psalm 1:5 ~ “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”
Psalm 25:8 ~ “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.”
Psalm 26:9 ~”Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:”
Psalm 51:13 ~ “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”
Psalm 104:35 ~ “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord."
Proverbs 1:10 ~ “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
Proverbs 11:31 ~ “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.”
Proverbs 13:6 “Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.”
Proverbs 13:21 ~ “Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be [repaid].”
Proverbs 23:17 ~ “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”
Ecclesiastes 2:26 ~ “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.”
Ecclesiastes 7:26 ~ “and I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.”
Ecclesiastes 8:12 ~ “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him.”
Ecclesiastes 9:2 ~ “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.”
Ecclesiastes 9:18 ~ Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.”
Isaiah 1:28 ~ “And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”
Isaiah 13:9 ~ “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.”
Isaiah 33:14 ~ “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
Isaiah 65:20 ~ “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”
Amos 9:10 ~ “All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.”
Matthew 9:10 ~ “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.”
Matthew 9:11 ~ “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”
Matthew 9:13 ~ “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Matthew 11:19 ~ “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
Matthew 26:45 ~ “Then cometh He to His disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
Mark 2:15 ~ “And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followedHim.”
Mark 2:16 ~ “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto His disciples, How is it that He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”
Mark 2:17 ~ “When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Mark 14:41 ~ “And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
Luke 5:30 ~ “But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why do Ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”
Luke 5:32 ~ “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 6:32 ~ “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.”
Luke 6:33 ~ “And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.”
Luke 6:34 ~ “And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.”
Luke 7:34 ~ “The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”
Luke 7:37 ~ And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment…”
Luke 7:39 ~ “Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.”
Luke 13:2 ~ “And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things?”
Luke 13:4 ~ “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?”
Luke 15:1 ~ “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.”
Luke 15:2 ~ “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”
Luke 15:7 ~ “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
Luke 15:10 ~ “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Luke 18:13 ~ “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Luke 19:7 ~ “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”
John 9:16 ~ “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.”
John 9:31 ~ “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” (Said by the “others,” not Christ Himself.)
Romans 3:7 ~ “For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?”
Romans 5:19 ~ "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Romans 5:8 ~ “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Galatians 2:17 ~ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.”
1 Timothy 1:9 ~ “…knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers…”
Hebrews 7:26 ~ “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”
Hebrews 12:3 ~ “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
James 4:8 ~ “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
James 5:20 ~ “…let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 4:18 ~ “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Jude 1:15 ~ “…to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
After studying the question of "Should I consider myself a sinner or not?," I came to the same conclusion as my Elder: Yes, unfortunately, I falter at times and sin (at least daily, it seems). But Jesus is my Redeemer and Savior, and He separates sinners and the righteous in Mark 2:17, which means if I am in His grace, and considered righteous or I am to consider myself a sinner; I can't be both.