“…all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags…” On occasion, I have heard believers quote Isaiah 64:6 in conversation or in prayer as an expression of their current state before the Lord. Similarly, some Christians refer to themselves as “wretched sinners.”
Certainly, each day we feel acutely our struggle with sin, and we should always ultimately value the righteousness of Christ. But…would the New Testament agree with such language? Is it appropriate for us as believers to think of ourselves as wretched sinners? Further and related, is it true that all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags to God?
Are believers wretched sinners?
The answer may seem a bit nuanced, but clarity is possible. To be as biblically faithful with our language as possible, it is better to say…believers are saints who sometimes sin, rather than believers are saints who are sinners.
At conversion, believers enjoy a change of identity as a result of Christ’s redemptive work. 1 Corinthians 6:9–11: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
First, notice that unrighteousness prevents inheritance of the kingdom. No surprise there. Second, notice that each of the categories of unrighteousness (the sexually immoral, idolators, adulterers, etc) are specific categories of “sinners.” Third, gloriously, Paul’s recipients no longer hold any of those identities: “such were some of you.”
Why are they no longer the sexually immoral, idolators, adulterers, etc? Because they ceased to engage in sexual immorality? Because they ceased to engage in idolatry? Paul doesn’t mention that. Rather, their identity changed because they were washed from their unrighteousness, they were sanctified (set apart unto holiness), and they were justified (declared righteous in Christ by the Spirit). It is no longer appropriate to identify them by their old identities since they have been declared righteous in Christ. “Such were some of you.”
Now, their new identity in Christ will bear itself out in new ways of living contrary to their old identity. That is Paul’s larger point in the context. The formerly sexually immoral will live differently than they did before. BUT these believers did not acquire a new identity because they began a new lifestyle. Rather, they began a new lifestyle because they acquired a new identity…in Christ.
The New Testament acknowledges believers’ ongoing struggle with sin. James 3:2, “For we all stumble in many ways…” James’ words are striking. All believers stumble or sin in many ways. The first two chapters of 1 John call us to acknowledge our sin, fight our sin, and recognize our ongoing need for an advocate in Christ. Every New Testament epistle assumes the necessity to put off sin and put on Christlikeness (ex. Rom 6:12-14; 13:14; Eph 4:21-23; Col 3:1-10; 2 Pet 1:3-11). Clearly, believers sin and need to grow in godliness. Therefore, we should be sober about our struggle, conscientious about killing sin, and strive for holiness.
Yet, the New Testament does not refer to believers as “sinners.” There are no clear cases in the New Testament of redeemed believers being referred to as sinners. This seems to be a term reserved by the biblical authors for those unreconciled to God. At times the word refers to those currently dead in their sins (Matt 9:13; Luke 6:32-34; Rom 5:19; 1 Tim 1:9; Heb 7:26; 1 Pet 4:18). At other times it refers to believers prior to their reconciliation to God (Rom 5:8; Jas 5:20).
“But what about Paul’s calling himself as ‘the foremost’ of sinners?” Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Does this verse indicate that Paul viewed himself even in his conversion as a sinner? The near context makes it far more likely that the apostle has his pre-conversion life in view.
Consider vv12-13 from the same passage: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief…” Similarly, the following context is instructive. Just after writing, “…of whom I am the foremost,” in v15, Paul writes, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”
It seems that Paul was talking about his former life as an unconverted persecutor of the church, similar to the way he used the word in Romans 5:8. First Timothy 1:15 does not indicate that Paul viewed himself as the worst of sinners in his reconciled state.
The New Testament’s favored label for believers is “saints”. That is, believers are holy ones (Acts 9:13; 26:10; Rom 1:7; 8:27; 1 Cor 6:1; 14:33; 2 Cor 8:4; 13:13; Eph 1:15; 3:18; Phil 1:1; 4:22; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 3:13; 2 Thess 1:10; 1 Tim 5:10; Philem 5; Heb 6:10; Jude 3; Rev 5:8; 11:18 just to name a few). How can this be if we continue to struggle with sin? It goes back to our being justified, or declared righteous in Christ. By grace through faith, the righteousness of Jesus has been imputed to us. Therefore, we have a new status before God: holy.
Indeed, as we grow in Christ, we are increasingly conformed to His image in our actual character and conduct. Over time, our lives more and more closely match our identity in Christ. But the fact that the New Testament calls the newest of believers “saints” indicates that one’s identity in Christ is definitive before God.
So, while the New Testament affirms that believers sin, it stops short of calling them “sinners.” They have a new identity in Christ: saint. Therefore, we should view ourselves in accordance with our justified status in Christ even as we fight against sin.
Next time, is it true that all a believer’s righteous deeds are as filthy rags to God?
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