This is an article I wrote a while back about the term “sinner” that goes thrown around a lot, especially in evangelism. People often openly admit and carelessly say something that goes like “Yeah, I know I’m a sinner, we’re all sinners”. So I thought, what are people actually saying when they admit that they are a “sinner”? The results are shocking.
Sinner (all definitions taken from various sources, mostly from dictionary.com)
Definition
One who has sinned; especially, one who has sinned without repenting; hence, a persistent and incorrigible transgressor; one condemned by the law of God.
Synonyms
lawbreaker, infidel, outlaw, wicked, evildoer, criminal, transgressor, offender, convict, crook, fugitive, reprobate, wrongdoer, immoral, bad, felon, devil
Other Definitions (some of the synonym definitions)
Based on the synonyms, one who admits his being a sinner may rightly say,
“Yeah, I know I’m a sinner, we’re all sinners. I am…”
…a person who does evil or wrong.
…a vicious or depraved person; villain.
…a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person.
…a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.
…a lawless person or habitual criminal, esp. one who is a fugitive from the law.
…one morally abandoned and lost.
…one who does wrong, especially morally or ethically.
…one who has committed a crime; especially, one who is found guilty by verdict, confession, or proof; a malefactor; a felon.
…an atrociously wicked, cruel, or ill-tempered person.
…a person who is very clever, energetic, reckless, or mischievous.
…a cruel wicked and inhuman person.
…a person who breaks or violates the law.
…a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.
…a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.
Shocking, isn’t it? The thing is most people, when they think of “sinner”, they think that what makes them a sinner is that they have made a few boo boos in the past and maybe committed a few sins here are there. Yet the word sinner does not merely refer to what we have done in the past, but to a present state of persistent sinning. I don’t think the majority of people would be so bold to admit this! I do wonder how many would still admit that they are sinners after hearing the above definitions.
Yet it is for such people, like those described above, that Jesus Christ, in His great love, came into this world to die and take upon Himself the punishment that was due them and by His marvelous grace He breaks the power of sin in their life. “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8) The gospel is for those who are convinced they are sinners and feel their desperate need a Savior; it is for nobody else. The self-righteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” (Luke 5:31-32)
