Featured Now a Sinner Saved By Grace?

In Romans 7, Paul was talking about the physical body, and how sinful it is - contrasted with the spirit, the inner man. And that Christ WILL SAVE us from this BODY of death. When? In the resurrection, when the sons of God are revealed. Keep reading through chapter 8

 

I think maybe the reason some Christians don't use the phrase, I'm just a sinner is because the lost would mis-understand and think them not saved. To say in some churches, I am the worst sinner that ever walked, they would think to themselves, this guy needs to be saved. No where in the scripture did Christ refer to his people as being sinners when he addressed them in front of others, but we should look at ourselves as being sinners saved by grace.

 

I hear the I'm a sinner phrase mentioned more times in Cal churches than I do in free will churches. I mentioned this before but a friend of mine and i were in a casual conversation at a public place and my friend called the pastor of a cal church I attend some over and ask him what he thought about me. The pastor said, he is just a low down sinner, or words to that effect. This left both my friend and I struck dumb. After my friend walked away the pastor said to me, I just told him what the bible say's about you. When Christ saw Nathanial he said, behold a Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.

 

Not sure I understand this post. I believe when we are saved we are born anew. When we were originally spiritually born, we were conceived in iniquity. thus in a separated from God unholy state, spiritually dead. And when we are born anew, we are united with God, and made holy. But, during this period (after salvation but still physically on earth) we are undergoing progressive sanctification, where we still commit what we see as sin, as missing the mark, as falling short of the glory of God. However, the blood of Christ continually cleanses us from all our shortcomings.

Therefore we are not the same after salvation, we are a new creation created for good works, and we are indwelt with the Spirit of Christ. Regeneration is just another word meaning born anew. We have undergone our spiritual regeneration and are looking forward to our physical regeneration, in our glorified bodies at Christ's second coming.

Not sure what you mean by "sin not being the mark of our lives." If this means in our heart, we really do not want to sin, I agree.

So as far as I can see, we agree, we are sinners (in our eyes) saved by grace, and we must strive to become more like Christ and serve Christ. Thus, as born anew believers, we have been set apart spiritually in Christ, Paul refers to this as being baptized into Christ, thus sanctified positionally. Transferred from not in Christ, separated from God, to being in Christ, united with God, thus regenerated, made alive, born anew. In Christ we undergo the circumcision of Christ, where are sin burden (what God holds against us) is removed, and thus we are justified. Thus our new birth, includes the washing of regeneration.

 

JonC, I see another phrase that you might study a bit, the "body of flesh (sin)." Does this refer to our physical bodies? I think not. And thus the removal does not refer to our adoption as sons at Christ's second coming.

If you study the word translated "body" you might find it could mean shadow. Our sin casts a shadow (the wrath we have stored up) and when this body of flesh (sin) is removed we are justified, made holy and blameless.

 

If the righteousness scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ? 1 Pet 4:18

 

Look how Paul progressed throygtthrough Romans, speaking of the body

Romans 6:6
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

Romans 6:13
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Romans 7:5
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

Romans 7:23
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

Romans 8:10
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness


He went out of his way to show, from chapters 5-8 the effects if sin in this mortal body, and contrast that against the inner man (which he deslt with in chapters 4-8), and to show that it us in the resurrection that this body will be regenerated

 

We agree the circumcision of Christ does not remove our physical bodies. But we are far apart as to what is removed by the circumcision of Christ.

First, we must deal with variant readings, with the CT reading "body of the flesh" but the Byzantine (WEB) reading "body of the sins of the flesh."

Commentators differ as to the meaning, with some indicating our sin nature or fleshly desires are removed because we are given a new heart.
Most however, do agree we are speaking of a spiritual change. But I think it is more than simply being set aside for God, i.e. circumcision indicating dedicated to God, but is in fact an alteration in our condition.

And I will repeat myself, body could be translated shadow, i.e. the shadow of the flesh, our sin burden, or what God has against us. But when we are propitiated, with the circumcision of Christ, our sin burden is removed. Thus we are justified.

 

Hi JohC, I will take the partial victory, we agree in general.

I would say we are unregenerate when God baptizes us into Christ, where we undergo the circumcision of Christ, and therefore being justified, we are united with God (now holy and blameless and perfect) and therefore we are made alive and thus born anew. So we do not agree on the sequence but agree that when we arise in Christ a new creation we have been made alive, and our sin burden has been removed by the washing of regeneration. Close enough.

And I agree with you that we should not make any accommodation for the flesh. To the idea that we suggest that sinning is ok, Paul would respond, "may it never be!"