Categorize and Segregate....

The funny thing about fickle man is his ability to categorize when he wants to, and segregate when he sees fit. This hypocrisy is in all of us. The only two categories we were ever meant to be labeled are saints and sinners. We are all sinners, which makes us equal. Those that believe (trust in Christ) become saints. Saints are still sinners, just forgiven. Forgiven sinners know their place, so they don’t abuse this sanctified category. When it’s all said and done you’re either a condemned sinner, or a sanctified one. The point is, we are all sinners, we don’t need to try to act like saints. When we are saved, we adopt the label saint, but should never try to act like one, in the sense of comparison. We are no better than unbelievers, just better off. Our attitude needs to reflect this gift of grace. It gives us confidence, knowing we are saved, but we have no right adopting an attitude of superiority. It’s God Who grants this grace, not because of any special work we can do. We cannot begin to grasp the depths of God’s grace, until we begin to grasp the depths of our lostness, our sin. Be who you are, and stop trying to compare. Comparison is the killer of contentment. The second we think we are saints, we must realize we are still sinners as well. This will keep you humble, and effective in your witness for the kingdom.

When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” Galatians 2:14-16