Friend of Sinners by Rich Wilkerson is what I’d consider a moderate Evangelical. He definitely holds the basic tenants of Evangelicalism (e.g. a relationship with Jesus is the core of faith); but from his writings, it’s clear he isn’t an ultra-conservative Evangelical. (Which is exactly what I needed, by the way.)
Nowhere is that more obvious than in the premise of his book – that we are all sinners and Jesus is here to be our friend.
You see…I never considered myself a sinner. Most conservative Evangelicals don’t.
Conservative Evangelical Stance on Sinners vs. Saints
Conservative Evangelicals (Piper, MacArthur, Grudem, etc.) recognize we are sinful and always will be in this life. But sinners are those who actively engage in sinful behavior and are unrepentant. We, on the other hand, are saints because of our faith in Jesus. If you want a theological explanation of why this is, you can listen and/or read John Piper’s analysis here.
I’m not saying I disagree with the logic of his stance. Evangelicals are nothing if not logical, especially when it comes to doctrinal matters. However, if we say Christians are not sinners, and Jesus came to help sinners…then he is no longer helping us post-salvation. He saves us, but then we’re on our own.
Piper even alludes to this in the article, saying:
“I’m looking for evidence that you’re a Christian, and the evidence is that you’re in Christ. And if you’re in Christ, you’re without sin. So fighting sin is the evidence that you are without sin.”[1]
Please notice how the focus is on 1) behavior and 2) you. I have to fight. I have to change. And I have to follow the rules. Otherwise, there is no evidence to the spiritual authorities over me that I am a true Christian.
No wonder I always thought Jesus’ yoke was a list of rules for the believer.
What Wilkerson Has to Say
Apparently, however, not all evangelicals ascribe to this very strict outlook. I’m embarrassed to say I was 75% through Friend of Sinners before I realized that Wilkerson considered Christians sinners. I’m serious.
It finally hit me when he discusses the good Samaritan and said:
“Our calling is to seek and save those who have been beaten up by life and left to die on the side of the proverbial road. It doesn’t matter if they are different from us. It doesn’t matter if they got themselves into their mess. It doesn’t matter if they are ‘sinners,’ whatever that even means to you – because as we already saw, we are all sinners, so the label is a bit pointless.”[2]
This gave me more hope than I can tell you. I knew logically that Jesus doesn’t stop helping me after I’m saved; however, I never had a Biblical way of backing up this belief. Now I do.
Because if I’m a sinner, then Jesus is still in the process of helping me. If I’m a sinner, I don’t have to do it all on my own. If I’m a sinner, I know I can still be set free, because Jesus helps sinners.
Amen and amen.
The Dangers of the Conservative Evangelical Stance
Obviously, conservative Evangelicals know and give lip service to the fact that you can only overcome sin through Jesus. (Although, Piper never says that throughout his discussion, which I find interesting.) However, the practical, logical outcome of this type of doctrine is: 1) people working toward perfection and 2) having an “us vs. them” mentality with the rest of the world.
The Danger of Working Toward Perfection
The danger of working toward perfection should be obvious: it makes it about our own work rather than Jesus’ work. In effect, it separates us from Jesus after we are saved.
This is something I always struggled with. Whenever I sinned, I felt as if I had to bear the guilt; after all, I should know better. I’m a saint in Christ, and saints in Christ fight sin; we don’t succumb.
Piper’s own words show that tacit belief. He makes it clear the onus is on us to provide the “evidence” of salvation. He never mentions how Christ continually fights with us and for us (Rom 8:34).
Yes, we must fight sin; but we must do so by clinging to Jesus. By loving him – simply by loving him and wanting to love him more. I like how Wilkerson puts it:
“Better behavior is a byproduct of the work of Jesus – and not even the most important one. Love, peace, joy, freedom, and other internal transformations are far more significant than dropping fewer F-bombs or kicking a cocaine habit.”[3]
Obviously, cursing and drugs aren’t good things to do; Wilkerson isn’t advocating that. His point is, when you have Jesus, he literally changes you from the inside out. Love is the catalyst for changing behavior, not sheer force of our own will.
The Danger of an “Us vs. Them” Mentality
Again, this danger of an “us vs. them” mentality should be obvious; but maybe it isn’t. After all, if it were obvious I don’t think we’d be in our current political and social predicament.
When we think of ourselves only as saints, we start acting sanctimonious – which is making a show of our moral superiority. It starts the process of judging rather than loving. And it leads us into the well-worn path of the Pharisees.
The thing is, Piper’s discussion on why we should call ourselves saints is very convincing. He describes it as an identity shift, and I think that’s an important and powerful thing. I do believe it is probably more accurate to call Christians saints rather than sinners. And I do think it’s helpful to have vocabulary that reminds us who we are in Christ.
But that accuracy has a pitfall: what we achieve in accuracy, we sacrifice in love. After all, the Pharisees were very accurate. But look at what Jesus has to say to them:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” ~ Matt. 23:23
We might be right to call ourselves saints and non-believers sinners, just as the Pharisees were right to tithe their herbs; and yet, if it ends up hiding the heart of God from the world, we are wrong.
A Quick Anecdote
And so, we have a disconnect. And whenever there’s a disconnect, it’s sometimes helpful to take a step back and look at it from another angle.
So, let’s take it out of its theological context to better understand it. Rather than sinner vs. saint, let’s make it victim vs. survivor.
I’m a survivor of dating violence. I’ve fought hard to live like a survivor, and I get angry when I see people use the word victim to describe people who have endured abuse. It’s hard to step into the mindset of a survivor and live like one; but if we actively call people victims, it’s even harder.
That being said, even after 10+ years of being a survivor, it’s still hard. I occasionally have triggers that take me back to those dark times. Most of the time I don’t know why they happen – they just do. Plus, they’re often exacerbated by my OCD, which means the fallout of triggers can last awhile.[4]
The Similarities and Differences
I hope you noticed the similarities between those two examples. I wanted to change my vocabulary to remind myself of my identity. It’s a fight I still struggle with, and probably always will.
In this, then, I feel like I should be saying, “Yes! We are saints! Not sinners!”
And maybe I would. Except saying I’m a survivor doesn’t automatically presume that others are victims; it does not give people an “us vs. them” mentality like the sinner vs. saint debate. Instead, it reminds people of what they’re striving for – a thriving life as a survivor.
Yes, I fought to be a survivor; but I did so through therapy and clinging to Jesus. I had friends and family who supported me. I wasn’t alone.
And neither are we when we fight sin. We also have Jesus, therapy, and friends and family. It’s not up to us to achieve “evidence” of a sinless life. Jesus takes that yoke upon himself when we follow him.
The thing is, if calling myself a victim could better help people who lived through violence, I would do so in a heartbeat. If it meant that even a single person could break free of their bonds, I would forsake my vocabulary preferences. That may not have always been the case, but I’m far enough on my healing journey that I can handle it.
And it’s not a lie. Sometimes, I’m that scared twenty-year-old again; sometimes, I’m still a victim. I’m both – a victim and a survivor.
Another – Equally Biblical – Approach
This duality was something the ancients were intimately aware of. It influenced their way of thinking in every way, and therefore we can conclude that it influenced the early church’s way of viewing Jesus.[5]
Jesus himself represents a both/and duality. He was both fully God and fully man. He was not half and half; he was not either, or. He was both. He became like us to show his deep and abiding love for us.
Likewise, Paul advocates a similar way of showing Jesus’ love:
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” ~ 1 Cor. 9:19-22
We sin every day. There will be sins we never let go of on this earth, whether that’s pride, worry, or cultural beliefs that don’t line up with the Bible. We are sinners.
As Christians, we’re in love with Jesus, and we’re fighting to love him more. We are saints.
Saints saved through faith, sinners saved by grace.
And if I must become a “sinner” to help others know Jesus – all the while knowing I am a “saint” and have victory over sin through Jesus – then that is exactly what I will do. Semantics and being “right” are nothing compared to showing the love of Jesus to a weary and broken world. And maybe – just maybe – some will be saved.
Notes
[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/sinners-or-saints-how-should-we-speak-of-christians
[2] Rich Wilkerson, Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More about Relationship than Perfection (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2018), 162-163
[3] Ibid. 19.
[4] OCD is an anxiety order characterized by intrusive, repetitive, and unwanted thoughts which then cause “compulsions” to try and ease the anxiety. I wanted to give a definition because most people don’t realize it’s anxiety based, or think it’s about germs. It’s not. If you want more information, you can visit the OCD Center of Los Angeles, which I’ve found incredibly helpful.
[5] Martin Luther also recognized this with his simultaneously saint and sinner commentary of Romans (simul iustus et peccator). You can google it yourself, or you can go to this Lutheran website that I liked: https://www.1517.org/articles/simultaneously-righteous-and-sinner-an-introduction
