Sinners Like Me
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
Sinners Like Me
by Tim Hall
"Am I a sinner? Well, yes, I am. I occasionally
have impure thoughts; sometimes I let a bad word
slip out of my mouth; and I have been known to
creep over the speed limit now and then. Yes, I
must confess that I am a sinner. But Jesus is
willing to receive sinners like me."
It's true that Jesus is willing to receive sinners
who repent and turn back to God. But is our
understanding of "sinners" the same as Jesus had
in mind? We should remind ourselves of what He
really taught.
Sinners are the subject Jesus addressed in Luke
15. Through the parables of the lost sheep, the
lost coin and the wayward son, Jesus made a
powerful point: "I say to you that likewise there
will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine just persons who
need no repentance" (Luke 15:7, NKJV). We've often
thrilled over the truth of that passage. To know
that angels rejoice when a sinner like me repents
-- that's really good news!
But who did Jesus have in mind when He spoke of
penitent sinners? Look back to the beginning of
the chapter: "Then all the tax collectors and the
sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, 'This man
receives sinners and eats with them'" (Luke
15:1,2). The people Jesus had in mind when He
spoke of "sinners" in verses 7 and 10 were those
whom polite company silently condemns as beyond
hope. "Incorrigible!" we think. "God will forgive
sinners like me, but those kind of people are
beyond hope."
Who were these sinners of Luke 15? One class is
mentioned: the tax collectors. Others were likely
drunkards, prostitutes, thieves, hardened
soldiers. Could people like these be reached by
the gospel? Obviously they could, for they were
coming in large numbers to Jesus. Instead of
rejoicing over their change, though, the "good
people" of Jesus' day -- people who would quickly
admit they were sinners -- looked upon the scene
with scorn.
Could we become like these scribes and Pharisees?
Do we regard some people as "sinners like me", and
others as "those people"? And because they are so
steeped in sin, do we make little or no effort to
reach them with the saving message of Jesus'
gospel?
There are sinners all around: drug addicts,
pornography merchants, convicted felons, etc. And
then there are the other sinners: church-going
people who tell white lies, who cheat on their
income taxes, who "borrow" pencils from the
office. Which group is worse? Whom did Jesus come
to save?
The answer is clear: We're all sinners. The
prostitute is a sinner like me. The thief is a
sinner like me. The murderer is a sinner like me.
I need the Savior's help as much as any of these.
If I don't think so, then I may have already
developed Pharisaical attitudes.
Who is the worst sinner of all time? Would the
apostle Paul qualify for that title? He thought he
would! "This is a faithful saying and worthy of
all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1
Timothy 1:15). If a Christian like Paul realized
his desperate need for a Savior, then I'd better
try to see myself in that way, too.
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