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.

Excellent article, Tim. I have long worried about our tendency to search out "religious" people to convert rather than sinners!

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