DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SINNERS

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. No human being can truthfully say that he is completely        
      sinless, whether he is in the church or out of the church. 1   
      John 1:8-2:2
   B. People of the world often assert: "I'm as good as most people  
      in the church."
      1. They like to emphasize that in some ways they are as good,  
         if not better, than some members of the church.
         a. They like to think that they can be saved along with
            members of the church because they are just as good as
            most church members.
      2. It is true that all are sinners; however, the sinner in the 
         world is not in the same situation or condition as the      
         sinner in the church. There is a great difference between   
         the two.
   C. Let's look at the differences between sinners in the world and
      sinners in the church.

I. MOST SINNERS IN THE WORLD DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT SIN IS. THEY ONLY
   THINK THEY DO.
   A. For example, they would not understand that having an erroneous
      faith or practice is sinful. 2 Tim. 2:16-18; 2 Thess. 2:9-12
   B. Most of the time, sinners of the world base what is sinful, and
      what is not sinful, mainly on their own opinions.
      1. Usually, they follow what is accepted or not accepted in    
         their present society.
   C. Almighty God is the One who has made the laws. He determines
      and declares what is sinful and what is not.
      1. It is up to us to discern between good and evil. Heb. 5:12; 
         1 Thess. 5:21
      2. We are to approve what is acceptable and not acceptable to
         the Lord. Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:8-11,17
      3. Sometimes, the air in a room may look fresh and clean.
         However, when the bright sunlight penetrates the room, dust
         and other impurities are clearly seen. In a similar way,    
         when we study God's word, we begin to see impurities in us. 
         With God's help, and the power of the word, we can clean up
         those impurities and be more like our Creator.

II. MOST SINNERS OF THE WORLD HAVE A RATHER LIGHT VIEW OF SIN.
   A. Christians are commanded to hate sin. Rom. 12:9; Psalm 97:10
      1. We cannot love the world with its sinful lusts and vain     
         glory. 1 John 2:15-16
      2. The one who becomes a friend of the world becomes an
         enemy of God. James 4:4
   B. It is through the knowledge of the Scriptures, and our         
      willingness to follow them, that we begin to comprehend the    
      enormity of sin.
      1. Sin is violation of the law of a righteous, holy, awesome
         God.
      2. It took the precious blood of the Lamb of God to bring
         forgiveness of sins.
         a. Thus, the tremendous cost necessary to bring
            forgiveness shows the terribleness of sin.
      3. Sin has terrible consequences. Rom. 6:23; Gal. 6:7-8

III. SINNERS OF THE WORLD DO NOT STRUGGLE AND FIGHT AGAINST SIN.
   A. Most sinners of the world do not put forth much effort to fight
      sin or to live above sin.
      1. Often, worldly people are controlled by sinful passions and
         desires without even knowing it.
   B. The Christian, on the other hand, puts up a fight to conquer   
      sin in his life.
      1. He prayerfully faces temptation, watching with perseverance.
      2. He does all within his power to resist the devil.
      3. His goal in life is to purify himself even as Christ is     
         pure. 1 John 3:2-3
   C. Thus, to say the least, the Christian is more likely to win the
      battle against sin than the normal sinners of the world.
      1. The Christian may fall from time to time, but he does not
         habitually sin. 1 John 3:9
         a. The expression "does not sin" in the Greek is "does not
            keep on sinning," and the term "he cannot sin" in the
            Greek is, "he cannot keep on sinning."
            (1) In other words, he does not habitually sin.
            (2) The reason he does not habitually sin is because
                "His seed remains in him."
         b. Also, he cannot sin because it is not his desire or
            intention to sin.
            (1) When Peter and John said, "For we cannot but
                speak the things which we have seen and heard"
                (Acts 4:20), it did not mean that they literally or
                absolutely could only speak those things. They
                spoke about other things in their every day lives.
            (2) It was their burning desire and intention to speak
                what they had seen and heard.

IV. CHRISTIANS COME TO THE PLACE OF CLEANSING WHEREAS THE SINNERS OF 
   THE WORLD DO NOT.
   A. Christ is the Christian's place of cleansing. 1 Pet. 1:18-19;  
      Rev. 1:5; Eph. 1:7
      1. This is the main difference between sinners in the church   
         and out of the church.
      2. The Christian's hope does not rest on the ground of his own
         sinless perfection.
         a. He knows when he does everything that is commanded,
            he is only doing what he should be doing. Luke 17:10
         b. An old familiar hymn expresses the Christian's view:
            "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and
            righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but
            wholly lean on Jesus' name."
         c. Christ is the propitiation (appeasement, atonement) for
            our sins. 1 John 2:2
   B. The sinner of the world, however, seemingly disregards the     
      mercy of the Lord and the blood that was shed for him.
      1. He continues apart from Christ, even though he could be
         cleansed if he would come to the Lamb of God who takes
         away the sins of the world.
      2. To all sinners of the world, Jesus has said: John 8:24; Luke
         13:3; Luke 12:8-9; Mark 16:16
         a. These commands are absolute. Apart from obedience to
            these commands, there is no promise of forgiveness.
         b. Because many have not rendered obedience to these
            commands, they are excluded from forgiveness.
   C. In effect, the sinner of the world who hasn't obeyed the Lord, 
      is depending on his own moral goodness to save him.
      1. However, no one can be saved by his own moral goodness.
         Acts 4:12; John 14:6; 6:44-45
      2. Let's suppose that someone has a sour lemon tree in his back
         yard, but he doesn't want a sour lemon tree; he wants a
         sweet orange tree. Thus, he pulls off all the sour lemons   
         and ties sweet oranges in their place. Does he now have a   
         sweet orange tree? No, in reality, all he has is a sour     
         lemon tree with oranges tied on it.
      3. So it is when one is depending on his own moral goodness
         without changing his state before God.

V. THE CHRISTIAN HAS THE PROMISE OF CONTINUAL FORGIVENESS BUT THE    
   SINNER OF THE WORLD DOES NOT.
   A. When Simon the sorcerer fell into sin, Peter told him to repent
      and pray so that he might be forgiven. Acts 8:22
      1. Christians have the promise of forgiveness. 1 John 1:9
         a. All of us from time to time must take advantage of this
            great blessing.
         b. No matter how great the evil, we have the promise to be
            forgiven. 1 Tim. 1:9-11
         c. What a privilege and blessing!
   B. The sinner of the world does not have this promise.
      1. He may think he does.
      2. He might plead with God every day to forgive him. But, he is
         not forgiven because he is not a child of God.

VI. THE CHURCH MEMBER, EVEN THOUGH HE HAS SINNED, IS HEADED FOR      
   HEAVEN; BUT, THE SINNER IN THE WORLD IS HEADED FOR HELL.
   A. Only those who have their names in the book of life will enter 
      the heavenly city. Rev. 21:27
      1. Those whose names are not in the book of life will be cast
         into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:15
   B. Several years ago, there was a massive volcanic explosion in   
      the state of Washington when Mount St. Helens erupted. Sheriff 
      Bill Closner said, "People were in the danger areas around the
      mountain because they refused to obey road blocks. The bottom
      line is that nobody would listen."
      1. As a result of their unwillingness to listen, many were
         needlessly destroyed.
      2. Let us not be foolish sinners who will not listen to God's
         warnings.
      3. Let us do our best to not sin, but when we do, let us humbly
         confess our sins, and strive to do better. Luke 18:13

Concl.
   A. There is no comparison between the sinners of the world and the
      sinners in the church.
   B. There is a vast difference between the babe in Christ who has
      many sinful habits but is striving to overcome them, and the
      sinner of the world who has never obeyed the Lord.
      1. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
      2. Many sinners have let the devil deceive them into thinking
         they are just as well off as those who are members of the
         body of Christ.
      3. No, they must come to the Lord to be cleansed.
   C. If the righteous will barely escape the destruction threatened,
      where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? What shall be the   
      end of those who have not obeyed the gospel? 1 Pet. 4:17-18 

Chart:
Sinners Of The World

They really don't know what sin is.

They have a rather light view of sin.

They don't fight and struggle against sin.

They don't come to the place of cleansing.

They do not have continual forgiveness.

They are headed for destruction.