Earlier we noted 1Cor. 12:13, which spoke of us being “baptized into one body,” that is “His body,” “the Church, which is His Body.” (Eph. 1:22b-23a). Now look at the verse before 1Cor 12:13 to see just how at “one” we as “His body” are with Christ. Paul compares the physical body with Christ’s body, referring to it as “Christ.”

“as the (physical) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that ‘One Body,’ being many, are one body: so also “IS Christ.” (1Cor. 12:12)

Here (above) we see that “Christ” now IS the multi-membered “body of Christ.” God the Father actually sees all Christians together as “THE (singular) Body” of His Son Jesus Christ … saying this body “IS Christ.” As He is Today!

“For ye (you believers) are dead, and your life is hid (in union) with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)

“… the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if

‘Christ be in you,” the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life …” (Romans 8:8-10)

“Now ye (all of you together) ARE THE body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Cor. 12:27)

We as the members of “His body” are in an indissoluble union with Christ… and Christ is in perfect union Father God! Thus, we are now in perfect union with Father God who is the “One Spirit” (Eph. 4:5)! We are so closely identified with Jesus Christ that Father God calls “His body” by the very name of His Son … “CHRIST”! When God sees us, He sees Christ’s own body, for we are God’s ‘brand new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17).

We as “His body” are in such total union with Christ as our “Head” as to be called by His name… “Christ” in 1Cor. 12:12b (above). This is much the same as Eve being so closely identified with Adam as her ‘head’ that God called both of them “ADAM.”

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; ² Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and Called Their Name Adam…” (Gen. 5:1-2)

To answer the titled question… God does not see us believers in Christ as sinners.  We are one with Him, and Christ and “His body” is no sinner (2 Cor. 5:21; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:21-22). We are His new creation ‘body members.’ In fact, while we yet may occasionally sin, He takes no account of those sins.

“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷ Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man to whom The Lord Will Not Impute (Not Count) Sin.” (Romans 4:6-8).

He only sees lost, unsaved, non-Christian people as sinners. I want to be careful to note that while we are “In Christ,” “sealed” and secure forever, that does not mean that we are free from the Adamic sin nature that is still in our human “flesh.” Our physical bodies still have Adam’s sinful blood running in them, as we have not yet been fully delivered from “sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). We can return to Ephesians 1 to see this.

“¹²That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. ¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴Which is the earnest (down payment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:12-14)

Note the phrase “the redemption of the purchased possession” (v14, above), which refers to the ultimate redemption of our physical bodies; transforming our corruptible bodies into incorruptible Spirit-bodies like Jesus had after His resurrection. This will occur with His coming “in the air” to rapture us (1Thes. 4:13-18, 1Cor 15:52-55) as “His body,” to dwell and “co-reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12) “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1b).

Romans 8 amplifies this truth of the coming exchange of our body:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory Which Shall Be Revealed In Us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. [20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. [23] And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:18-25)

While we have been redeemed in soul and spirit, we are yet physically un-redeemed. These flesh-and-blood bodies are still subject to the effects of “sin and death.” If the Lord delays His coming our bodies will grow sick, age, break down, die, and decay. However, at the resurrection—commonly called “the Rapture” — we will receive new glorified spirit-bodies. This is “the redemption of our body” stressed in Romans 8:23 (above). All that we were in Adam (body and soul) was and remains crucified with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:3, 6-7). You should, in your own time, review these verses; 1 Cor. 15:51-58, 1 Thes. 4:13-18, 2 Cor. 4:16–5:8, Phili. 3:20-21.

We are not and will never again be sinners ‘positionally’; we are forever permanently “in Christ” and will never return to being “in Adam.” Still, we can be sinners ‘practically.’ While it really is inconsistent with the reality of our new identity, we are free to let our “sin in the flesh” influence us. By Christ’s cross all of our sins are forgiven and we are freed from the dominion of “Sin in the flesh” … yet we sometimes do sin, but no longer habitually! We must learn let our new creation nature of the “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” control us.

Note how these issues show up as we now read these passages of Scripture below.

“¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? [3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

“[5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (Gk. kartargeo, made of no effect) , that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7] For he that is dead is freed from sin.

“[8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] Likewise reckon (Gk. logizmo, count) ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but (also) alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

“[12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. [15] What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

“[16] Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants (slave) ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [17] But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. [19] I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 

“[20] For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. [21] What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. [22] But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. [23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:1-23)

Finally, note in Romans 8:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [5] For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit (mind) the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal (fleshly) mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. [8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:1-9)

We could go on and on but suffice it to say that God sees us as saints rather than sinners. Here is what we need to understand now. Upon reading these verses, do we see ourselves as saints (from God’s perspective) or as sinners (man’s perspective)? If we do not allow sound Bible doctrine—grace teaching—to influence our thoughts, then the Spirit of God will not easily renew our minds (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10). We will thus erroneously see ourselves as sinners and then have no reason to behave like anything but sinners.

If we read God’s Word (such as the aforementioned passages), and adopt that perspective as the truth of God, then we will say, “Sin is not who I am anymore! I am a saint, a new creature in Christ! I am dead indeed to sin, and alive unto God! I need to walk in Christian thinking… maturity… and conduct!”

We ought to study Paul’s epistles (Romans through Philemon) to learn more about how the Christian’s life is to function. It is impossible to cover all that here in this short study. (Read Rom. 12, Eph. 4, Col. 3.)

If you read and believe them, they will cause you to see yourself as a saint, who you really are “in Christ”! This should motivate us to then live like a saint, that being who you really are! After all, that’s who God really sees you as!