Two Kinds of People in the World

There are manifold ways to think about kinds of people in the world, but one way right out of Scripture is to think about "Sinners in Need of Grace" and "Sinners Saved by Grace."  Either a person has asked Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9) become a Christian, i.e., a sinner saved by grace, or they have not and are still a sinner in need of this saving grace. We often, then, perhaps understandably, focus on the saved by grace part, as we should, celebrating and praising God. But there's the other part, too, that we are still sinners. What are the implications of this? For more Christian commentary, check my website at rexmrogers.com. 

Transcript

It’s a big world out there – what kind of people are in it?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #149 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

If we were to think about different kinds of people in the world we could approach the question in several ways.

For example, when I was born in late 1952, just 10 days before General Dwight D. “I Like Ike” Eisenhower was elected President of the United States, there were about 2.6B people in the world. Now, there are 8.1B. Despite the more than 65.5M abortions in the U.S. since 1973, U.S. population at 341.5M is more than twice the number than when I was born. 

Or we could consider nations states. There are 195 recognized nations currently, meaning 195 nationalities.

How about languages? Experts estimate there are between 6,000 and 7,100+ languages in the world. These languages are spoken by approximately 7.9 billion people, about 95% of the world’s population. The remaining 5% of the population speaks a smaller number of languages, with some languages having only a few hundred speakers.

Or we could consider race. Five races are commonly cited. But Ken Ham of Authors in Genesis and the Ark Encounter notes, there is only “one blood, one race,” the human race. He cites Acts 17:26: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

Sex, of course, male and female, is another way to think of kinds of people in the world. This biological characteristic crosses all boundaries and is a feature of the human race. And sex, more than any other trait, influences the trajectory of our lives. Nothing affects us more than the fact that we are created either a man or a woman.

Another way of considering kind of people in the world is the reductionist division now promoted by the political Left. “That premise is that the world is divided between oppressors and the oppressed, and that the oppressors are always evil and their victims already virtuous.”

“The lesson pounded into young heads is that the greatest evil in world history is colonialism, that all nations that held colonies and all their citizens were oppressors, and that all residents of any colony were virtuous victims with the right to commit violence to liberate themselves from oppression.” Never mind that this simplistic equation does not fit the facts of history, that in all nations people act with mixed motives, and no people group is wholly guilty of all that is now being alleged, including the U.S.

But of all these ways of considering types of people in the world, biblically, or if you prefer theologically or spiritually, we could observe that there are but two kinds of people:

·      Sinners in need of grace 

·      Sinners saved by grace

Sinners in need of grace refers to people who have not trusted in and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. They have not been “born again” as noted in John 3:3.

The other type of person, sinners saved by grace, is the one I wish to focus upon in this podcast. Sinners saved by grace have indeed been born again. They have understood the Scripture, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” Eph 2:8-9. They have confessed their sin, Rom 10:9-10, trusted in Christ’s shed blood and in him alone, for forgiveness, reconciliation, and salvation.

We know how important “saved by grace” is because it references the blessed hope, for which we rightly praise God and sing hallelujah. It is the bridge to experiencing eternity in heaven with the Lord. I am a sinner saved by grace.

Now as I said, we rightfully get excited about the “saved by grace” part of that statement. But notice that it does not say, former sinners saved by grace or used-to-be sinners saved by grace, or sin-be-gone sinners saved by grace. So, while at the time of our salvation we receive the Holy Spirit who the Scripture says seals us unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30), and at the point of our salvation “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17), still, we remain sinners in a fallen world. 

So, who attends the local church where my wife and I worship? A bunch of sinners. 

If you ask my Good Wife what is the husband like to whom she will soon have been married for 50 years? She will say, “He’s a sinner. Do you want illustrations? I could write a book.” Now, please don’t ask her that. I’d rather she not write that book. 

Though we are sinners saved by grace, we are yet sinners living in a fallen world.

What are the implications of this? 

In Galatians, the Apostle Paul said, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” Gal. 5:14-17.

The Apostle goes on to say his means we will either be subject to, or we will subject someone else to, the following: lying, gossiping, stealing, immorality, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness” Gal. 5:119-21.

Now remember, this is not a list of sins aimed at us by what preachers used to call “the world,” the sinners in need of grace. There will be plenty of this in a fallen world, but this list references the kind of attitudes and behaviors that come right out of our own sinful natures. If we embrace or pursue these attitudes and behaviors, and at some point, we all do, then we do nothing but darken and destroy ourselves and those around us.

Let me share a few direct examples out of my 35 years serving in upper-level administration in Christian organizations. I am not innocent here, nor a hero, but I share one man’s account offered as an illustration. 

In those 35 years, I cannot name one non-believing person who stood between me and my stated Christian goals for the Christian organization I served, but I can name many Christians who did exactly this.

In those 35 years, and remember I am talking about Christian personnel, I have been lied to, cursed, had doors slammed on me, surreptitiously attacked in the press, been the subject of mass mailed letters attacking my integrity and Christian commitment, was the object of what amounted to a coup d’état attempt by an organizational officer and a trustee, both of whom later left the organization.

Maybe worse, in my assigned executive position, I had to deal with several instances of infidelity involving Christian personnel.

You could say, “Welcome to leadership” and be correct, but that sounds flippant, and I don’t mean it that way. What I mean is that because we are sinners saved by grace, and we still sin, we cause all manner of problems for ourselves, our families, our churches, and perhaps our network of acquaintances.

Knowing we are sinners saved by grace, what should we be doing?

1)   Manage our own walk with the Lord.

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” 1 Tim 4:16.

2)   Work as unto the Lord.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” Col 3:17, 23.

3)   Bare one another’s burdens and pray for one another.

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. (also see Matt 18) But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load” Gal 6:1-5.

The Apostle has one last thought for us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Gal 6:9.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. 

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024   

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