The Sinning Saint

Description Spend a couple of minutes reflecting on your day so far. Have you been a sinner or a saint? Do you know what your answer means or implies? Are you confident in that answer? Sometimes the Christian life is a sweet embrace of God’s holiness. At other times, we seem so thoroughly poisoned by sin that we’re tempted to despair. Our sin can make us question if we’re really Christian, and the wrestle to put it to death can be so difficult that we wonder whether there is any hope of change. Richard and Jeanette Chin have spent years encouraging young Christians to find answers to these questions in the Scriptures. In The Sinning Saint, they share the awesome wonders of who God is, the sobering reality of who we are, and how Christ’s holiness defines us and empowers our daily battle with evil. Come with them to find hope for your worst days, rest for the weary soul, and practical ways to fight temptation. Discover how the gospel of Jesus can transform not just your thoughts and feelings but your whole life, both now and into eternity. Table of contentsA brief word on methodology Introduction Part I: Essential foundations 1. The essence: What is holiness? 2. The foundations: Incompatibilities 3. The first problem: We’re all sinners 4. The second problem: God’s righteous justice 5. The only solution: The sanctifying sacrifice Part II: Our new identity 6. The great transformation: How sinners can become saints 7. The motivational means: Be who you are 8. The ongoing problem: Saints still sin 9. The ongoing solution: Sinners need the Spirit Part III: Battle tactics 10. The ongoing fight: Know your enemy 11. Battle scars: Know your weakness 12. No more sorrow: Know your future 13. Contending together: Know your family 14. Conscience and confession: Know your freedom 15. Transformation: Know the truth 16. Bold proclamation: Know and share the truth Conclusion: Being different and blending in Further reading Acknowledgements About the authorRichard Chin is the father of four married children, and grandfather of three grandchildren (so far). His first wife (Bronwyn) went to be with the Lord on Resurrection Sunday in 2013. For over twenty years, he has served on university campuses as National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES). He loves proclaiming Jesus to the nations, and is also the author of Captivated by Christ and How to read the Bible better. Jeanette married Richard in 2016, and has always loved telling people about the hope of God’s kingdom. After graduating from Moore Theological College, she has enjoyed reading the Bible with university students, teaching the Scriptures to primary school girls, and sowing gospel seeds through Mark Drama Australia.  Together, Richard and Jeanette relish time with family, serve their local church, and depend daily on the sanctifying work of Christ Jesus. Commendations This book is an invaluable guide to the Christian life. Richard and Jeannette Chin faithfully unpack profound biblical truths in an accessible manner, helping believers understand who they are in Christ and how to put that reality into daily practice. I look forward to putting it into the hands of new believers, as well as longstanding Christians who want to take a fresh look at what it means to be holy. —Andrew Cheah, Dean, St Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia You might have seen some odd books out there on the topic of holiness, but The Sinning Saint is definitely not one of them. It is soundly biblical and infused with gospel hope; weighty topics are carried along with joyful confidence in Christ. The practical wisdom woven throughout makes it a real page-turner for those who have ears to hear. Of particular note is how The Sinning Saint is written in accessible prose for a new generation of believers (where else can you read a GK Beale quote on the same page as a reference to Taylor Swift?). This book is a gift to the church. —Gloria Furman, Author, Missional Motherhood, Labor with Hope and Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full Pastorally sensitive and grounded in robust theological thinking about sin and holiness, this is a book that can strengthen every Christian’s battle against sin. We’ll aim to put this much-needed resource into the hands of every sinning saint at our church. —Ivan Chow, Senior Pastor, Bukit Arang Church, Singapore Sometimes as Christians we feel a bit like Jekyll and Hyde—are we saints or sinners? It can leave us, or those we love, feeling confused, uncertain or downcast. With a mix of big truths and bite-sized wisdom, the Chins show us the Bible’s reassuring answer: we are sinning saints. A great book to read, and a wonderful resource to share. —Annabel Nixey, Speaker, EQUIP Women’s Conference, Australia; Resources and Training Pastor, Crossroads Christian Church, Canberra, Australia Richard and Jeanette Chin have written a pastorally warm, theologically sure-footed and biblically rich account of God’s call to holiness. The topic (strangely neglected by modern evangelicals) is an urgent one. This book has all the telltale signs of authors who have taken their own walks with God seriously and have helped others to do so as well. It is well worth reading for anyone keen to live a life that pleases the Lord. —Rory Shiner, Senior Pastor, Providence City Church, Perth, Australia; Chair, The Gospel Coalition Australia Council Richard and Jeanette Chin take the complex and often misunderstood ideas of holiness and transformation and at one and the same time explain them simply and clearly, making the possession and pursuit of them profoundly attractive. This book is full of liberating gospel truth. It is punctuated with compelling illustrations and application. It is thoroughly readable, and it will do you good! I highly recommend it. —William Taylor, Rector, St Helen’s Bishopsgate, London, UK If I had a dollar for every time a troubled soul asked me about sin in the life of a believer, I would be a lot richer today. But as the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils, I suspect that thinking like that indicates the sinfulness and unholiness of this saint! Richard and Jeanette Chin have done us a wonderful kindness by addressing the issues of the sinning saint. It is a marvellous topic to open up the great grace of our glorious Saviour while laying before us the importance of striving for holiness. —Phillip Jensen, Bible teacher and evangelist, Two Ways Ministries, Australia Pastorally, the issue of holiness crops up constantly. Sometimes it has a theological edge. More often it arises from guilt and personal conviction around sin. The Sinning Saint is theologically insightful, exegetically careful, and above all gospel centred. One of its strengths is its practicality. This is a great resource for believers wanting to live holy lives. —Wei-Han Kuan, Executive Director of CMS Victoria, Australia An excellent and timely book! Some Christians assume we are saints, and don’t recognize our present sins—the greatest barrier to our lives and ministries. Others assume we are sinners, and have no expectation that God will transform us into the image of his Son. Both assumptions are dead ends. This book shows us from the Bible the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of holiness, sin and transformation through Christ. Buy it for yourself and give copies to others!  —Peter Adam, Former Vicar, St Jude’s Church Carlton, Melbourne, Australia; Former Principal, Ridley College, Australia Are you a sinner or a saint? It’s such a simple yet profoundly important diagnostic question. In an increasingly polarized world, we are drawn to the simplicity of categorizing other people like this, but if you follow the Lord Jesus and are honest with yourself, you know that you are, in fact, a sinning saint. Honest—that’s what this book is. Richard and Jeanette are honest with us about the holiness of God; honest about us and our sin; and honest about the glorious transforming gospel of Jesus. This book helped me to see each of these things more clearly and left me encouraged to more deeply soak in the gospel of the Lord Jesus, and to live a boldly distinct, Jesus-like life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do yourself a favour and read on. —Simon Gillham, Former Vice Principal and Head of Department of Mission, Moore Theological College, Australia Richard and Jeanette Chin have created a masterpiece for our age. They have crafted this book with the theological precision necessary to understand our fallen condition, allowing us to see God’s incredible redeeming love for us in Christ Jesus. The Sinning Saint is an engaging book from start to finish. It features vulnerable illustrations and compelling applications, from historic quotes by Richard Sibbes to modern lyrics by Taylor Swift. It will draw you in, and as it does you’ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself. But even more, this book will help you to know God. —J. Mack Stiles, Director, Messenger Ministries, USA I knew The Sinning Saint would be a good read given that it is written by the Chins. However, I was surprised at how exceptionally well it is written and how profound are its theological insights. A must-read! —Ray Galea, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Church, Dubai, UAE If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking that your sins and failures as a Christian might tip you out of God’s kingdom, or the opposite—that your sins and failures don’t really matter very much—then you need this rich and wise book. Richard and Jeanette Chin are honest and insightful about the reality of sin in our lives, but just as insightful and practical in teaching us what the Bible says about God’s holiness and our sainthood in the gospel. Very much recommended. —Tony Payne, Lecturer in Christian Thought, Moore Theological College, Australia It’s hard for sinners to live as saints. We may veer off into laxity or legalism, passivity or perfectionism, or a dozen other dead ends. But Richard and Jeanette Chin have written a beautiful guide to living the holy life our holy God saved us for. Deeply grounded in the gospel, this book is gentle, personal, direct, realistic and full of Scripture. The Sinning Saint is a short but brilliant aid to help us face our sinfulness and pursue holiness in utter dependence on Christ. Get it for yourself and give it to others. We all need this help. —Murray Capill, Dean of Ministry Development and Lecturer in Pastoral Ministry, Reformed Theological College, Australia This is a book that does exactly what your heart needs it to do: it lifts your eyes to the glory of God’s holiness, exposes and convicts you of your own sin, and then rekindles your joy in the beauty of the gospel. It ignites a fresh desire to keep running the race and to persevere in the fight against sin and temptation. I love that it’s not only theologically rich but also deeply practical, written with all the warmth, humility and pastoral wisdom of a couple who know what it is to be sinning saints. —Jocelyn Loane, Chaplain, Moore Theological College, Australia; Author, Motherhood: How the gospel shapes our purpose and priorities