For some time now I’ve seen a clever and catchy phrase floating around: “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints.” This is often stated in the context of how the church is filled with broken people struggling and failing to overcome the sin that rules their lives. Let me share an example of a quote that I’ve seen recently:
“If the guy smoking by the door of the church bothered you, I am glad you didn’t come inside … because we have people addicted to pornography and prescription drugs in this building. We have people who are having sex with people they’re not married to. We have people who have bitterness and anger and greed and resentment. We have all kinds of sinners and jacked up people in here. If the smoker by the door bothered you, the people inside would bother you even more because we are NOT a museum for saints; we’re a hospital for sinners … no perfect people are allowed.”
Let me ask a very sincere and honest question: Is this the way the Bible describe the church?
When Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15, he describes the church as the “the pillar and ground of the truth.”
When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he reminded them that “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Is he not saying that the church is made up of those that “were” sinners but are now “sanctified” (saints)?
When Peter writes to the church, he says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Is it not more profitable to describe the church as Paul does? “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).
Let us be careful not to describe our Lord’s church in terms He did not describe it, lest we lose sight of what He intends for it to be. Christ died so we can be “saints.” He is not content with us remaining as “sinners.” The language the Bible uses to describe Christ’s church is not of those held in bondage to sinful practice, but those given victory over sin by the power of His blood. Let us speak and live accordingly.
— Lonnie Oldag