If you look up the word sinner in the NT Greek, you’ll find the Greek word hamartolos, which means:
1) devoted to sin, a sinner
a) not free from sin
b) pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked
1) all wicked men
2) specifically of men stained with certain definite vices or crimes
a) tax collectors, heathen
This means that a forgiven sinner is a person who has been forgiven, but is STILL in bondage to sin! Are we in bondage to sin? In John 8:31-36 Jesus speaks of believers who were in bondage to sin due to ignorance, but we don’t have to be! In verse 36, Jesus tells us that, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” We are legally freed from the power of sin, but we can remain in bondage to sin due to our own ignorance of the truth!
