righteous or sinner?

I'd probably be one of the last people to defend Joyce Meyer but when I saw this critique of her I found I could not at least address this specific point. Here's what one her many critics wrote ...

"I'm going to tell you something folks, I didn't stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn't a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that's heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I'm righteous and I can't be righteous and be a sinner at the same time. All I was ever taught to say was, 'I'm a poor, miserable sinner.' I am not poor, I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I was and if I still am then Jesus died in vain. Amen?" (Joyce Meyer, What Happened From the Cross to the Throne?)

Someone should probably let John, the Apostle who stood in the empty tomb of Jesus on the morning of the resurrection, know that he was wrong when he wrote his first epistle stating that if any man is without sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him. Someone should probably let the Apostle Paul know that he is not the chief of sinners. Maybe someone should have told the thief on the cross that he was not really going to be in paradise with Jesus on that day because Jesus was, once again, confused; Jesus had to go to hell for a few days to pay for the thief’s sin, he’ll have to catch up with him later.

It seems to me that this person just had a problem with Meyer.

Clearly, as noted in the critique, we all sin, this sin is horrible, and overcoming it is no small issue. Yet there are a plethora of Scriptures speaking to the righteousness I have in Christ. I also find it easy to understand that transforming my mind to that truth facilitates conforming my behavior to it.

I'm not sure how Meyer sees this topic overall but I think that the sin nature and righteousness nature topic is one of Scripture's paradoxes (or at least seemingly so). I would hesitate and ask a few questions before reacting to anyone who made either statement, "I'm a sinner" or "I'm righteous".

For me (I can hear some of my friends already) I'm with Meyer on this one. If I have to pick one and cannot have the benefit of dialog, I'd say I'm righteous.

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