I think it is possible to wholeheartedly agree with what @freeborn | ἐλεύθερος | 8r0gwg posted, and yet also agree that the identity of the Christian is no longer that of being a sinner, because our identity is found in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." That, "and such WERE some of you" is a statement of a new identity in Christ. No longer sinners, but "washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Yet, Paul's purpose in saying it was to call them out for not behaving in accordance with that identity they had in Christ. Even though I am now, by the grace of God, a member of his chosen people, his holy nation, and his royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), I am still my own worst enemy, not doing the good that I want, and doing the evil I do not want (Romans 7:19). So it is still warranted to think of myself as the chief of sinners in the _present tense_, as Paul did in 1 Timothy 1:15. Surely we would not accuse Paul of not understanding his identity in Christ because he still referred to himself as a sinner. I am a sinner saved by grace, and credited with righteousness outside of myself; still in the process of being conformed to that perfect righteousness that I possess in Christ. The more I remember this, the more I am reminded to treat others who sin against me with grace. The one who is aware of how much he has been forgiven and how much he still needs forgiveness will be much more apt to forgive others. That kind of grace toward others born out of self-awareness of sin is absolutely crucial to marriage in particular.