What is a Sinner?

It seems like an easy enough question: a sinner is someone who sins. That is true but it is not as simple as it first appears.

It is something of a chicken and egg sort of problem - though not quite. It's more of a cow problem. We need to answer this question: Is a cow a cow because it moos or does it moo because it is a cow?

Seems a little silly doesn't it. Of course, a cow is not a cow because it moos. Should a cow lose its voice due to disease or accident, it will not suddenly be come a giraffe. It will still be a cow.

So let's ask this question: Is a Sinner a Sinner because he sins or does he sin because he is a sinner?