July 21 – Saint and Sinner: Living the Paradox
We are not punished for our sins, but by them. Yet we are saved by grace, a love we could never earn. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
Martin Luther’s words that we are at once both saint and sinner—have stayed with me. I know my failures, my pride, my selfishness. But I also know the deep grace of being seen, loved, and called by God despite these failings. The paradox is that I am both flawed and beloved at the same time.
Just as we get glimpses of beauty as we walk the mountain by our home—wildflowers, hawks and eagles, elk deer and moose—so God gives us glimpses of his Kingdom. These show up in the synchronicities of our lives, in the love we see on display from those anchored in God’s grace. These moments of delight drop us from our minds into our hearts, and bring us into the present moment, the only place we can truly experience God.
Holding saint and sinner together keeps us grounded. When we pretend to be all saint, we risk arrogance. When we focus only on being sinner, we risk despair. But in the paradox, we learn humility and gratitude. We know we are not the source of our goodness, yet we are called to live as vessels of grace.
Scripture
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23–24
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
For we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:7
Ancient Quotes
Simul justus et peccator — at the same time righteous and sinner.
Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans
This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road.
Martin Luther, Defense and Explanation of All the Articles
Modern Quotes
We are not punished for our sins, but by them. Yet we are saved by grace, a love we could never earn.
Richard Rohr, Falling Upward
The saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, p. 21
Journaling Prompts
- Where do you most clearly see your own paradox of saint and sinner?
- How has grace met you in your weakness?
- What practices help you live humbly in this tension without shame or arrogance?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 29 Reflection: Kingdom of God/Now and Not Yet