Reformation Monday: Saint and Sinner.....that's us

Baptism was/is a big deal.  It is not just a marker or sign of a renewed life but rather it is a new reality of new life in Jesus.  In baptism we die to our old life:  we put aside its values and hopes and promises and powers.  Then we are re-born into new life in Jesus, the resurrected one.  Now our values, hopes, promises and powers are grounded in Jesus and through him in God.


Jesus commanded baptism and joined a promise of forgiveness of sin to it.  (For Luther, it is this command and promise that makes it a sacrament.)  We are born again as people without sin. Once baptized, we are saints in the eyes of God.;

And yet.......

We are fairly aware of our own brokenness: the places and habits in our personal lives that do harm to others and to ourselves.  These broken places also break us off from God; the church calls this sin but you can use whatever word reminds you that God is far above us in holiness and we stand before the face of God with this broken reality on our hearts.

Even the baptized are touched by sin and are guilty of harming others.  We are saint by virtue of our baptism and sinner by virtue of still being alive and breathing.  For me, this is the most obvious of Luther's teachings.  Paul himself says 'I do not do the very thing I wish I did; and I do the very thing I wish I didn't'  (paraphrase).  We can all relate to that. Living out the holiness that is ours through Jesus is a never ending (and never accomplished) battle.

In God's eyes we are children of the water of baptism, while in this world we still struggle against the power of sin around us and within us.  We are saint and sinner at the same time simul justus et peccator

Lutherans take the power of sin very seriously.  Most Lutheran worship services have an element of confession either at the beginning (as we enter into this time with God) or often just before we take communion (as we enter into this physical encounter with God).

However, Lutherans take the love of God more seriously still.  On this side of the grave, the walk with Jesus means constantly checking and re-calculating our route because sin is ever before us.  Yet we hold Jesus before our eyes at all times, reminded of his great grace, and walk towards him day by day.