Sinner & Saint
Sinner & Saint: Why Honest Confession Sets Us Free
Aloha, friends! 🌺 On our latest All Things Possible episode, Adam and I sat down with Pastor Lukas Kjolhaug, author of Sinner Saint. I picked up his book, read a chapter or two, and instantly thought, “We need to talk about this!” The way he unpacks our daily struggle with sin while anchoring us in the finished work of Jesus felt both deeply biblical and wildly practical for everyday life.
If we’re honest, sin can feel like the hardest part of life. We know the good we want to do, and yet…we blow it in small, ordinary ways, especially in our homes. I see it in my own impatience as a wife and mom. Scripture names that tension so clearly: “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15, ESV). Paul isn’t giving us an excuse; he’s telling the truth about the battle inside every believer.
Simul—100% Sinner, 100% Saint
Luke helped us reclaim a beautiful, paradoxical word from church history: simul iustus et peccator—simultaneously righteous (saint) and sinner. In Christ, the Father truly calls us holy because we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. That identity is not pretend; it’s declared by God and therefore real. And yet, until glory, we still wrestle with the flesh. As Paul says, “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…” (Galatians 5:17, ESV).
Think of it this way: saint is your name, sinner is your struggle. One is permanent; the other is passing away.
Dependence, Not Self-Improvement
One of my favorite moments was Luke’s picture of Christian growth. Our world says growth equals independence—needing less help as you get stronger. But the gospel flips that. Maturity in Jesus looks like greater dependence on Him. We don’t “graduate” from grace; we grow deeper into it.
Paul’s testimony becomes ours: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). Weakness isn’t the obstacle to growth; pretending we don’t have any is.
Confession That Liberates
I love corporate confession on Sundays—“forgive us for what we have done and left undone”—but Luke reminded us that confession belongs in our kitchens and car rides too. Tell the truth. Go first. Say, “I’m sorry.” Hear and speak forgiveness out loud. It hits different when grace arrives through another voice.
Confession is not an audition to earn God’s approval; it’s the doorway to experience the approval Christ already purchased. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, ESV).
The Cookie Jar & Our Mixed Motivations
Luke shared the classic Frog and Toad “cookies” story: they promise to stop, hide the box, tie it up high…and still find a way back to the cookies. That’s us. Even our “good” can be tangled up with selfish motives, wanting a pat on the back, control, or applause. Jesus doesn’t lower the bar to make us feel better; He shows how deep the heart goes (Matthew 5). That honesty doesn’t crush us; it magnifies our Savior. If our sin is deeper than we thought, His mercy is stronger than we dreamed.
Not a License to Coast
Does the sinner–saint reality make us lazy? No. Gospel freedom never produces spiritual apathy; it produces love. Good works are not the ladder we climb to God; they’re the fruit God grows in us. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV). We don’t chase good works to get loved; we walk in them because we already are.
Broken Heroes, Faithful God
Scripture is full of “broken heroes”: Moses with his temper, David with his failures, Jonah with his stubborn heart. Their stories don’t excuse sin; they showcase a faithful God who keeps using imperfect people. That softens our judgments and widens our compassion. We don’t carry spiritual x-ray machines; we can’t see how the Spirit is at work in someone else’s heart. We can, however, see how patient Jesus has been with ours.
For the Tender Conscience
If your conscience runs sensitive (hello, that’s me sometimes), and you’re weighed down by what you didn’t do or should’ve done—lift your eyes. The point is not to stare harder at your sin but to look longer at your Savior. Romans 7 ends with a shout: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25, ESV). That’s where the Christian lands—again and again.
Two Big Takeaways
Your identity is settled; your struggle is temporary. In Christ, you are truly a saint—right now. Your ongoing battle with sin is real, but it doesn’t rewrite your name. Let that free you to be honest, to confess quickly, and to receive grace deeply.
Growth means greater dependence on Jesus. Don’t aim to “need God less.” Aim to rely on Him more—in marriage, parenting, work, and worship. Confession, communion with Christ, and compassion for others are the rhythms where real change grows.
If you’re hungry to keep wrestling with this with Scripture in hand, grab Lukas Kjolhaug's Sinner Saint. It’s pastoral, clear, and full of hope. And remember: you’re not carried by your perfect performance but by a perfect Savior. Keep your eyes on Him—He’s faithful.
