Saint or Sinner?

Are you a saint or a sinner?

In a talk at church today one of the speakers told about Nelson Mandela. His forgiveness of those who had imprisoned him earlier amazed many people and he received much praise. However in response to the accolades he would say.

I’m no saint—that is, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.

Nelson Mandela

What an interesting concept. So which one are we? Saints or Sinners.

How about both?

None, save Jesus Christ is perfect, and so all the rest of us have committed various sins. Sins of commission and sins of omission. Much of the time our actions do not live up to the level of our knowledge or what we know we should be doing. And so we could be considered sinners.

Yet we try.

And in that trying we become saints.

The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints

AbigaiL Van Buren

So by attending church, trying to be like Jesus Christ, helping our fellow men and women, and trying to follow God’s commandments we may slip and fall, but in that falling we can still be saved.

God and Jesus Christ love us all and only want what is best for us—not just in this life—but eternally with them. Because of our Saviors Atonement they forgive us each time we repent and crawl back to them. It is during these times of struggles that we grow and become more like them and more aligned with their will for us.

We are refined by our sins and trials. And in that refinement we also become saints.

So if you get down on yourself sometimes for not being perfect—join the club. None of us are. 

Yes, we are all sinners. And yet, if we keep trying to do better we are also saints.

Next time you make a mistake think about the type of saint that you are becoming, pick yourself up, and try again.