George Costanza and Paradox

When the sinner-saint dynamic breaks

I was listening to an interview with Jason Alexander the other day. Jason played George Costanza on the show Seinfeld. Jason described George’s character in a way that I found particularly fascinating.

George thinks that he is worthless, mediocrity to the extreme, lord of the idiots. He has a sense of self-deprecation that often becomes self-loathing. But, at the same time, George also believes that is owed more. That he deserves his due. That he is worthy of Ted Danson money.

George exemplifies the sinner-saint paradox when it is stretched in an wrong direction.

In the sinner-saint paradox, God’s people are simultaneously sinful, yet forgiven. We are made holy (that’s what saints means) by Jesus’ forgiveness…yet we still sin. We are both sinful and forgiven at the same time. These are opposites, yet true, thus creating a paradox. Our saintliness is received. It is passive on our end. Jesus gives us forgiveness. Our sinful side is what we have done, what we have earned. Who we are without Jesus.

George’s view of himself lives at these opposite extremes. But for George, (and I wonder if Jason Alexander would agree) his sense of worthlessness is largely not his fault. George Costanza is a victim of the universe being against him. His crazy parents, his self-perceived genetic shortcomings, and the universe’s way of constantly taking him down a peg are all mixed together in a cocktail of hopelessness. George has received all these negative things passively. He has not earned them. He does not deserve them.

On the other side, George thinks he is brilliant, that he has earned the right to more and more and more, and nobody will give him his due.

George is the opposite of the sinner-saint dynamic. He views his actions as the saint part, and what is wrong with his life is passive and not his fault.

And I think if we are honest, we all fall into George Costanza’s paradox from time to time. We blame everything and everyone else for our problems and shirk responsibility. And we think that we have earned more than we are receiving from the universe or God or what have you.

I am not trying to say that life is always fair. It isn’t. People take advantage of other people all the time. This even happens to George Costanza. But in the show, if George were honest with himself, he would see that the vast majority of his problems are of his own making. We often operate like George. Thinking we deserve more. Exempting ourselves from responsibility for our own actions. And failing to recognize grace in our lives.

Let’s be the opposite of George Costanza. Let’s recognize God’s grace, repent, and be grateful.

Thanks for reading.

Andy