In many congregations and fellowships today, you'll hear a dual message: "You're forgiven, even "redeemed," yet you remain largely a self-centered person who is bent on falling short."
We bring hope to people through the message of forgiveness, then tell them they're going to need a lot of it because they just can't get it together. It's a duplicitous, two-faced message. We're constantly flipping back and forth between the two masks: hope and shame.
- Forgiven, but never spiritual enough.
- Redeemed, yet told the redemption has had little effect on your heart.
- "New creation," yet not in practical terms -- only as an ideal
- Grace, but not the grace that solves the real problem
We have missed the centerpiece of the Gospel: that grace is more than forgiveness: it is a restored heart. Strong. Holy. Already.
The human heart has always been the problem. Jesus solved the problem by making an offer: "I will give you my own heart. Now." Redemption means you have a pure heart ... now.
If grace does not involve the thorough restoration of a dis-eased heart, then we are Lazarus -- released from the tomb, yet forever tripping over our graveclothes; unable to walk in freedom, hindered by those appetites that have always bound us. Forgiveness alone will leave you crippled.
Grace must include the offer a new heart: "I will give you a new heart..." (Ezekiel 36:26) Without it, we are left with a discouraging distortion -- two-faced grace.