One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World by Tullian Tchividjian Page A
Authors: Tullian Tchividjian
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intense fear of the consequences. I sobbed and muttered, “Dad, I’m so sorry. I’ve been asking God to forgive me for so long, and I don’t know if He ever will.” In a moment of parental love and great wisdom, my dad said, “If you asked God to forgive you, then you are forgiven. You deserve to be punished, and this will cost a lot of money to fix. But, son, you are forgiven. Go back outside and play.” 6
The fruit of one-way love in Justin’s life was not only a renewed love for his father and genuine willingness to behave (for a while, at least!) but a faith in God’s mercy and love that has gripped and carried him to this very day. As of this writing, Justin’s most recent book is titled On the Grace of God .
A FINAL WORD
The grace that Jesus showed Zacchaeus is only a preview of what awaited him at the cross. The cross is where his mission to “seek and save the lost” was ultimately accomplished. Remember, he died a criminal’s death. In that fateful moment, Jesus not only associated himself with tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers and movie stars and addicts and preachers and mischievous teenagers, he bore their sin on his shoulders. He bore our sin—every last drop. There was nothing partial; it was and it is the apex of one-way love. Jesus suffered the scorn, the punishment, and the wrath we deserve, and in return gives us the gift of his righteousness. It cannot be undone. Those who are lost are found, and where there was once judgment, there is now only love, extravagant and free. Where there was once guilt by association, now there is only glory by association.
So … that cactus you’re so cozy with? You can hug it all you want—the needles have fallen off.
NOTES
1 . Based in part on David Zahl, “Robert Downey Jr, Mel Gibson, and the Idiot Forgiveness of God,” Mockingbird , Nov 7, 2011, www.mbird.com/2011/11/robert-downey-jr-mel-gibson-and-the-idiot-forgiveness-of-god/ . Speech recorded by Telegraph , telegraph.co.uk .
2 . Wikipedia , “Bernard Madoff,” last modified June 16, 2013, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff .
3 . John Tierney, “A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day,” New York Times , Nov 21, 2011, nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html .
4 . George Barna and Mark Hatch, Boiling Point: How Coming Cultural Shifts Will Change Your Life (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2001), 90.
5 . Paul F. M. Zahl, Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 36.
6 . Sean Norris, ed., Judgment and Love: Expanded Edition (Charlottesville, VA: Mockingbird, 2009), 15–16.
CHAPTER 7
GRACE IN EVERYDAY LIFE
In 2007, the New York–based website Gawker.com named John Fitzgerald Page “The Worst Person in the World.” 1 John, a young professional in Atlanta at the time, was awarded the dubious title after an exchange he had with a young woman on Match.com, an online dating site, was made public. The young lady in question had made an overture by “winking” at John, admitting in retrospect that she probably should have thought twice “considering his screen name was ‘IvyLeagueAlum.’”
John responded with a short, introductory message, listing several facts about himself, some relevant, some less so (height, weight, schools attended, fitness regimen). He also asked a couple of pointed questions of his new admirer—where she had gone to school, the kind of products she enjoyed, and what activities she currently participated in to stay in shape. He seemed especially concerned that his would-be date was not misrepresenting herself physically. John had apparently been “deceived before by inaccurate representations”—given the circumstances, an honest concern. More problematic was the self-satisfied tone in which his concern was expressed.
Something about his message must have rubbed its recipient the wrong way, as she replied with a perfunctory “No thanks.” Presumably the end of the
The fruit of one-way love in Justin’s life was not only a renewed love for his father and genuine willingness to behave (for a while, at least!) but a faith in God’s mercy and love that has gripped and carried him to this very day. As of this writing, Justin’s most recent book is titled On the Grace of God .
A FINAL WORD
The grace that Jesus showed Zacchaeus is only a preview of what awaited him at the cross. The cross is where his mission to “seek and save the lost” was ultimately accomplished. Remember, he died a criminal’s death. In that fateful moment, Jesus not only associated himself with tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers and movie stars and addicts and preachers and mischievous teenagers, he bore their sin on his shoulders. He bore our sin—every last drop. There was nothing partial; it was and it is the apex of one-way love. Jesus suffered the scorn, the punishment, and the wrath we deserve, and in return gives us the gift of his righteousness. It cannot be undone. Those who are lost are found, and where there was once judgment, there is now only love, extravagant and free. Where there was once guilt by association, now there is only glory by association.
So … that cactus you’re so cozy with? You can hug it all you want—the needles have fallen off.
NOTES
1 . Based in part on David Zahl, “Robert Downey Jr, Mel Gibson, and the Idiot Forgiveness of God,” Mockingbird , Nov 7, 2011, www.mbird.com/2011/11/robert-downey-jr-mel-gibson-and-the-idiot-forgiveness-of-god/ . Speech recorded by Telegraph , telegraph.co.uk .
2 . Wikipedia , “Bernard Madoff,” last modified June 16, 2013, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff .
3 . John Tierney, “A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day,” New York Times , Nov 21, 2011, nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html .
4 . George Barna and Mark Hatch, Boiling Point: How Coming Cultural Shifts Will Change Your Life (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2001), 90.
5 . Paul F. M. Zahl, Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 36.
6 . Sean Norris, ed., Judgment and Love: Expanded Edition (Charlottesville, VA: Mockingbird, 2009), 15–16.
CHAPTER 7
GRACE IN EVERYDAY LIFE
In 2007, the New York–based website Gawker.com named John Fitzgerald Page “The Worst Person in the World.” 1 John, a young professional in Atlanta at the time, was awarded the dubious title after an exchange he had with a young woman on Match.com, an online dating site, was made public. The young lady in question had made an overture by “winking” at John, admitting in retrospect that she probably should have thought twice “considering his screen name was ‘IvyLeagueAlum.’”
John responded with a short, introductory message, listing several facts about himself, some relevant, some less so (height, weight, schools attended, fitness regimen). He also asked a couple of pointed questions of his new admirer—where she had gone to school, the kind of products she enjoyed, and what activities she currently participated in to stay in shape. He seemed especially concerned that his would-be date was not misrepresenting herself physically. John had apparently been “deceived before by inaccurate representations”—given the circumstances, an honest concern. More problematic was the self-satisfied tone in which his concern was expressed.
Something about his message must have rubbed its recipient the wrong way, as she replied with a perfunctory “No thanks.” Presumably the end of the
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