Now this is biblical counseling! In two short paragraphs, Dane Ortlund, sums up what it means to be a genuine Christian. This is peace; this is freedom; this is truth! Is this your experience?
The gospel of grace frees us judicially: despite being guilty in ourselves, we are, at the same time, acquitted through the work of another. The gospel of grace frees us relationally: accepted in Christ, the craving for acceptance from others is emptied. The gospel frees us psychologically: at peace with God and self, the frenetic quest for a self-generated internal stability is emptied, so that we can say with Paul, “I do not even judge myself” (1 Cor. 4:3). The gospel frees us morally: no longer a slave to sin but now a slave to Christ, united to him and indwelt by his Spirit, we are vitally empowered for true virtue.
The gospel also frees us geographically: no longer needing to be in a certain place, known by certain people, on the social mountaintop, we are free to be anonymous, unknown, in the valley. Grace renders a verdict of acquittal not only over our identity but also over our location. A deep rest, a settled “okayness,” lands not only on who we are but also on where we are.
Orthodoxy (correct doctrine), Orthopraxis (correct actions) and Orthocardia (correct heart). The Puritans used to talk about the need to have all three. We tend to think a lot about the first two. Let us not forget that, "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
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