Authors Thrall, McNicol and Lynch eloquently put into words the life that Christians and non-Christians lead on a daily basis. Every person’s life is marked by the lack of genuine authenticity. The authors identify this behavior as constructing and wearing masks in order to avoid communication and relationships at a level that may expose the truth about our lives. The authors demonstrate how unresolved sin, either by us or against us, prohibit us from being truly authentic with one another. They write, “Because of sin, we’ve lost confidence that we will always please our audience, so we feel compelled to hide and put on a mask.” (p. 13) The authors describe how sin produces either an involuntary response of guilt when we sin or an involuntary response of hurt when we are sinned against. Left unresolved, either of these involuntary responses will lead to what they call, “Inevitable Effects” such as shame, blame, fear, denial and anger to name a few. As a result, these Inevitable Effects cause us to don a mask to give a public appearance that nothing serious has happened. This is not only the case in our human relationships but particularly in our relationship with God. It is at this point that the authors form the basis of their thesis—our motives for wearing masks. The authors cleverly narrow everything down to two options: Are we trying to please God or are we trusting God?
In essence, what the authors are saying is: Is our behavior dictated by who we think we should be in the sight of others and God or who God says we already are? The authors place everyone on two divergent paths, one leading to the “Room of Good Intentions” and one leading to the “Room of Grace.” Those in the “Room of Good Intentions…Strive to be All God Wants Them to Be.” (P. 85) These people are “working” on their sin so that they can be more pleasing to God. Unfortunately, they never succeed in “solving” their sin problem. Consequently, their failure to conquer their sin has the Inevitable Effects of shame, blame, anger or any other mechanism that will explain or deflect their sinful behavior. Conversely, those in the Room of Grace approach their sin from the perspective of a life lived out of who God says they already are—saints who sin. These people realize that it is only by trusting God with themselves and addressing their sin together with Him that they can deal with their sins. Not by solving all their sin problems, that won’t be possible in this life, but by systematically addressing them through confession and repentance and thereby avoiding the Inevitable Effects their sins can produce. This, however, can only be done in an environment that promotes trust in God as opposed to performance to please God. Unfortunately, this concept is the weakest part of the authors’ argument.
The idea of the Room of Grace is a beautiful concept and I have no argument that this is the best environment for dealing with our sins. However, this environment seems to be, in large part, an abstract concept. My personal observation has been that while many churches claim to promote an environment that could be described as the Room of Grace, very few in reality are. This is clearly obvious based on the fact that Christians are just as apt to wear masks as non-Christians. Furthermore, it seems rare to find such an environment even within the intimate confines of a home let alone such a public gathering as the church. The authors assert that if this environment does not exist then we can develop one by implementing the practice of trusting others and God with who we really are. However, this practice is precisely why many Christians (and non-Christians) have donned masks. They have tried to be authentic and transparent within their Christian communities only to find that such authenticity is not truly acceptable. Too many people, including Christians, are quick to judge and slow to forgive. It is far easier to accept a person with a beautiful mask than what can at times be a grotesque figure behind the mask. Years ago I experienced this phenomenon personally as the leader of a small group of men who met weekly to take a biblical approach to the issues facing men at home and at work. We met together for nearly three years and discussed many delicate topics in general but never really addressed any personal struggles. Finally, as the group leader, I decided to share a particular personal struggle with the group. It was a very awkward meeting and the matter was never seriously addressed. After that time, some of the men in the group started missing meetings and eventually stopped coming altogether. Within two months, the rest of the men in the group decided they weren’t really getting anything out of the meetings anymore and thought it would be best if we disband. I can’t help but believe that none of the men were comfortable with the real me but instead wanted the “me” that didn’t have any ugly problems. It would seem that the only way this concept of trusting God and others with who we really are works is if everyone practices it at the same time. Otherwise, there always seems to be a majority who don’t really want to deal with the ugly monster behind the mask and, as a consequence, the Room of Grace remains sadly only an idealistic concept and not a universal reality. So how can we, or at least the Church, begin to make the Room of Grace a reality?
In our performance driven culture that prizes self-sufficiency and “having it all together,” it is difficult to convince people (including the Church) that the cost of wearing a mask is far greater than the cost of being transparent. Furthermore, in the culture-at-large, erecting a façade seems generally innocuous (even if intuitively we know it’s probably unhealthy) so what’s the big deal about transparency and, specifically, how does the concept of transparency impact the Church? “Transparency,” generally speaking, appears to be the opposite of wearing a mask. Wearing a mask hides or disguises the truth behind the mask while transparency is variously defined as something fine or sheer enough to be seen through or being free from pretense or deceit. However, there is another definition that strikes at the heart of something Jesus said and is precisely the danger the Church faces when its members fail to be fully transparent. “Transparency” is also defined as “Having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies beyond are seen clearly.” The key element to that definition is “Transmitting light without appreciable scattering.” “Appreciable scattering” in this case implies: “Without significant distortion.” This is precisely the case in a spiritual sense as well. Let’s look at something Jesus said:
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
In its immediate context, these verses are part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Overall, this sermon is Jesus’ instruction for living according to Kingdom principles. The result of living according to these principles is that followers will be a reflection of Jesus and a projection of the Light of Jesus in their lives. Donald Hagner writes, “’God is Light’ according to 1 John 1:5, and Christ is described in the Fourth Gospel as ‘the Light of the world’ (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46; cf. 1:7-8)…God, moreover, has come in Christ to bring light into the darkness (John 1:4-5, 9; 12:46; cf. Ps 27:1)…In Paul, the metaphor also extends to Christians, who are described as ‘children of Light’ (Eph 5:8; 1 Thess 5:5).”[1] In these verses, Jesus instructs that we shouldn’t hide the Light that is within us but allow it to illuminate the way to Him so that others might come to know Him personally. But what is the “Light” to which Jesus is referring? Professor Craig Blomberg writes, “Like lights from a city illuminating the dark countryside or a lamp inside a house providing light for all within it, Christians must let their good works shine before the rest of the world so that others may praise God.”[2] The metaphor of light is clear in that the people of the Church are to be a light to the world. Perhaps you’re beginning to recognize the correlation between the concept of transparency, wearing masks as described by the authors of TrueFaced and Jesus’ instruction to be a light to the world. But if it’s not quite clear, allow me to explain: Transparency, by definition, is required in order for the Light that is within us to be seen. A mask, by definition, obscures what is behind the mask and by extension obscures the Light within us. This contravenes Jesus’ assertion when He says, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.” Some people may argue that we should only illuminate the parts of our lives that bring God glory – “Our good deeds” while our masks hide the parts of our lives that we believe would never bring glory to God. For example, someone may be hiding an addiction or some other sinful behavior believing that transparency would reflect poorly on God. However, transparency rooted in confession and repentance shines a very, very bright light on the Cross that represents God’s greatest gift of grace. “Our good deed” in this case is the act of confession and repentance and the reliance on God’s grace that is available through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.
Conclusion
Using the illustration above, we can see clearly the distinction between the Room of Good Intentions and the Room of Grace as described by the authors of TrueFaced. In the Room of Good Intentions, Light never shines for fear that some ugly truth might be exposed. Unfortunately, the beauty of God’s grace is also rarely, if ever, seen. However, in the Room of Grace, Light shines brightly and transparency allows Light to flood into every area of a believer’s life—including the parts that might be quite grotesque. Instead of reflecting poorly on God, transparency rooted in confession and repentance allows the Light to clearly illuminate the way to God’s grace available to everyone through Jesus Christ. So what will it take for the Room of Grace to become a universal reality? I believe it will take humility, courage and perseverance—the humility to confess our sins, the courage to repent and the perseverance to continue the cycle of confession and repentance even when it’s embarrassing, uncomfortable and painful. Eventually that kind of transparency will be transformational for us and will allow the Light within us to illuminate the way for others to practice the same cycle of confession and repentance. Then, and only then, will the Room of Grace become a universal reality.
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