By judging our evil, by naming it for what it is, by penetrating our denial and self-delusion, God begins saving us…. As we repent, as we become truly sorry, as we have a change of heart, God goes further by forgiving us, thus bringing salvation in an even fuller sense. Salvation is what happens when we experience both judgment and forgiveness, both justice (exposing the truth about our wrong) and mercy (forgoing to negative consequences we deserve). Without both we don’t end up with true salvation…the good news of salvation is that God sent Jesus not to condemn but to save: to save by bringing justice with mercy, true judgment with true forgiveness. First by exposing are wrong (judging) so we can face are wrong and turn from it… and then by forgiving our wrong, God intervenes and breaks a chain of cause and effect, of offense and alienation, so we’re are truly saved — liberated, rescued — from the vicious cycle (a.k.a., mess.) we created. — Brian McLaren, Generous Orthodoxy