Is God a God of Second Chances?

When I first mentioned to my wife, Alice, that I was going to write an article discussing this rather popular saying, I mentioned it might cause people to be a bit defensive, and of course she immediately became defensive.  When you read the title, you, too, may have thought, “You’re wrong—God is a god of second chances.”  I understand there are many examples in the Bible where God apparently gave people second chances.  If the Bible had a hall of shame, we would find many of the same names that we find in Hebrews 11 (often known as the “hall of faith”). 

The second chance message reaches deep inside and outside the church.  Everyone, no matter his or her view of Jesus, seems to find common ground around the belief that God gives second chances.  So does this well-known statement reflect the gospel?  Here are a couple of other modern sayings:

1) Today’s the first day of the rest of your life.

2) God can give you a fresh start.

3) Today’s a new opportunity to get things right.

These clichés may sound harmless on the surface, but we should weigh their biblical merit.  Is a second chance gospel sufficient, or even helpful, for communicating the real message of Christ?

Actually, I'm not sure it is.  A second chance gospel disguises the good news by only revealing half of it—the half that says Jesus died for sins.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome that God forgives sin. The fact that God is merciful is a beautiful truth. But if Jesus only died to forgive sins, humanity is still in trouble.

What’s missing from this understanding is the imputed righteousness Jesus credits to believers—a righteousness that leaves nothing to chance.  Whereas a second chance gospel may declare that Jesus erases sin, it also implies He leaves behind an empty spiritual ledger and a morally neutral heart.  This belief promises fresh hope by saying “God gives infinite chances,” but underneath carries the depressing message “God forgives; now the rest is up to you.”

This thinking waters down the authentic gospel in two ways.  First, it implies man isn’t helpless regarding righteousness—that he only needs a clean slate and a second chance.  Second, it teaches Christ’s sacrifice isn’t effective—that mankind still needs to “get things right” via a vague number of reboots, much like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.

While this sounds great on the surface, it actually constitutes some of the worst news people could hear.  God giving second chances summons the picture of God saying to us, “Okay, you did your best and failed, so I am going to give you another chance to prove yourself.”  In what world does this sound like good news?  We don’t always pass the second test, either.  When we read the Bible and hear what it says about us, we realize we need something better than second, third, and fourth chances to fail again.  

Apart from grace, our "hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked." (See Jeremiah 17:9)  Without Jesus, our best intentions and efforts are filthy rags in the sight of our Holy God and leave us in our sins. (See Isaiah 64:6)  Thankfully, because of God’s overwhelming love and grace towards us, He offers us something better than a second chance.  Finally, since there’s zero chance humans will obey God perfectly (See Romans 3:23), why would Christians spread the news of a God of second chances?  Is it really good news to get a second chance at the impossible?  What sinners need—and what Christ provides—is someone who can take the test on their behalf, once-and-for-all, and pass with flying colors.

This is where a second chance gospel misses the mark.  It points people to a false hope in a works-based religion where they can get their life in order if they only receive enough time and enough chances.  But Christians don’t have to earn redemption through a series of righteous reboots.  Jesus secured our redemption through His life, death, and resurrection.  And His perfection is forever credited to the believer’s account.

But what about the Ninevites in the book of Jonah?  Didn’t they get a second chance?  While this is often proclaimed as the takeaway from the book of Jonah, the overall biblical narrative reveals a different lesson.  Look at Romans, for example.  Writing about Abraham, Paul observes:

“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.” (Romans 4:11)

This may be Scripture’s clearest verse tying together the thread of salvation between saints in both testaments.  Old Testament believers weren’t saved by sacrifices (See Hebrews 10:3-14) or circumcision. (See Romans 3:28-30)  Instead, those outward signs pointed beyond themselves to saving faith in God.  

The believing Ninevites, then, didn’t get an empty, clean slate; they received the credited righteousness of Jesus as a seal, just as believers do today.  If we cap off the account of Jonah with a second chance ending, we plague the Ninevites with the burden of maintaining flawless righteousness after their repentance.  Of course, they couldn’t achieve this righteousness any more than we can today.  No wonder Jonah’s complaint doesn’t have anything to do with fresh starts.  He doesn’t cry, “For I knew you are a God of second chances!”  No, he cries, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2)

Grace and mercy.  It is for these gifts bought on the cross, not for the hope of a second chance, in which believers can draw near to God in confidence.  Thanks to Christ’s credited righteousness, believers shouldn’t be lured by a form of legalism that offers an ever present refresh button on life.  Rather, we should strongly proclaim that our Savior’s righteousness is perfectly sufficient for all time.  Through Calvary, God didn’t grant a second chance to humans; He provided a holy Substitute—the second Adam—who got it right the first time on our behalf.

This entire post may seem like nitpicking, but when we describe God’s salvation wrongly we encourage people to trust in themselves rather than the grace God offers.  God giving second chances makes us trust in our own works of righteousness and will lead to self-deception that causes people to miss the Kingdom.  Abandoning our own good works to trust in Christ alone who gave Himself for us leads to salvation which brings glory to the Father.  Since what God produces in us through His Gospel is infinitely better than our efforts at self-redemption, let’s run from encouraging people to try harder and point them towards the glorious offer of grace in Jesus Christ.

God is not the God of second chances; He’s the God of Substitutionary Atonement. (See Romans 3:9-18; 23)  This is where real hope is found.  This is the place of real peace and rest at the feet of Jesus.