Too much of the Church's message is about sin.
History has brought us to the point where the Christian message is is thought to be essentially concerned only with how to deal with sin: with wrong-doing or wrong-being and its effects. Life, our actual existence, is not included in what is now presented as the heart of the Christian message, or it is included only marginally. -- Dallas Willard, 'The Divine Conspiracy'
The Gospel is not primarily about rescue from sin. It is a rescue from death:
- Rescued from deadness of heart [spirit/will],
- Rescued from deadness of disconnection,
- Rescued from deadness of disorientation,
- Rescued from deadly and demeaning desires that are less than us.
The Gospel is about a life-giving-life:
- A life-giving heart,
- A life-giving connection with God and others,
- A life-giving re-orientation around the Incarnate Life himself
- A new set of life-giving desires.
Jesus' primary offer is not forgiveness of sins [although he does forgive our sins]. Rather, his offer is a great restoration: returning to us the things that Death has stolen from us.