By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed

The words of Brennan Manning, “By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived,” strike like the cry of a prophet in the wilderness. They are not the complaint of a cynic, but the lament of one who has seen the chasm between what is offered in the message of Christ and what is often lived out by His followers. The gospel of grace — the announcement that humanity is loved, forgiven, and redeemed not by works but by divine mercy — is, in Manning’s eyes, too often lost beneath the weight of legalism, pride, or indifference. His words call us to rediscover the heart of the good news, and to live it as the ancients lived fire: as something to be carried, protected, and spread from one soul to another.

To say it is not proclaimed means that grace is too rarely the center of the message spoken from pulpits or shared between souls. Instead of freedom, many hear only burdens; instead of forgiveness, they hear only condemnation. In the days of Christ Himself, the Pharisees proclaimed law without grace, rules without mercy. Jesus, by contrast, offered Himself as a physician to the sick, a shepherd to the lost, a redeemer to the broken. Manning reminds us that unless grace is proclaimed, the gospel itself is distorted, for it becomes not good news but heavy news.

To say it is not understood is to acknowledge that even when spoken, grace is often misinterpreted. Some think it too easy, as though mercy cheapens holiness. Others twist it into license, forgetting that grace transforms rather than excuses. The ancients wrestled with this tension: the Apostle Paul was accused of preaching a gospel so free that people could sin without consequence. Yet he replied that grace does not destroy righteousness, but empowers it. To misunderstand grace is to miss the beating heart of the gospel itself.

To say it is not lived is perhaps Manning’s deepest lament. For even those who preach grace and claim to understand it often fail to embody it in their lives. They judge others harshly, withhold forgiveness, or live as though their worth depends on performance rather than mercy. Consider the parable of the unforgiving servant: forgiven a great debt, he refused to forgive his fellow servant a small one. Such is the tragedy of grace not lived — it dies at the lips instead of blossoming in the heart.

History gives us striking examples of this truth. In the days of the Reformation, Martin Luther discovered the liberating message of grace — that man is justified not by works, but by faith. Yet even in the centuries after, churches often returned to burdens and rules, forgetting the flame Luther had rekindled. Manning’s words echo Luther’s struggle: that grace must not only be written in books but lived in lives. And in every generation, there are those who rediscover it, breathe it in, and pass it on like living fire.

The lesson for us is urgent: if the gospel of grace is not proclaimed, understood, and lived, then it withers into a religion of performance, fear, and judgment. But if it is received as it truly is — the free gift of divine love — then it liberates, heals, and transforms. Grace is the wellspring of joy, the death of pride, the strength of forgiveness. Without it, faith is chains; with it, faith is wings.

As practical action, let us begin to live what Manning urges. Proclaim grace in your words — remind others that they are loved and forgiven. Understand grace in your mind — study it, meditate on it, until you know it is greater than sin and deeper than despair. Live grace in your deeds — forgive freely, show mercy, uplift the broken, and resist the urge to judge. In this way, the gospel ceases to be theory and becomes life.

Thus, Brennan Manning’s cry stands like the voice of an elder warning the generations: the gospel of grace has been lost to many, but it must be found again. Proclaim it with your mouth, understand it with your heart, live it with your hands. For only then does the good news become truly good, and only then does it become light to those who walk in darkness.