RIGHT MEANS, WRONG END

In typical American Christianity, a person's forgiveness by God is seen as a means to an end.

And the end is his or her eternity in heaven. 

It's simple. 

Now, I would agree that God's forgiveness should be understood as a means, but time and again, the Scriptures make it clear that the end He has in mind is our righteousness.

We were created to function as God's image here on earth and I don't see anything in Scripture to indicate that He scrapped that original plan when humans through the sin wrench into he works.

It only meant that we all had to take the long way around.

For example, it's right there in one of the most famous Old Testament prophecies of a coming time when God's Spirit would dwell in God's people. Take a look at what is bookended by talk about getting people cleaned up in Ezekiel 36:

24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.