Distracted.

I often get distracted by doctrine. Don’t get me wrong. I love doctrine. I love reading theologolical books and marvelling at the great doctrines of Christianity.

But the best and final gift of the gospel is, very simply and very profoundly, that Jesus brings us to God so that we might have a relationship with him. The ultimate gift is not that we are saved from hell, nor that we will be in heaven for eternity, nor that we are justified, nor that we are forgiven.

Doctrine is great, and I really mean that, if it helps us to marvel at the lengths God has gone to in order to bring us to himself. And from now on, I will endeavour to remember the ultimate purpose of it:

Christ also suffered once for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

John Piper’s book God Is the Gospel is (amongst other things) a great reminder to not to get distracted from this ultimate end of the gospel.

Justification, heaven, forgiveness are not the ultimate good news of the gospel. Relationship with God is. And it’s a relationship that is everlasting in its length, ever deepening in its intimacy and ever increasing in its joyfulness. Now that’s something to get distracted by.