The essence of being "saved"

I have lots of Christian friends. Like anyone who has lived in the same small city almost his entire life (and at various times been a "member" of two large Christian churches in that small city) I can't go anywhere without bumping into several people I know because of Christian fellowship. It's great to see familiar faces and to remember the stories of God's movement in their lives.

With that said, I have regularly quizzed people about the nature of Christian fellowship. "What is the essence of fellowship?" or "What is eternal life?" are questions that I love to ask. I don't ask these questions to start a debate--I just wonder how people think about salvation, that's all. The truth is, many of us treasure different aspects of our salvation at different times. When life is hard, we treasure one thing about heaven, and when we lose a loved one, something else; and when we are thankful for friends something else altogether.

But what is THE ESSENCE of salvation? The one thing upon which everything else is built?

We know that salvation is a gift. And it's hard NOT to see the gift aspects of salvation when we begin to think about essence. Sins forgiven? Yes. Promises kept? Great. To see our loved ones who knew Christ again? Amazing! But none of these is the heart of the gospel. They are all gifts that accompany the essence of salvation.

The essence of eternal life is God. I am not at the center of God's universe, in fact, the essence of eternal life is understanding that God must be at the center of my universe. Because of MY sin I ruined eternal life both in quality of life and in quantity. Jesus said it this way (John 17:3ff): "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." So in my own flesh, I do not possess the strength or will to gladly place God at the center of my universe. I won't do it! How wretched I am.

The worst part of life right now is not just my sin (which is my fault, my responsibility and my death), but the fact that my sin is the proof that I have rebelled against God and purposefully chosen distance from Him. And I cannot close that distance. The essence of salvation is the absence of distance between me and God. While it is WONDERFUL that heaven will include no sin, and no sorrow and my grandmother, the thing I'm looking forward to MOST is no DISTANCE between me and God. The goal for you and me is God, and the realization of that goal takes place in the here-and-now because of the work that Christ accomplished.

In his book, "God is the Gospel," John Piper picks up on these points (by the way, this concept is what we are studying in Senior High Sunday School right now, and is at the heartbeat of our year of "Dare to Share" in all of youth ministry at church). He says that the litmus test of us understanding the true gospel is this: can I imagine heaven (no sin, no suffering, no financial worries, no pain or tears and the presence of all my loved ones who knew Christ) without the person of God Himself? If so (he says) you ought to check the validity of your conversion. Heaven is not heaven without God.

The trouble of this world (broken relationships, death, natural disasters, etc.) are the SYMPTOMS of sin, but the root problem is my pride which is my declaration of autonomy from God. Eternal life is knowing God, death is pleasing self in the absence of God.

Oh God! Make me aware of my own efforts to please myself without you. Help me see that it is death to do so, and that I give away life every time I try. Let my lips be full of the good news, that the living and powerful God reigns in His heaven! All praise and honor to you! Knowing You is salvation!