Whenever the emphasis of something is changed, it redirects attention.

One of the greatest distractions is redirecting attention in a way that seems right and good but redirects a person’s attention away from the most important thing.

It’s akin to needing a reliable vehicle, but the salesman you are dealing with keeps drawing your attention to cosmetic details and away from the noise you hear under the hood while running. You need this car for traveling, so mechanical reliability is a must, but the salesman is artfully distracting you from disturbing engine noises to the beauty of the ride itself. He is not lying to you; he is telling you the truth; the car is beautiful, the bodywork is great, the paint job is great, and it looks good going down the road with you in it, but that is not your primary concern.  The primary need is reliability mechanically.

I use this illustration to highlight the need to get the gospel right.   When a true but misplaced emphasis is placed on the reason for the gospel, it distracts from its highest aim and purpose.

That is why multitudes in many places worldwide think the gospel is merely about getting to heaven.  While it is true that faith in the gospel will render the promise of heaven, that is not the primary aim of the gospel.  The highest goal of salvation is not a mansion in heaven.

Jesus did not allow Himself to be beaten and then bleed and die on the cross so that we could get the keys to our mansion in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

The high goal of the gospel is the work of reconciliation to God.  The emphasis of the gospel is meant to be a relationship with God.  Unfortunately, in many circles, it has become other lesser important matters.

Jesus endured the cross, suffering the shame for the joy that was set before Him.  What joy?  The joy of reconciling man to God.  The joy of a restored intimacy between God and man.  The joy of being one in unity and experiencing the beauty of being one with God.  The joy of bringing many sons into glory!

The presence of God is the glory glory of God.  To be in His presence is to be in His glory.  We have been invited into the very fullness of God through the love of Christ.

Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The gospel’s emphasis is far more than just escaping judgment, getting a pass into heaven, and having the keys to a mansion there.  The real ultimate goal of the gospel is to reconcile us to God in unhindered fellowship so we might behold His glory by partaking in His presence and be filled with all His fullness.  This is what Jesus died, rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven to provide.  If we get the emphasis of the gospel wrong, we tend to miss out on some glorious perks here and now that are meant to equip and empower us to be His ambassadors to our generation.

2Corinthians 5:20  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.