The main thing

All of us have one thing that is the driving force of our lives, our "statement of purpose" as some would describe it.  If I were to ask you could probably tell me your "main thing" or "one thing" that is the driving purpose and focus of your life and choices.

Every faith has one.  In Islam the main thing is "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet".  That is their statement of faith, their core value and it drives everything about their faith.  They believe it's their task to bring everyone to that worldview.

Sadly I think the Christian faith is weak in this area.  We don't really have that one thing that gives focus and clarity to our faith.  This week, as I prepared for this morning, one commentator described a passage I am working on as "the main thing" of the Christian faith.  As I studied and prepared I think I agree.  It really does give clarity to what is important for us as Christians.  Here it is,

^{1 John 5:11} And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

The great revelation and message of the Christian faith is eternal life in Jesus Christ.  It is our main thing.  These verses say so much more as you read them.  They declare that to have life you have to have Jesus Christ as well....because he IS life.  If you don't trust him, have  him, know him then you don't have life, can't have life.  That message is profound, dogmatic and clear.  Want eternal life?  Then trust Jesus Christ....he IS eternal life.  You can't have "it" without him, they are the same.

That clarifies why living a good life just isn't enough.  If you live the very best life of all times, if you are the most giving, caring, self-sacrificing person of all times and don't have Christ you don't have life.  Your good works are completely different from life and they won't get what you are trying to get because life is attached to having Christ, to trusting him, knowing him.  That clears up so much as you think through it.  We want to get to God through our own efforts, but there is no pathway for that.  Life, eternal life, is connected to trusting Jesus Christ, if you have Jesus you have life.  If you don't have him you don't have life, you can't have life....because he IS life.

That is our main thing.