John Piper has refined gospel presentation by asking the question, “If you could have everything good about heaven — no suffering, trouble removed, no pain, no death, no tears, fellowship with others, eternal life, etc… — and God is not there, do you still want heaven?”
If the answer is “yes,” then the person has not understood properly the gospel. For the gospel is not the removal of our problems on earth, but the removal of sin, and participation in a relationship of fellowship with Christ.
Joni Eareckson Tada said it so very well in a recent chapel address at The Master’s College:
What I’m mostly looking forward to when I get to heaven is that fully sanctified soul, that purified heart, that glorified spirit in which there will be no more propensity to sin any longer — that my praise will be pure and that my adoration of the Lord will be complete and instant and absolute. I can’t wait for that day when I get my new heart.
[She also recently spoke in chapel at Dallas Seminary, though I’ve not yet listened to that address.]
Words of Grace 