Whoever Believes, Will Live

As we enjoy the wonderful fall weather, it is a great time for a picnic. As my wife was preparing for our outing, she mentioned that the cooler was down in the basement. Deciding to be helpful, I went down to get it. The boys were already in bed. It was dark outside, and the house was quiet. She did not realize I had gone down to the basement and as she began to descend the steps, I came around the corner carrying the cooler. Of course, my unexpected presence startled her.
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Many are also startled by the uncertainty of eternity. A prominent religious leader was recently asked if someone who does not believe in God could go to heaven.
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As I heard the question, my thoughts went, not to what certain clergy believe, but to what does the Bible say. In other words, if I had to answer that question, would I be able to give scripture to support an answer?
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One of the first passages that comes to mind is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This passage obviously relates eternal life with belief, but does it exclude unbelievers? In order to answer that question, we must look not just at one isolated verse, but also at the verses around it. 20 verses later, we read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
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As we look to these scriptures we find that the Bible teaches that we must believe in more than just some generic creator God, but that we must believe in Jesus Christ. Consider as well, John 14:6 NKJV, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Acts 4:12 NKJV states, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
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Still the question might be asked, “Why would God hold someone accountable to Him when they don’t even believe in Him?” The book of Romans in the Bible helps to answer that question. In chapter 1 vs. 20 we are told that creation is a testimony to God’s existence so that the unbelievers are without excuse. Then in Romans chapter 2, verses 14-15, we see that even those who do not have the word of God, still have a conscience to convict them of their wrongdoing. This leads us to chapter 3, where we are told in vs. 10 that there is none righteous, no not one and vs. 23 were it says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
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So creation shows us that there is a creator God. Our conscience shows us we are sinners. If that were all the farther we went in our discussion, the Bible would be far more frightening than even an intruder in the basement, but look at what it says toward the end of Romans 3, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:24-26 NKJV).
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Even though the consequences of sin and unbelief are serious and scary, God loves us so much that He sent His son to provide forgiveness to those who believe. Take comfort in the words of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”