It’s yes or no when it comes to one eternal decision. What will we do with Jesus?

In the summary verse for his argument about people’s need for a savior, John wrote, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains in him.

Born into a sinful state, God’s judgement hangs over our heads until taken away by Christ. Not that we sense it on a day-to-day basis, but we live in the reality of a broken world. Spiritually problems exist which affect all of life, and they require spiritual solutions.

Rejecting Jesus carries the idea of a refusal to submit, to revolt against the message. This can take the form of active rebellion, of shaking my fist at the Lord. Or it could mean a life of passive indifference and ignoring God. I might get along pretty well in this state, but I’ll face a displeasure bending toward outrage when my physical life ends.

Believing in the Son involves mimicking his ways. I prefer the term Jesus follower to describe those who take their Christian faith seriously. Because we follow Jesus into an eternity far more fantastic than we imagine, while others reject him without comprehending the depth of their future despair.

John 3 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Hasnain Babar