How do your beliefs influence your behavior? Perhaps the better question is, how does your behavior reveal your beliefs? Have you spent time pondering what you believe is true? Have you thought about what your foundational beliefs are?
Our core beliefs drive our behavior. If we want to know what our core beliefs are, we simply need to observe or take note of our behavior. There is a saying, ‘we are what we think.’ It would be more accurate to state, ‘we are what we believe.’
When talking about belief, we are not simply talking about believing the sun will rise tomorrow. We are talking about deep down, core beliefs. Beliefs that affect how we go about our lives. These are things that we believe unequivocally are true. There can be no dispute about it. Beliefs we will go to our grave stating they are true.
That is the type of belief Jesus was talking about when He said that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. The Greek word means believe, trust, entrust. It is a life changing belief. To believe in Jesus and gain eternal life means to put our lives into His hands. Perhaps the closest we can come to putting that kind of trust in another person is soldiers in a combat zone in which each person must trust the person to their left and right with their lives.
The Greek word for perish in today’s passage does not mean to die, but means to destroy, ruin, or cause destruction. In other words, Jesus is saying those who do not trust in Him will go to eternal destruction. It is a zero-sum game. We either go to destruction or eternal life. There is no in-between and no negotiation. Putting our trust in Jesus is our only path to life.
I pray we all realize it is a zero-sum choice. I pray we plainly see the choice Jesus is giving us. I pray each one of us choose to believe in Jesus, putting our trust in Him. Believe in Jesus. Put your trust in Jesus. Know it is a zero-sum game. Choose eternal life over eternal destruction.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
Marty Pressey 