We all know that verse, and " ...that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Did anyone but me ever notice John left something out? First, did you notice that John never promises the eternal life will be a good one, as those cast in the lake of fire for 1000 years will learn? Don't forget God's power to resurrect and grant eternal life can be used both ways. Second, believing in Christ alone is not enough. The Devil believes in Christ, but I can assure you does not have a good time ahead. I think this omission explains why John went on to write 1 John, which in Chapter 5 speaks repeatedly of "sins leading to death" that not even accepting Christ can save you from. I had a debate with a Godly mentor one day on what type(s) of sin this could involve, and came up with only one. It's not murder, since we know a genuinely repentent murder can be redeemed. The one and only sin this serious that I can see is rejecting Christ and his message. Reconciling all this, I concluded that to truly believe in Christ requires following his direction, words, and commandments, which are pretty clearly set out, and a lot easier to follow than the OT law of the S&P's. If one does not do so he/she either doesn't believe in Christ or has walked away from and rejected his message, in either case commiting the preeminent sin leading to death.
I have more thoughts like this and Biblical analysis and reconcilliation in a book I've posted at deliver-us-from-evil dot com. I would enjoy debating or discussing the issue with anyone who is interested. I'll start with the question of whether you ever viewed John 3:16, and John's promise of eternal life, as being the double-edged sword it really is? JJJ
I have more thoughts like this and Biblical analysis and reconcilliation in a book I've posted at deliver-us-from-evil dot com. I would enjoy debating or discussing the issue with anyone who is interested. I'll start with the question of whether you ever viewed John 3:16, and John's promise of eternal life, as being the double-edged sword it really is? JJJ