Based solely on John 3:16..?

Question

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I believe in God and that he exists but I do not follow follow the Christian lifestyle. Based on that scripture, will I have ever lasting life?

Answer 1

I don't think you can isolate one passage from scripture and use it as the entirety of your belief.

To really believe in Jesus, the Son of God, would be to believe in what he taught and to devote yourself to following him. That would mean accepting all of scripture and not just one line that you like.

James 2-19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder"

Answer 2

No, and you must keep reading John 3. He that believeth is not condemned; he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the only begotten son of God. The Son of God did not come into the world to condemn it, but that the world through Him might be saved. So, John 3:16 says you're condemned as does the rest of John 3, as well as the rest of Scripture. It may no seem fair, but that's the way it is. There is sin, there is punishment for sin, there was a price paid for sin, but you can't take advantage of the price being paid if you don't believe that it was.

Answer 3

way too difficult to explain here. Let me give you the gist of it. Jesus was an enlightened prophet that realized his supreme divinity as a human being. If you do this, then you become a living God, so salvation is taken care of immediately, no point waiting until you die.

Now, back to 'reality,' as in the church's teachings, which states that Jesus was not a man, but God Himself, which is half true, but if that were completely true, then he wouldn't have a body, and it would be impossible to crucify or meet someone if they didn't have a body. The church wants you to think that only Jesus is divine, because if everyone realized that they were divine, then they would not have the ticket to salvation like they claim to have. So, bottom line is, pray to God, ask to be one with God, and you will be saved. Jesus is more of a guideline for how a man or woman should act on earth. In other words, be peaceful and loving rather than hateful and angry. Share and love thy neighbor, be respectful, etc. But spiritually we are all a part of God, so we can never be seperated from God, even in the flesh.

Answer 4

And what exactly is the "Christian" lifestyle?

Believing in Him includes believing Him; what he declared. The key here then is in believing and understanding the gospel. When one does believe the gospel, then it is God working through the individual, and not the individual trying to comply with a set of rules and regulations. It is being led by the Spirit; living by the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Answer 5

Only if you truly believe and have confessed your sins to God and accepted Jesus as your personal savior (with your mouth, not just in your mind). The Bible could easily be misinterpreted. Someone might beblieve there's a God, but if they never personally accepted Jesus, well...you know where they're going. If you've never personally accepted Jesus, please do. We never know when Jesus will come back. And I don't know about you, but I like it when I know that I'm going to the best place when I die in the flesh. Jesus truly did die for you, but not so that you could go on being worldly and still get in. It's not something you can buy or earn. You just have to accept the gift God gave us, and the Truth shall set you free. It set me free about 2 months ago, and I feel good! No more despair or emptiness. I can actually be my true self without the fear. If you ever do decide that Jesus is the only way and accept Him, well, the Devil will tey to convince you otherwise. You might question yourself as to whether ot not Jesus really lives in you. You have to tell the devil to leave, tell him that he has no power over you anymore, all in the name of Jesus. Don't wait! You never know when it could be too late.

Oh, and if you're not sure of how to do it, and if you haven't done it, ask someone who you know is a Christian. If you go to church, talk to your pastor or something. All you gotta do is ask. It doesn't matter if you've never prayed before. It only matters if you really want it and that the words that come out of your mouth are from the heart, no matter how simple they may be. God doesn't want fancy words; He wants YOU!

Answer 6

Sorry, but you can't take a verse out of context and try to come up with a different religion...Here's the verse in context.

John 3:16-21
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[g] 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."[h]

Look at 21. You must also live by the truth. Jesus is the truth. The Amplified Bible also explains the word "believe in" as this "trusts in, clings to, relies on." This is because our language does not do the word justice in the Greek language. Its about more than thinking it, its about following Him as well. Hope that helps.

Answer 7

There is this thing called blind belief which does not present ever lasting life as something that will happen when you want it to. One must go beyond blind belief and find understanding. Once this is done, then it pleases oneself to seek God and do His will, and the question will never be asked again about deserving a life without end. If you find yourself asking will I have ever lasting life, then you have more work to do in this area of life.

Answer 8

Depends on the definition of "believing"... Does God just want the thought, or does he expect this "belief" to cause action?

If God just wants belief, a mental process, then even Satan is saved, beyond saved. Satan doesn't just believe, he KNOWS!

If God wants a belief that motivates us to action, then you're not going to have everlasting life... a person's mere thoughts aren't enough.

Answer 9

Dear yummy,

I would fill up several pages answering your question but I don't think you would read it. However, there is a radio program called the "Open Forum." Listeners call in and ask their question and the host answers it right from the Bible. They have a toll-free number and it has been on for 40+ years. They also have a website (FamilyRadio)where you can order Bible helps, etc and all that is free also. Just Google my sources.

I hope this will help.

Answer 10

The term "believes in" as used in John 3:16 means to trust in or put your faith in. It is not referring to just believing that Jesus existed and was the Son of God, it means to put your faith in him as your Savior and Lord. Eternal life was made possible because Jesus took on the penalty for sin for all mankind on the cross and through faith in Jesus one can stand before God as though they never sinned. It is by trusting Jesus for your salvation that you receive everlasting life.