“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Words we do not like to hear. It is a sin to not believe in God. Rejection of the gospel has a warning with it.
Jesus purchased redemption for those who believe.
Both the price He paid in suffering at the cross and experiencing separation from God the Father and the value of what we receive as a continuum of our sins being forgiven are unimaginable in their scale.
The consequences of unbelief therefore are sever.
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”
There is warning that rebellion and disbelief will delay reaping the reward of entering the place of rest and the fullness of provision.
“And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”
Forty years of delay for ones living in rebellion affected a whole generation. They circled round the desert lost.
Our responsibilities towards the generations who are following are great and have consequences. It begs the question of how our time now has been delayed by our unbelief and that of predecessors too.
Partial inheritance is unsatisfactory. We must step into the fullness of our inheritance as adopted sons and daughters and heirs alongside Christ as has been our promise.
We are commissioned to bring people out of the dark and into the eternal light.
They need to know the gospel so that they might worship, honour and fear God whose nature it is to fulfil His promises.
“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
There are consequences to the way we believe and especially to our unbelief.
The Holy Spirit has carried the eternal gospel since before time. Pentecost brought Him to inhabit our hearts and enlighten.
Ignorance, or to ignore and disclaim have even greater consequences in this hour.
The veils of revelation are being lifted and the books of redemption that were locked until it was time are opening.
The illustration shows the purity and light of the redemptive cross going as the eternal gospel into eternity. The light pushing back the darkness.
Four Scriptures that come to mind:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”John 3:36 ESV
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”Hebrews 3:12 ESV
“And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”Hebrews 3:18-19 ESV
“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.””Revelation 14:6-7 ESV
The song Back To Life. Bethel
https://youtu.be/uQOa5g9nPaw
Lessisgreater 