In Acts 16:30, the Philippian jailor asks what is arguably the most important question a person can ask. After a shocking display of God’s power wreaking havoc on his prison, the jailor asks his prisoners, Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Since they were imprisoned for being “servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17), it is evident in the context of this passage that the message of everlasting life is what they were teaching in the moments preceding their arrest.
Everlasting life was what the jailor had in mind when posing his question, as opposed to being saved in some other way (for example, being delivered from the sudden calamity the prison just experienced, or from his punishment for failing to guard his prisoners). This argument must be made because so many use the alternate view (that the jailor wasn’t referring to everlasting life) to pervert what it means to have saving faith, more to come on that.
In any case, you’d be hard-pressed to identify a topic in all of Christendom of greater worth, since it directly pertains to your eternal well-being and the eternal well-being of every human being since the dawn of creation. Have you ever worried about your eternal well-being? What about that of your child? Or other family members? I have some great news for you! The answer to that all-important question is simple. Paul replies in the following verse, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Unfortunately, the simple message of believing in Jesus for the free gift of everlasting life has been twisted and distorted over two thousand years of church history, many Christians either taking the Arminian view that everlasting life is earned by a person’s good works, or the Calvinist view that everlasting life is guaranteed only to the elect—and that the elect will prove their election via their own good works.
Neither of these all-too-common views is compatible with Scripture, as we see in Ephesians 2:8–9, which clearly states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Is receiving the gift of everlasting life as simple as believing in Jesus for it? To answer that question, a strong soteriologist (someone who studies salvation) would point you toward Bible verses discussing everlasting life that are as simple as possible, contextually and lexically speaking. As stated, these verses must be obvious in their meaning based on the words used, as well as the details surrounding the people being addressed.
One such simple verse is extremely popular and known to millions around the world: John 3:16. It reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is a simple message contextually. As Nicodemus begins to question Jesus, He speaks of entering the kingdom of God (John 3:5). It is evident and largely undisputed that Jesus is referring to one’s eternal destiny in John chapter 3.
Furthermore, John 3:16 is a simple passage lexically. Let’s take a look at some of the key segments:
Believeth (Pisteuo in Greek): Most words, it’s translation depends on the context. The primary meaning and translation in English is belief, which means “to think to be true, to be persuaded of.” Of its 248 uses in the New Testament, it’s used that way 243 times (Pisteuo pist-yoo'-o).
Many people in modern writing have had no choice but to redefine the Greek word Pisteuo to fit their works-based salvation narrative. Take Simmons, for example, who says, “Every time you see the word ‘believe’ in the New Testament, it comes from the Greek word Pisteuo, which means so much more than just believing something in your head” (What It Means To Believe).
Since contextually, Pisteuo can mean “commit” (5 out of 248 uses), you will commonly see people from this viewpoint claiming that Pisteuo must involve some type of commitment or dedication. Thankfully, the evidence for the simple, obvious truth is quite compelling and will be discussed below. That truth is that within the context of everlasting life, belief means simple persuasion of the mind.
Have everlasting life: A simple reading of the English John 3:16 should communicate to the reader that a person gains everlasting life the moment they believe. However, scholars have added to the confusion by making a point of the Greek phrase “Pas ho pisteuōn”, stating that it implies continual belief (John 3:16 Universal Invitation or Promise to the Elect?).
This is a dire mistranslation, as it would indicate a believer must persist in belief to have everlasting life. If that were the case, nobody could know whether or not they had everlasting life until dying, since they aren’t able to guarantee they’ll persist in belief for the rest of their life.
Of course, we are reminded often in Scripture that we can know with certainty whether or not we have everlasting life. For a brief example out of many, 1 John 5:13 states, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”
To make it simple and squash that entire argument, Jesus himself says in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Again, this is great news! There is no way to ignore the absolute present-tense promise Jesus makes in that verse. The moment you believe in Jesus for the gift of everlasting life, you have it! To presently have something everlasting indicates that it will, of course, last forever!
If that isn’t enough to persuade you, see John chapter 4 where Jesus tells the woman at the well in verse 14:
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”
And in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
One drink and you’ll never thirst again!
So, what does it mean to believe in Jesus for the gift of everlasting life?
The idea that a person receives the free gift of everlasting life simply by believing in Jesus for it is supported by a number of other passages in the Bible. Thankfully, these passages also show that belief is nothing more than being persuaded that a fact is true.
Take Luke 16:19–31, for example. The rich man in torment asks for help getting his brothers to repent (to stop sinning), with the intent of preventing them from going to hell (the obvious opposite of having everlasting life). Abraham, knowing full well the true message of everlasting life, replies in verse 31, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Abraham boldly indicates to this man that everlasting life was not a matter of repentance (commonly equated to commitment to obey Christ), but a matter of persuasion.
If all a person must do to have everlasting life is believe in Jesus for it, we must understand precisely what that statement means. If we must be persuaded that a fact is true, what is that fact? Of course, the fact is that Jesus is the Christ—the one who offers the gift of everlasting life to a person who believes in Him for it (John 20:30–31).
Take, for example, the way Martha replies to Jesus in John 11:25–27:
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.”
Martha equates the title of Christ as meaning the Son of God who gives everlasting life to the believer. Again, we can see that whosoever believes Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who offers everlasting life to whosoever believes, has everlasting life.
A final closing example and call to action:
About everlasting life, there are many opposing views to the one I have presented. This is to be expected because “narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
Tons of alternative man-made—or enemy-made—perspectives complicate and distort the simple message of saving faith, turning it into a message that doesn’t save. See Matthew 7 for an example of people who thought they were saved but were not. In verses 21–23, as Jesus rejects them from entering His kingdom, they boast about their works:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
Jesus replies by calling them “ye that work iniquity.”
Notice how these people don’t say, “Lord, Lord, did we not believe in you for everlasting life?” This makes it clear that anyone who works for everlasting life is, in fact, a “worker of iniquity.”
Furthermore, a close look at the parable of the four soils explains: “Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12).
As we can see, we have an adversary, the Devil who is working overtime to prevent unbelievers from hearing and believing the saving message.
So, if you’re an unbeliever, I’d urge you to prayerfully read the Gospel of John and ask God whether or not gaining everlasting life is as simple as believing in Jesus for it. If you are a believer already, congratulations, I can’t wait to see you in heaven!
Won’t you share the good news with an unbeliever today?
Ref 1
Ref 2
https://richardesimmons3.com/what-it-means-to-believe/).
Ref 3
https://christiandefense.org/tag/pas-ho-pisteuwn/
Ref 4
https://faithalone.org/beliefs/
Ref 5
