The Bible very clearly states that the hope which is offered as a result of the love of God is open to everyone. God has promised that He will send His son, Jesus Christ, back to this earth to set up a kingdom that will last forever. All mankind has an opportunity of a place in this kingdom to live forever if we truly believe in God and His wonderful promises. This future kingdom will be a time when there will be peace, equity, justice and righteousness. Ideally God wants everyone to believe in Him and look forward to the future with this great hope. Peter writes these words about God.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Peter tells us that God is patient, He doesn’t want anyone to perish but to turn to Him in the right spirit. The Bible though makes it very plain that there are only two options available to us: believe in God and His son Jesus or reject them. We all have freewill to decide which option we want to take. Jesus himself spoke these words recorded in John’s gospel.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:16-18
Such is the love of God that He caused His son to be born on this earth 2,000 years ago to show us how to live as God wants us to do and also to preach the wonderful good news about this coming kingdom.
God wants us to read all about this gospel in the Bible. We then have a choice as to whether we truly believe it and we wish to make a life changing decision to follow the example of Jesus in the way we live now. After the resurrection of Jesus, just before he ascended into heaven, he gave his disciples a clear message about the work he wished them to do. This demonstrates this clear choice and also the work that we must do if in we believe in this wonderful hope for the future.
And he [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16:15-16
God wants you and me to be saved and have a place in this wonderful coming kingdom.
Further reading on this and other topics is available on the website of the Christadelphian Office:
