The Bible is jam packed with the promises of God, and they all hinge on one key promise: ”Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” What does it mean to believe? You may say, “Of course I believe in God,” or, “Yes, I believe in Jesus.” But what is the outcome of that belief? Has it changed your life in any meaningful way? Is your life any different from those who hold no such belief at all? 
            The term believe has become seriously watered down in our culture. It doesn’t come close to what the Bible says it is. It’s not uncommon for us to believe what is offered in life, yet more often than not these beliefs are merely superficial. So, what’s the point? It’s simply this: acting on God’s promises proves that we believe, unquestionably showing that we trust, that is, have faith, in what God offers. Our pursuit of God offers that proof.

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” This incredible prophecy found in Isaiah 53 resounds throughout all generations. And it does not stand alone; the entire chapter teems with the purpose of God—the suffering Jesus had to endure, bearing in His body that which would ultimately release us from the guilt of sin and restore us to relationship with our Father.

            Read it again, and contemplate this prophecy written 700 years before Christ’s death. Think not only about the precision with which His crucifixion fulfilled it, but also the content of the message—the magnitude of the offering He willingly endured because of His immeasurable love for us. Yes, we have gone our selfish way. Isaiah 53 is a sobering reminder for us all.

As the Apostle Paul sat chained in a Macedonian dungeon singing praises to God, a massive earthquake occurred. His shackles miraculously fell off and the prison gates flew wide open. Witnessing this, the terrified jailer cried, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was simple, yet very explicit: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…” Acts 16:25-31.

Could it really be that simple? What about all the ritual and penance one must perform to become acceptable in God’s eyes? Not necessary, Jesus says. It’s as easy as believing God’s promise. But what does believing really mean? The Bible is always the starting place when exploring the meaning of belief. Yet few bother to investigate it, much less understand it. The Bible is true! Proof of this is the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who share the same experience of life-changing transformation—just as attested to in its pages.

Because knowledge of the physical world is increasing exponentially, some think that man’s evolution has somehow sped up.  Who could have predicted that we would daily be using such technological marvels, or that millions would routinely be jetting from one end of the globe to the other? Yet 2,500 years ago the prophet Daniel, speaking of events to occur near the end of time, predicted these very things: “…many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

The fact that our knowledge is increasing doesn’t mean that human nature itself has changed in any meaningful way. Just look at the people in the Bible. There’s not a shred of difference between them and us, except for the trappings of modern culture. They experienced all the strengths and weaknesses that we recognize as being normal to our nature. And the Bible offered the same solutions for them as it does for us today.

All creation was brought into existence through Jesus Christ. Everything was created “for Him,” –all for the glory of God. This is His intent for everything we see before us. Since mankind is the zenith of God’s created order, we possess a supreme purpose. What is it exactly? Our reason for existence is to be united with God—to share eternal life with Him. This theme is repeated time and again in the Bible.

Yet as staggering as God’s promise of eternal life for all mankind is, not everyone will get to share in it. Quite the opposite really; it is reserved for God’s chosen few. Not one of us will ever experience God’s ultimate purpose without first receiving what Jesus has so generously provided. Those who claim that there are many roads to God are flatly mistaken. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus Christ claims, “no one comes to the Father but though Me.”

Skeptics often ask why our planet could be of any relevance in a universe so vast. How could this world, insignificant as it appears to be, harbor the setting for such an epic struggle between good and evil. This idea is widely accepted as the message of the Bible. But it’s just plain wrong.

The core of the Bible is not about the battle between good and evil. Even a brief look at Scripture tells us that God’s victory over evil is no contest at all. No, this seemingly irrelevant stage we call Earth isn’t about the ultimate dominance of good over evil. It’s about singling-out God’s chosen few—the welcoming of the children of God into eternal life with Him. This is the underlying theme of practically every book of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. For achieving of such an amazing purpose, no stage could be too large!

From: The Path through the Maze—Answering Life’s Ultimate Question: What Happens After We Die?