Some in the Western church have forgotten that real and dire eternal consequences await those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said of Himself,  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Salvation is only found in and through Jesus Christ. No one and no other belief system offers true salvation. To think other options might exist can appease our unease and uncomfortableness with the distinct and exclusive offer of salvation found only in Christ, but it does nothing to save a soul. All through Scripture words like believe, trust, receive and follow denote the need for personal engagement of the human will to the offer of salvation. It doesn’t happen by accident. A relationship with Jesus is not a one-sided arranged and forced marriage that violates the will of the bride. It is about mutual love and acceptance. 

Deceptive theologies have crept into some sections of the modern Church saying all will eventually be saved. A question then emerges “Why evangelize?” Did something magically change in our generation that dismissed 2,000 years of telling the world about Christ even at the expense of martyrdom?  These illusions have given people the false freedom to never mention the name of Jesus Christ and the sorrow that awaits those who don’t come to Him in this life. There is another sorrow for believers who will someday realize they lived their entire life never sharing the Gospel with friends and families. The wails of sorrow on both sides of that equation will be soul-wrenching. 

While writing about the New Jerusalem John said,  “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:7). A person’s name is inscribed in the Book of Life when they come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Lord is waiting to inscribe as many names as possible before it is too late. He gave us the task of evangelizing the lost.

As I read John’s words about the Book of Life, I was sobered by the content and implication. If it doesn’t sober us up and send a chill down our spine, we have lost a passion we need to regain.