“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3:16

This is one of the most familiar scriptures from the Gospels.  Many Christians, including myself, find it beautifully soothing because Jesus announces that he has not come to condemn the world but to save it.  Others don’t find it so soothing.

Somebody close to me asked once, “What kind of God would condemn people just because they don’t believe in Him?” I thought about this.  Jesus isn’t talking about belief in the same way as believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.  Rather, he is talking about a disposition.  By disposition, I mean an attitude of openness to truth and a searching for goodness.

Most people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ are people who have never met him in the Gospels.  The only exposure to Christ that these nonbelievers have is what they see in the media or what they observe from imperfect Christians.  Let’s face it, while there are many inspiring followers of Christ in the world, there are also many whose discipleship lacks any depth.

Most nonbelievers yearn for goodness and light.  If they were to meet Christ, Himself, at the moment of death, they wouldn’t turn away.  They wouldn’t be condemned.  My hope, though, is that they will meet Him during their life.  The best way to meet Him is to actually read the Gospels, because if you don’t know the Gospels, you don’t know Christ.  People won’t actually do that unless they are inspired in some way.  For this reason, it is important for Christians to live fully in the light.  Pope Francis is a great example of this.  He has many nonbelievers taking notice.  We must all strive to be like him.

It is a choice to turn away from Jesus.  In John 6:37, Jesus says, “…I will not reject anyone who comes to me…” Jesus came so that everyone could be saved.  Some people choose to live in darkness. They don’t want their evil deeds exposed.   In order to come into the light, they must be cleansed.  The stronger the sin, the more painful this process will be.  One can choose to avoid this pain and remain in the darkness, but this obstinate disposition will not get you into the Kingdom of God.