“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” – John 3:36
Belief in Christ is never mere mental agreement! Acknowledging that Jesus existed and agreeing to a few historical facts about Him is not belief. Belief in Jesus, as Lord, as the Son of God, always entails living like that’s true. Genuine belief accepts Christ’s Lordship and submit one’s life to His Lordship.
Biblically, we can’t separate belief from the desire to obey Jesus. If we try, what’s left isn’t belief that saves us from our sins or causes God’s righteous wrath to pass over us. As followers of Jesus, our faith should be compelling us to increasingly pursue obedience to Jesus. We should want to become more like Him and follow His example more closely.
Our work of obedience to Christ doesn’t save us, but it proves our faith is truly saving faith. In every Christian, there should be evidence of ongoing life change. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we should not be the same today as we were on the day we first believed in Jesus. Praise God for that!