Gospel Reflections #212: Love cannot be based on force; it must involve only free choice.

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned to perdition."

This does not mean that if we are baptized, we will be saved automatically.

We are given free will by God, and when we were in sin we could not use our free will. We may think we are using our free will, but under the influence of sin, no matter what we chose, we had no choice but to perish.

Through the cross of Jesus, we were set free from sin and allowed to use our free will in the true sense of the word. Free will is the choice we make of our own volition.

After knowing what Jesus has done for us and what God has done for us, we have the choice to believe in God or not.

This is not just something we express with our mouths, but with our hearts.

It may be more important to believe in our hearts, which are invisible, than in our visible form of baptism. Since faith is not visible, only God can know it.

Only God knows that we sincerely believe in and accept God.Also, God does not mean to destroy those who do not believe in Him. God loves those who believe and those who do not believe equally. However, because God respects our free will, He does not force those who do not accept Him to accept Him. However, if we do not accept God, we are choosing our own path of destruction.

This has nothing to do with the fact that we are good Christians or that we do many wonderful things. It is only our choice.

If we are seeking God in the depths of our hearts, even in situations where we cannot even choose, God will firmly receive our thoughts. Even if we have no proof that we have chosen God or have done anything to prove it, if we have faith in our hearts as much as a mustard seed, God is willing to accept us.

God knows all our weaknesses and stubbornness.

The more we know how much Jesus has done for us instead of looking to us, the more we want to respond to Him. We will want to be with Jesus by our own choice.

That is God's love!

---

This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that has filled her heart.