Grace in Focus (Grace Evangelical Society)
Episode: What Exactly Must One Believe to Have Everlasting Life?
Date: November 27, 2025
Overview
In this concise episode, hosts Bob Wilkin and Sam tackle a foundational question for Free Grace theology: What, exactly, is the saving message we should share about Jesus, and where does Scripture support this definition—especially in the Gospel of John? Drawing on listener questions and biblical passages, they clarify "belief in Jesus" in terms of the explicit promise of everlasting life, distinct from broader doctrines about Jesus' identity or work. Throughout, Wilkin stresses the clarity and simplicity of the biblical condition for eternal salvation, aiming to distinguish assurance, justification, and what must be believed to be born again.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Listener Question: Defining the Saving Message (00:52 - 01:53)
- Chris’s Query: Chris, a regular listener, asks: "What exactly are we asking people to believe about Jesus?" He notes that common phrasing like ‘believe in Him for everlasting life’ seems not to appear verbatim in John’s Gospel and wonders about the scriptural basis for this definition.
- Sam: Summarizes Chris’s skepticism: "There's no verse that explicitly says believe in Jesus Christ for everlasting life." (01:53)
2. Scriptural Foundation for Believing in Jesus for Everlasting Life (02:01 - 07:31)
- Bob Wilkin: Points out the three recurring elements in John’s Gospel:
- Jesus as the focus.
- The call to believe in Him.
- The promise of not perishing but having everlasting life.
- John 3:16 Cited: "Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." The result—everlasting life—is explicitly linked to belief.
- Bob: Pushes back against broader or alternative views (believing in Jesus' identity, deity, death/resurrection) not explicit in John:
"Well, none of that's found in the Gospel of John. What you find in John's Gospel repeatedly are those three elements: believing in Jesus for everlasting life." (03:31)
- John 11:25-27 (The Story of Lazarus’ Resurrection):
- Jesus’ promise: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (Read at 04:23)
- Bob explains: To "believe in" someone is to trust their promise—not just assent to their identity or deeds. In Jesus’ case, it's trusting His guarantee of resurrection and life.
3. What Does "Believing in Jesus" Really Mean? (04:37 - 08:14)
- Bob: Compares believing in Jesus to believing in a president’s promise:
"To believe in a person is to believe what they are promising..." (04:44)
- Breakdown of Jesus’ Dual Promises:
- Resurrection for the physically dead who believed.
- Eternal life (never dying) for the living believer.
- Wilkin: "The one who believes in me, though he may die physically, yet he shall live physically... And he who lives and believes in me shall never die. That’s a promise." (05:57)
- Martha’s Response: She believes because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God—a messianic affirmation supplying the reason for her faith in His promise (08:10).
4. Additional Proofs: The Woman at the Well (John 4) (08:14 - 10:03)
- Gift and Giver:
- Jesus: "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give Me a drink..." (John 4:10; read at 08:50)
- The "living water" is not everlasting life itself, but the message about it and its source (Jesus the Messiah, 09:18).
- John 4:25-26:
- Wilkin: "She knows he's the Messiah... she brings them the living water and says, could this be the Messiah?" (09:53)
- Key point: The required understanding is of both the gift (everlasting life) and the giver (Christ as Messiah who grants it).
5. Affirmation from Elsewhere in the New Testament (10:03 - 12:50)
- Ephesians 2:8-9: Salvation is "the gift of God, not of works."
- 1 Timothy 1:16:
- Paul as a pattern "to those who are going to believe in Him for everlasting life."
- Wilkin: "You see, if we believe in Him for temporary life, then we don't believe John 3:16 is true..." (11:21)
- Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16: Many passages echo the same core requirement.
- Wilkin’s Challenge:
"I would challenge all of you to carefully read the Gospel of John and see if those three elements aren't there every time Jesus evangelizes: believing in Him and for everlasting life." (11:50)
- Sometimes expressed positively, sometimes as promises never to perish or thirst.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On What it Means to Believe:
- Bob Wilkin:
"To believe in a person is to believe what they are promising." (04:44)
- Bob Wilkin:
- On Jesus’ Assurance to Martha:
- Jesus (quoted by Bob):
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (04:23)
- Jesus (quoted by Bob):
- Core Takeaway:
- Bob Wilkin:
"The key is we believe in Jesus for everlasting life. And that's found in Paul's writings… And all through the Gospel of John." (11:21)
- Bob Wilkin:
Important Timestamps
- 00:52 — Listener Chris’s central question posed.
- 02:01 — Framing the three elements seen in John’s Gospel.
- 03:31 — Rejection of alternative views not explicit in John.
- 04:23 — Reading of John 11:25-27 and first breakdown.
- 08:10 — Martha’s confession and her reason for faith.
- 08:50, 09:09 — John 4:10, 4:14: The living water metaphor explained.
- 10:03 — Discussion of the gift and giver, John 4:25-26.
- 11:11 — 1 Timothy 1:16 as New Testament affirmation.
- 11:50 — Wilkin’s challenge to listeners: trace these elements throughout John.
Conclusion
Bob Wilkin and Sam make a precise case that, according to John and leading New Testament witnesses, the only belief required for eternal salvation is trusting Jesus for His explicit promise of everlasting life. Identity, deity, or details of Christ’s work, while vital elsewhere, are not described in John as the saving message. Faith, in this Free Grace perspective, is specifically believing in Jesus’ promise of resurrection and eternal life to those who trust Him.
The episode provides both biblical clarity and practical direction for evangelism and personal assurance, all in GES’s straightforward, focused style.