The Cowardly and Unbelieving

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

It is plain that these verses, and others like them, condemn to the Lake of Fire all those who have heard the gospel but choose not to receive it. They have disbelieved it. But these verses do not condemn those who have never heard the good news. It is only those who hear and believe who pass out of death and into eternal life (John 5:24). A coward is one who rejects the good news because it places too great a demand on his life. Such people do not do what He said they must do to become His disciple — give up everything (Luke 14:26-33). The cowardly and unbelieving then, are those who have heard the message of the Gospel, and, like the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-31, go away sad because they will not give up all their own possessions. They mean more to many people than eternal life. The Son of God used the rich young ruler as an example to show what everyone must do to be saved — obey His word! (John 8:51; Hebrews 5:9; Acts 5:32).