It depends on what survey you read and who actually does the survey, but some recent surveys have found that 92% of Americans believe in God. (The purpose of this short article is not to dissect exactly what they meant by belief in God.) So, that means that things are not as bad as we thought, right? That means that 92% of Americans are ok and will go to heaven, right?
Well, let’s think about it. Jesus said that there will be “many who go in by” the wide gate to destruction, and that there will be “few who find” the narrow gate to life (Matt. 7:13-14). How do Jesus’ ratios match up with 92%? Hebrews 11:6 states that we must not only “believe that He is” (like the 92%), but also believe that He rewards only “those who diligently seek Him.” The wrath of the vengeance of Christ’s judgment will extend not only to those “who do not know God,” but also to “those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8).
Just believing in God is not enough to get me to heaven! I must obey Him!