God wants us to dwell in eternity with him. But are there conditions we must fulfill to achieve this goal? Most Christians claim there are no conditions and cite John 3:16. But that verse shows a condition " . . whosoever believes. . ." To get around this most have a simple definitions for "believe" and ignore other verses such as Matthew 22 where when Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment he said "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." And how does He define "love"? Verses such as John 14:21 and 15:10 Show that we show our love to God when we obey his commandments. So we can clearly see that their are conditions to entering eternity.

Gary Smith

United Church of God Pastor

Gary Smith was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but spent most of his youth in the Pasadena, California area. He graduated from Ambassador College in 1976 and he and his wife, Liz, moved to Peoria, Illinois. For the next six years he worked as a nursing home administrator in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
In 1982, he and Liz began to serve in the full-time ministry. Since that time, they have served in a number of congregations in the Midwest.
Gary and Liz now pastor in Houston, Texas near their two children and grandson.