Why do people think they have to believe in Jesus

@LadyGrace But for many people it is the religion that holds them back from believing.

@Axeroberts Please read my post and you will see that it is not religion I'm talking about. That's the difference. Can you tell me in the Bible where it says that all religious people go to heaven? If that were the case, then how would we decide which religion goes to heaven? That's why religion doesn't matter a hill of beans. Anyone can be "religious", but are they in a personal relationship with Christ? Huge difference. Jesus never once said he came to save those who are religious or belong to a certain denomination. What he said was he came to save the world. That includes everyone who wants to come to him for salvation. Big difference. The difference between making heaven or not, according to God's Word. God said our performance as individuals, has no bearing on our salvation, nor does what church we are affiliated with or religious group.

@LadyGrace but my salvation is with God, the Creator. Not a man, whoever he claims to be. I would never have found God otherwise

@Axeroberts God says in His Word, that the only way to Him, is through His son, Jesus. Can you believe that? It's right in God's Word and he makes the rules. Again I think this will all make sense to you if you will please just read my whole article and then we can talk more about this and you'll see why we need Jesus. Man's communication with God was cut off when Adam and Eve sinned. In order to restore that Fellowship with God Almighty, we must now go through Jesus, whom God appointed and approved to be Savior of this world. Jesus is our appointed Mediator BY Father God, between God and man....because Father God will not look upon sin, He is so Holy. We were completely cut off from God after Adam and Eve sinned. This cut our communication with God completely out and so we needed a mediator between God and man, so God put his plan in place and appointed Jesus as mediator between God and man so we could once again have fellowship with him through his son Jesus Christ who paid for our sins and atoned for them on the cross so that whosoever comes to Jesus and wants to be saved, can do so through him. When we pray to Jesus as mediator, he goes straight to his father in Heaven on our behalf and tells him we humbly ask for forgiveness of our sins so that we can be brought back into fellowship with our Father in Heaven. He never turns us away.

@LadyGrace what are you trying to prove. God's word is written in our heart's not in a book. but God speaks to us all differently in a way we can understand. I would encourage people to find that way for themselves.

@Axeroberts
How else do you think we found out God's Plan of Salvation? How do you think the way of Salvation traveled, from the moment Christ died on the cross up till today? How do you think we found out the good news of Salvation if not by first the disciples, and then those who followed who were saved? Why do you think God handed down His Word to us through holy men of old? That was his way of making sure that we would not miss heaven and know how to be saved, not guess. God's Word is God's love letter to mankind....what does this verse from God's Word tell you?

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:13

God's Word told us exactly where it comes from. From "holy men of old". Can you not believe God? You think he's a liar? Did God give you permission to change his Plan of Salvation to what you think it should be?
Do you know better than God?

2 Peter 1:21 - "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

God's word cannot be written in our hearts if we won't even accept his words in the Bible to holy men of old, given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit telling them what to write.

God spoke to us in His Word, which was given to the world and written by the Holy Spirit so that all could understand. He gave it with one voice of the Holy Spirit, telling us exactly what we need to do to be saved and why. Tell me what is so hard to understand about these verses in John chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. They could not be more clear:

16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, (meaning Jesus) should not perish, but have everlasting life.

WHY did God send His Son into the world?

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We can go by another plan, but God tells us that will not work. If you wanted to go to New York would I send you to Florida, the opposite direction? It won't work! Try all you want but it won't work any other way but what God said his plan would do for us. Why are you being so stubborn about that? I didn't make the rules nor the conditions of salvation. God did, but apparently you're not listening. You want to do it your own way, no matter what, and Jesus said that won't work.

Proverbs 14:12-16KJV
There is a way which seems right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.

@Axeroberts God is the one who made the Plan of Salvation and how else will we know what that plan is unless we read His Word? He said we just can't make up our own way of salvation, over God's, and expect it to work. He sent these conditions down, so that we won't miss them or miss heaven. Jesus IS the Word, come down in the flesh.

John 1:14 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It reads: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word did not just appear to be human; the Word became flesh.

I believe you love God, with all my heart, but I think you missed God's real message in His Word, apparently not believing in His Word. If you love Him.... and I know you do.....then please....believe Him. All the things I have told you, are the things that Jesus taught people when he came to Earth. I'm just sharing with you what He taught. If any way other than his would have worked to save us, I'm sure he would have told us so, but he said no, "I am the way the truth and the life", and that no man can come to His Father, except BY HIM.

He also said, if we're ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us, before His Father in heaven.

@Axeroberts You talk about proof. I'm not here to prove anything but only to share the gospel of Christ, which He told His disciples to do. But Jesus DID come to prove who He was, when He came down from heaven and died on the cross, so that we could be saved. He not only said He loves us, He proved it by his actions. Yet, you say differently. Do you think he died on the cross in vain? I don't, because there are millions of people that have believed what Christ said and trusted in His Word, and have found salvation. Unless we trust in Him and His promises, Jesus said there is no salvation. Salvation doesn't happen by wishful thinking. What makes you think your way is the better way? Jesus said his way was the only way. Why would you not believe him? He more than proved himself. He's not going to do that again.