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What happens to people who believe what you just read?

They will have everlasting life in heaven - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16) - and this is why the second verse** concludes, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What happens to those who don't believe this?

God said they will pay the penalty for their sins on their own in the everlasting fire of hell: "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)

What about going to heaven by doing enough good works?

If an Olympic athlete wins a gold medal and then murders someone, will his gold medal performance exonerate him of his murder? The issue is sin and justice, not works.

Then why do people who believe in Jesus do good works?

Not to gain salvation but to thank and honor Jesus, who saved us and told us to do good works. When you walk outside on a sunny day, your shadow follows you. Your shadow does not make your body; your shadow proves that your body is real. Likewise, good works do not produce salvation; good works prove that your faith in Jesus as your Savior is real. People who do good works thinking that those works save them reject Jesus' salvation and dishonor His sacrifice. We are saved not by what we do but by what Jesus did for us.

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