John 3:15 KJV — That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
None of us start from a place of waving and frolicking in the water, calmly considering what we’re going to do with the gospel, Jesus, issues of life and death.
We start off not waving, but drowning.
To believe in Jesus is to be rescued from perishing in the water.
Anything else, no matter how dressed up it is, is to stay in a state of perishing.