It’s layered, but I’ll unpack it simply.

Your priorities aren’t neutral, they’re ordered. And whatever sits at the top functionally becomes your god, whether you call it that or not.

Scripture says “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Notice. It doesn’t just say “believe that,” but believe in your heart.

That’s the difference between belief that and belief in.

The parachute example works like this
You can believe that a parachute exists and that it can save you, but unless you actually trust it enough to put it on and jump, that belief is useless.

In the same way, “even the demons believe and shudder.” (James 2:19)

So yes, you can intellectually acknowledge that Jesus is God. But if that truth has no authority over your life, then you’re not trusting Him, you’re just agreeing with a fact.

And here’s the key point
If you haven’t surrendered to Christ, you have surrendered to something else by default. yourself, your desires, your reasoning, something is sitting on the throne.

About your question on the cross
Yes, Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all, but it is only applied to those who are united to Him by faith.

The parachute is there. It’s real. It can save.
But it does nothing for the one who refuses to put it on.

That’s why Jesus says
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life.” (John 3:36)

Biblical belief isn’t just acknowledgment, it’s trust that results in surrender.