This is the second part of the devotional that looks at John 11:25-26, in which Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Last time we looked at the first sentence. This time we will look at part of the next sentence. After Jesus said he was “the resurrection and the life,” he then says, “whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
When Jesus says, “whoever believes in me,” the grammar in the original language actually points to CONTINUOUS BELIEF. He is not saying, “whoever put their belief in me at the age of 7 and then moved on at the age of 8…” No, instead he is saying, “whoever continuously believes in me…”
If you think about it, this is what faith is. True faith in Jesus is not a one-time thing. It is not something you check off on your list and then never have to worry about again. Faith in Jesus is something that is so monumental, so impacting, so important, that every area of your life from now until eternity is going to be affected.
Some people think of belief in Jesus like a gym membership. We’ve signed up, and then we can go whenever we want. But Scripture points to it being more like partaking in a journey. There is a starting point when we “set off” on the journey, but that is only the beginning. The journey continues!
Likewise, faith in Jesus has a starting point. But that is not the end point. It continues from there.
Now don’t mishear me. I am not saying that we are only saved if we keep believing. This puts way too much responsibility on the recipient of salvation. I am simply saying that the one who is truly saved is one who keeps on believing.
So today, I want to challenge you to not be lazy in your belief in Jesus. You may have made a positive step of faith one, five, or twenty years ago, but that should not be where you stop. Keep believing. Keep growing your faith. Keep developing a deeper relationship with Jesus. That is what we are called to do!