Once Saved Always Saved…??

Ok, let’s face it, this is a VERY tough topic for many people… So, let me just say right here, I am not going to even pretend to say I have the answer to this question as I am still on the journey of discovery. I guess my goal in writing this blog is to share with you my journey thus far regarding this topic. Over the years, as I have grown in my walk and knowledge of the Lord, my thoughts, beliefs and ideas on this subject have changed a few times based on scriptures that I read. I have gone from thinking, “Once we give our lives to Jesus we are saved, that's it. It's a done deal, and we can never “lose” our salvation”, to “We aren’t saved unless we endure till the end!”… To where I am now… which I will share with you in a bit :) This has turned out to be a pretty long blog, mostly due to all the scriptures I have posted, but I encourage you to hang in there with me! I hope you will not be disappointed.

Once Saved Always saved

Here are the scriptures that led me to believe in the “once saved always saved” theology:

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:15-16

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”  John 6:47

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

“I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Act 2:19-21

“They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Acts 16:31

And then we have the thief on the cross:

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

I LOVE this story because it counters the belief that you have to be “baptized” to be saved, or that you have to pray a certain “prayer”, or speak in tongues… The thief just acknowledges that Jesus is Lord by recognizing and acknowledging that He has a “Kingdom”!!

The scriptures I have listed above are pretty basic. Just believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved and have eternal life!! But then… I would run across scriptures like the ones below and it would make me wonder if there wasn’t MORE to this salvation thing…:

He who overcomes and stands firm to the end will be saved!

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”  John 15:2-6

If we don’t “remain in Him” we can wither and be thrown into the fire?? Here are a couple more like this:

“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Luke 3:9

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Matthew 21:43

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:10-11

Be Faithful and He will give you the crown of life…? He who “overcomes” will not

be hurt by the second death??

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5

This implies that our names CAN be blotted out of the book of life!! If we don’t “overcome” will our names be removed??

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11

Ok… so if I DO fall, will I NOT be welcomed into the eternal Kingdom??

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13

This one is like the branch. If we lose our “saltiness” we are good for nothing and can be thrown out!

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 24:10-13

So, we CAN “turn away” from the faith, but we can also “stand firm to the end” and be saved. So… is it simply to believe and be saved…??

“Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from…' Luke 13:23-27

This implies that people will “think” they are saved, trying to enter through the narrow door but will not be able to…

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 10:21-22 & Mark 13:13

Again, it’s not just a matter of just “believing in Jesus” but “… he who stands firm to the end” will be saved!

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” Hebrews 3:12-14

Again, we CAN turn away from God! It just doesn’t suddenly “disappear” or become “Lost” but we can “choose” our salvation away!! So we must hold firmly till the end!

Being a disciple of Jesus…

Then I began to notice a different terminology used by Jesus, “You cannot be my ‘disciple’…!” Hmmm… that is interesting. Not just to believe and be “saved” but, to become a disciple of Christ. In reading these scriptures, it seems that the bar is set much higher and is more difficult for these people:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-27

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

What is the difference between being saved and being a disciple?

I have run across a few Oswald devotions that speak about being a disciple as well:

September 4th Oswald:

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luk_14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, "[You] cannot be My disciple." This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.

This is such an interesting thought!! I can be “saved” but not “entirely His”?! I am still chewing on that one!

September 25th Oswald

If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . ." (Joh_15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began.

So, are the scriptures above referring to just disciples or to everyone?? And Oswald brings up another really good point in that God says we don’t choose HIM but He chooses us (John 15:16)! So, now we are talking about being “chosen”!!? Does that mean He chooses His disciples or who will be saved, or both?? Whew! I can get pretty overwhelmed just thinking about all that these scriptures say and what it all means… (Here are a few more if you want to look them up: Hebrews 6:4-6, 1 Corinthians 9 24-10:13, Luke 8:11-15, Hebrews 2:1)

So, as promised at the beginning, I will share where I am now with this question (but again, I am still open to new information and revelation from God!) I do still believe we can call on the Name of Jesus, believe in Him and we will be saved. But…! I don’t think it ends there! I believe it is a journey! Day by day surrendering and dying to myself and giving my life to Him each and every day! Not just a “one time thing”! If we TRULY believe in Him and love Him, wouldn’t we want to pursue Jesus above all else?? And wouldn’t our lives reflect the true transformation and fruit that a relationship with Him reveals? We can’t just pray a prayer, say we believe and then go on with our lives, business as usual. We need to produce spiritual fruit. If, in our hearts we do believe, we WILL be saved and the fruit will come naturally. (Side note: I feel like I need to say here that it is not up to “me” to decide what is in another person’s heart or what spiritual fruit should look like in their life. Only God can do that!! I just need to focus on MY relationship and journey with Him.)

When I asked Tom how he would explain it he came up with a perfect analogy. He said that being saved is like getting married. It’s not just about saying “I do”! You spend the rest of your married life investing in the other person, building your relationship and growing in intimacy as you fully know them and are fully known by them. That is the same thing with Jesus! Just like getting married, we say “I do” to Him, give our life to Him, and then spend the rest of our lives pursuing that relationship and intimacy with Him to know Him as He knows us. It’s not just a “one moment in time” event, but a daily investment, through thick and thin, in riches and poverty, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad. There will be times of closeness, times of distance, frustration, hurt and anger but all those things can and should draw you closer to Him… IF you overcome and stand firm till the end. But, unfortunately many of us get discouraged and give up, like in our marriages, and we choose to “divorce” the Lord… And maybe that is when we “choose” our salvation away and stop producing fruit?

Ok, so on that note, let’s take this “marriage” analogy a little further. There are many marriages with people just “living together” having given up on the marriage relationship, but they still stay married because it is easier than doing anything about it. They just exists under the same roof but are living separate lives and not pursuing intimacy. I think we can say that there are Christians in the world doing the same thing with Jesus. They are disillusioned and have stopped pursuing Him but, while they still believe in Him, they are living their own life separate from Him. Are they saved?? Are they like the ones who choose to turn away? I have no idea… I just know that “fruit” is really important to God.  

Anyway, this all still seems so incomplete, falling so short of discovering what it means to be saved, and I know I still have so much more to learn. Tom says, “I don’t think we truly understand what God means when He says we are saved because we have been listening to man’s interpretation for so long!” How can we possibly comprehend such an amazing and complex God!!??? So, to simplify it for myself, I boil it down to my life’s verses; To seek first HIS Kingdom, to fix my eyes on Him, Abide in Him, and to Love Him with ALL my heart, soul, strength and mind, and I KNOW He will take care of the rest!! :) To me it is MORE than just “being saved”, it is a pursuit of a relationship with someone I REALLY love and want to get to know better! The “salvation prayer” has unfortunately been turned into a “get out of hell free” card that we think we can just present to God when we face Him. In this case, does “once saved always saved” apply?? To be honest, I really don’t know! But, from what these scripture tell me, "…he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from…' Luke 13:23-27 Do we really want to risk hearing those words from Him?? I don’t!

Holy Spirit, I thank you that you continually open my eyes to see You more and more clearly each day. Thank you for this journey of discovery of YOU and of Your heart for ME. I am excited that you continue to reveal more insights into your purpose and plan and that I don’t stay the same but am always changing and growing as I allow you to reveal yourself to me. Help me Lord to always keep my eyes fixed on YOU, the author and perfecter of my faith. With all my love, your daughter, Linda :)

Why did Jesus come??

So… why DID Jesus come?? If someone asked me that question a few years ago I would have said “He came to sacrifice Himself on the cross to pay for our sins, to reunite us to the Father and, for those who believe in Him, He will give eternal life.” Which, isn’t necessarily “incorrect” but it isn’t “complete” either! How about you? How would YOU answer that question?

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”  John 12:46-47

Once again, as I was listening to the gospels a couple weeks ago, the phrases I kept hearing were, “I have come to…” or “I came to…” or “I did not come to…” So I decided to look up all the scriptures that Jesus said “why” He came or “why” He did not come. I have been enjoying pulling out scriptures for my topics because I see things I never saw before and this was no exception! To start I have listed some of the scriptures that go along with and confirm my answer (listed above) to this this question:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:38-40

“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” John 12:27

He also came to spread the Good news and to testify to the truth:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Mark 1:35-38

“You are a king, then! said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37

He didn’t come for the healthy or the righteous but for the sick and the sinners:

“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:11-13 (Also in Mark 2:17)

But wait! There’s more! While He did come to save the lost, and to preach the good news to others, it appears that he came for more than that!! I think most of the messages we hear are about Jesus bringing peace, love and joy and lots of warm fuzzies along with His salvation. But in looking up these scriptures I don’t think that is what He is saying! In this next scripture He says He did NOT come to bring peace but “Fire and division”!

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.​"​  Luke 12:49-51

And here He says He did not come to bring peace but a sword and division in our families:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:34-38

Whoa!! That is intense!! No warm fuzzies there! He also says He came to fulfill the law:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:17-18

And He came for judgement:

“Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." John 9:39

Well now, that kind of puts things into a different perspective, don’t you think?? I love hearing from the “Truth” because He clarifies things and gives us greater depth and understanding into the spiritual world. We can get all caught up in the “world’s” ways of thinking and can completely miss the “eternal” thinking and plan of God.

Ok, to summarize, I am hearing Jesus say that He came as a light into the world to save it and bring eternal life, to do His Father’s will, to spread the good news and to testify to the truth. He came for the sick and the sinners, to bring fire, a sword and division, Judgement and finally He came to die and be resurrected. I am sure there is more but I think this is a good representation of why He came and something He can build on. This has been a very cool exercise as well as enlightening!

I will leave you with one more scripture and hopefully some thought provoking questions and observations from Tom:

“Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:9-10

Tom had some really good insight into this scripture that I thought I would share. Tom’s question to us is; “What was lost”? Jesus came to seek and to save “what was lost”… We tend to automatically assume that He is referring to “people” but the phrase is singular; “what”. What was lost? Wouldn’t He have said “those who were lost” if He was talking about people? Now, I am not saying this assumption is wrong but stick with me here for a minute. The context of this phrase is right after His encounter with Zacchaeus:

“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:8-9

Tom’s thought is that what was lost is “faith”! Faith in God and His goodness! Zacchaeus’ sudden transforming faith and belief in Jesus caused him to have a change in heart to pay back those whom he had cheated. Was Jesus impressed by his declaration of faith in HIM when He spoke those words? Possibly? I thought that was brilliant! And I do have to say that I think Tom has something here… how about you?

“I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

Father, I thank you SO MUCH for sending Jesus to purchase us back for You! We were lost, and now we are saved! I pray also that FAITH is restored to us all! Faith in You and Your ability to care for us each and every day. No fear but only FAITH! With much love, Linda :)

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

“Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

I love this scripture for a couple reasons. First, I love how absolutely honest and “real” this father is!! I DO believe… but I know that there is still a measure of unbelief in me… please help me Lord with that unbelief! How many of us are truly that honest with ourselves or others let alone with God??

Secondly, this very real statement awakens in ME the awareness of the Unbelief I have in my own heart. I can get pretty delusional thinking I am “all that and a bag of chips” in the “believing” area! But when I read this heart-felt, deeply personal and emotional plea, it resonated in my heart and mind and it makes me more aware of my own unbelief and I too want to cry out “Lord, help me overcome my unbelief!!”

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

As I have been listening to the gospels I tend to pick up on certain words each time I listen and recently the word “believe” was my word for the day. As I listened to Jesus’ words I had this sense that our current understanding and definition of the word “believe” was very different than what it meant to Jesus. He would say over and over “Whoever believes…”, “…to those who believe…”, “He who believes…” We can so easily brush past this word, and I have so many times, but I hear Him now imploring me to “get it”! Mostly the context is regarding believing in HIM, believing in His name and in the One who sent Him.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

I say I “believe in Jesus”, and I truly do mean it, but… Do I really believe in Him the way I need to?? The way HE is asking me to?? As I walk this journey to know God, I find myself believing in Him more and more as I get to “KNOW” Him better… and I can definitively say I believe in Him more now than I used to, but maybe I don’t believe in Him as much as I think I do or need too?? We as Christians say “of course I believe!” And we throw around the word “believe” like it is a normal everyday common thing to say and do… easy peazy, right? But, what did Jesus say would accompany those who “believed”?

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:17-18 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22 “Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:23 

So, after reading these scriptures I have to seriously question if I truly do understand what Jesus means by “believe”!! The famous line from the movie “Princess Bride” comes to mind “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”!! I have never cast out demons, laid my hands on sick people and healed them or cast mountains into the sea… I haven’t drank deadly poison or picked up snakes to know if I would survive that, but I do speak in a new tongue and I do have some prayers answered! I have that going for me… which is nice :) But I can’t help feeling like I am still missing something very important.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

So I decided to look up the actual Greek word that is used for “believe” to see if there was something more to this word than meets the eye. Unfortunately, I can’t say there was anything profound or earth shattering in this definition. The Greek word is pisteuō - (pist-yoo'-o) to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual wellbeing to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with. In looking at the definition of our English word I did find this little nugget: "faith", "trust" and "believe" in English translations all come from the same Greek root (pisteuo).

So combining these three words; faith, trust and believe, gives the word “believe” a little more meaning, depth and strength in my mind. Sometimes I can “believe” someone and yet not “trust” them, but Jesus asks us to embrace all three of these aspects when we “believe” in HIM. Is my faith, trust and belief in Him whole-hearted and completely without doubt…?

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” John 3:18

If you haven’t figured this out already, most of the scriptures posted here are referring to  believing in Jesus to receive eternal life!! This is kind of an important aspect of believing, don’t you think?? If I really don’t “get” or understand what Jesus means, that could put a serious crimp in my eternal well being!! I think this is worth a deeper looksee, don’t you?!

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” John 6:47

Tom brought up a good point in that we should address what it doesn’t mean. It is much more than believing certain facts ABOUT Him!! We can believe He is born of a virgin, the son of God, who died for our sins, and rose again but then not actually believe “IN” Him. If we REALLY believed not only these facts about Him, but believed in Him, I think our lives would look very different. We say we accept them as truth but we don’t act on them. We don’t live as though we believe them! In the co-addiction world we are taught to believe the behavior, not the words. Does my life and behavior reflect my words of belief and trust in Jesus??

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36

For example, let’s look at an everyday aspect of “believing” in God. God says He is our provider and we say we believe in Him but, don’t we rely on our paycheck, bank account, savings and retirement more than Him? We comfort ourselves by saying that God provided all those things so that we could rely on them. But, if we suddenly lost those things how would we feel?? I think we would be gripped with fear and panic, right?! Where is our faith and trust now?? “OMG, how am I going to pay the bills, put food on the table… buy gas for my car so I can get to work!!?? Where is the money going to come from now!!??” Tom says, “It’s easy to trust God when I have money in the bank”! But if we really believed Jesus was our provider, there would be NO FEAR, but only trust and confidence that He will take care of me even without a paycheck, savings and retirement! The fact that we have fear at all in our life reveals our lack of belief in our Lord.

“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40

So here is a question. What is He asking us to believe in? Believe in what?? In Him, His name, the One who sent Him…? What does that even mean? Do we believe He is just a “good person” with encouraging words? Do we believe He loves us and has good things in mind for us? (I have learned that the word “Good” looks very different to God than it does to me!). Or, do we believe that He is the “Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."? Revelation 1:8  Can we even grasp the depth and the power of those words!? Are they just “words” to us and not transforming “life and truth”? Have I allowed Him to pour His heart and Life into me so much that it pushes all doubt and fear out? Can I truly grasp who He is enough to have the faith, trust and belief that He is asking for??

“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17

I don’t have any answers here… I wish I did! But I am still on this journey of growing and learning. I am writing this blog mostly because it is a discovery of my own that I felt I needed to personally address. Do I really understand what believing in Jesus means? I would have to say, I don’t think so!! I don’t have any fear or anxiety over this but I do have a desire to seek God’s face to get to the bottom of this question: What is God’s definition of “believe” and will I allow Him to help me get there??!!

“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Yes, Lord, she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." John 11:25

Lord, I do believe but please help me overcome my unbelief!!