so does this mean i only have to belief once ?.....
What does it say on the cheque?
What is the work of the Holy Spirit in the first instance?
If you look at the word believe in the John 1:12 it means
pisteuō; from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ): — believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
So we entrust our well being in Christ as a result of our faith in him.
Some will say we need to continue in our trust in him, but to me that's the wrong way around.
Jesus took trusting in him to a further level.
"Don't worry about what you will eat tomorrow, if God gives the birds food to eat will he not feed you?
If you think about it we cannot or don't entrust 24/7 our trust in him.
To me and from my experience when people, like I did wandered of the path because of foolish things said to me and comments made assumed I had lost my faith.
A quick example for me is that I served actively within the church. Built up a very good youth group. Spent hours and hours working for it. I did this whilst suffering severe anxiety, this was as a result of being thrown out by mother as a teenager, being fostered by a Christian family and then find me self being sexually abused by my foster dad.
Whilst leading the youth group my wife and I started a young family and I was studying for my accountancy exams.
I got to the point that I could not cope anymore.
I stepped down as youth group leader. I'm needed help, I had given out so much over 2 years. I hardly went to a meeting because I couldn't as a result of my youth work.
When I approached an elder and explained all this and asked for help, with anxiety and spiritual depression as such he said "No as you are no longer giving out in the church"
When I stepped down from the youth work they placed someone else in. Within months the youth group went from 100 plus to less than 20.
I had people telling me it was my fault.
I stopped going to church for 14 years and I was written off as an unbeliever by many.
In fact when my second child was born and we wanted to dedicate her the leader of the church called me and said "I can't let you stand in front of the church and dedicate your daughter because you don't come to church"
I pulled him aside and said to him "How dare you, I have not lost my faith in `Jesus I have lost faith in this church and it's people, people like you"
You see Jimbo we can be quick to judge but do not know what's going on behind closed doors.
No one other than my wife knew that for those 14 years that every night I cried out to Jesus with tears in my eyes please help me, I need you so much. In fact I got to the stage I started praying "God kill me tonight so I know where I am going and it's probably hell, but you know what I'm living hell on earth but I know you will take care of my family"
Now does that sound like a man has lost his faith? I will leave that up to you to answer.
So I am here now posting this, what does that tell you about me and about a loving Jesus that even when I went so far away from him I am here now.
Who rescued who?