Faithless versus Faithful

Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Luke 7:18-19).

Some think that a true Christian cannot stop believing. To be saved only requires a measure of “initial” faith, yes, the size of a mustard seed, when one hears the gospel (Matt 17:20; John 6:47). The person is now conveyed from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13). Henceforth, they have a perfect and permanent position in Christ (1 Cor 12:13). However, there is no guarantee that their faith will be cultivated and therefore remain.

John the Baptist had the triune God revealed to Him when he baptized Jesus, heard the voice of the Father and saw the Holy Spirit, like a dove, descending upon the Lord (Mark 1:9-11). However, later, when he was imprisoned, he doubted whether Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus sent encouraging words to John to hearten him (Luke 7:22). Doubt is a reality, but fortunately we do not have to stay in that place (Mark 9:24; John 20:24-29).

A person without initial faith cannot be saved, but a saved person may lack faith to grow, temporarily or more permanently (Mark 9:19; Eph 2:8-9). Luckily, our salvation does not depend on us, but on Him. We may be faithless, but He remains faithful since He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2:13).