ANNOUNCER: Faith for eternal salvation is not considered a work, but if continuous belief is required for eternal salvation, then that might be considered to involve work. There’s a question about this today. We’ll discuss it right here on Grace in Focus. Glad you’re with us today, friend. This is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Our website is faithalone.org. There you can learn more about us, including our free online seminary, our free magazine, and our many online articles which you can read and study. Also, we’re inviting you to our national annual conference, coming up this May 18th through the 21st. It is at Camp Copass in Denton, Texas, a beautiful venue. We will enjoy teaching and fellowship around the theme, “Believe in Christ for Life.” There’s a VBS for kids, and their theme is going to be crowns and rewards. Get all the information you need, get registered. Join us May 18th through the 21st, and the website is faithalone.org. 

Now with today’s question and answer discussion, here’s Bob Wilkin, along with Sam Marr.

SAM: Bob, we’ve got a question from Marcia on belief. So she asks, I’m studying eternal security and wondering, if believing in Jesus is what we need to do to be saved, and yet it’s not a work, why is continuing to believe in Jesus considered a work? 

BOB: Yeah, that’s a great question, Marcia. When you first read that to me, it kind of stumped me, because believing in Jesus is not what Paul would call a work. Now, Jesus does call it a work in John 6:29. Remember, Jesus is asked, what works, plural, must we do that we may work the works of God? And Jesus’ answer was, John 6:29, this is the work, singular, of God that you believe in Him whom He sent. 

So I think Jesus was speaking sarcastically there, or ironically there, it’s almost like, let me put some air quotes around it. This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent. So I think Jesus was not saying it was a work in the sense of a work of a law, or what Paul would call a work in Ephesians 2:8-9, but it’s an action, right? It is an action. And the question she’s asking is that ongoing action, a work. And I would say no, because what we believe is simply what we are persuaded is true. It’s not a work to continue to believe something, whether it’s believing in Jesus for the gift of everlasting life, or whether, let’s say, I believe that it’s more blessed to give than receive, or I believe I should love my wife as Christ loved the church. Continuing to believe those things is not a work. What’s a work is what I do is what I believe. 

But before we get there and we can go over to James 2:17 in a minute, but you mentioned that we probably ought to talk about John 3:16. So what’s going on? Why would some people say you have to have continuous faith in order to have everlasting life? 

SAM: Right. Her question is starting with the foundation that she agrees with us, that belief in Christ for everlasting life is a one time event. But some people will say, because John 3:16, the word used there for believe is a present active participle, they translate it for whoever continues to believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life, or who the ones believing in him. It’s translated different ways, but essentially some people will say, you have to have continuous belief in Christ. Therefore, if at any point you stop believing in Christ, you are no longer having everlasting life, and you can now perish.

BOB: Right. Or they would say you never had it. Because, let me give you an example. Two new Testament scholars from my alma mater, Dallas Seminary, both said, ho pisteuon, the present active participle you’re talking about with the definite article, ho, means the one who continuously believes. And they say that a single act of believing is not what that means. Dr. Bock went so far as to say that it’s perseverance in faith over the lifetime. Well, if that were true, you will not yet have persevered in faith, right? I have not yet persevered and faith. Even if you’ve believed continuously for 50 years, if you stop before you die, well, then you’re not going to get everlasting life because you stopped continuously believing. You don’t get it while you’re continuing to, you get it if you continue to the end of your life. 

And the problem with that view is it doesn’t make any sense. For example, John the Baptist is called ho baptizon. It’s the same thing. It’s a present active participle with the definite article. He’s still the Baptist long after he died. He’s called the Baptist in Scripture after he had been put to death. And it doesn’t mean that John is baptizing people right now in heaven. 

Think, for example, when Jesus says, the one who drinks of this water, he uses the present active participle, ho pinon, the one who drinks. He doesn’t mean the one who continuously drinks of this water has to drink again. He’s saying, the one who drinks with this water has to keep coming back to drink again later, because one drink isn’t enough for ever satisfy your thirst, unless you drink the living water and then one drink will do it. 

And the same thing with the one who lives. In John 11:26, Jesus said, the one who lives and believes in me shall never die. ho zon kai ho pisteuon. Well, the ho zon doesn’t mean one who lives forever and never dies. It means if you’re talking to a living human being who right now believes in Jesus, you’re talking to someone who’s never going to die spiritually. They have everlasting life. So part one of the answer to Marcia’s good question is, it doesn’t take continuous faith to have everlasting life. All it takes is believing in Jesus. 

Now, let’s do her part two. Why isn’t this a work? Well, it’s not a work because faith without works is dead. Remember, James 2:17, James 2:20, James 2:26. Three times, James says, faith without works is dead and it’s clear what he means by dead. He doesn’t mean faith without works is not faith. What he means is faith without works is unprofitable or unproductive. For example, James 2:14 starts out, what does it profit or what use is it or what good is it depending on your translation? Verse 16 ends with the exact same expression in Greek and English. What profit is it, what good is it, what use is it? And then he says, so also faith without works is dead. That is unprofitable, useless, no good. 

ANNOUNCER: It’s coming, it’ll be here before you know it. What am I talking about? The Grace Evangelical Society’s National Conference 2026, May 18th through the 21st at Camp Copass, an absolutely beautiful campground in North Texas right on the lake with lots of recreation, great food, a great place to stay, wonderful fellowship, and wonderful Free Grace Bible teaching. Information and online registration now at faithalone.org/events. First timers waive registration fees. Faithalone.org/events.

BOB: Let’s say you believe that you should honor your husband. You believe you should submit to your husband. Well, that’s a good belief, but if you don’t do anything about that, you don’t honor your husband, then what use is that? You have the belief, but you don’t have the work that is pleasing to God. 

So in terms of what God tells us, if we don’t apply God’s word, then we are not working for God. If you believe that by faith in Jesus, you have everlasting life, but you aren’t going to church, praying, worshiping, giving, it’s not influencing your work life, it’s not influencing the way you drive, it’s not influencing anything in your life. Then what good is your belief? 

SAM: And what good is it to you and what good is it to the people around you? The exact context of James too is your hungry brother who has no clothes, and your faith is no good if your faith tells you to tell him, be warm to be filled, but you don’t give him anything. A faith that works is one that would give your brother clothes and give him food to eat. I think that’s where people get confused. I mean, that’s where this question comes from. People want the clear distinction of there’s faith and there’s works, and those are the only two categories. Everything’s either a belief or a work. And so when you have continuous beliefs, some people want to say, well, you don’t have to continue believing to have everlasting life, so it must be a work. But I think that’s a misunderstanding of continuing belief. 

BOB: I get the fact that Paul says, if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. And the Lord Jesus said, he overcomes and keeps My works till the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. But that’s different than saying, if I endure in believing in Jesus, I must endure in my confession of Jesus in order to rule and reign with Him. Jesus said, he who confesses Me before men, him will I confess before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32, and then He went on to say, he who denies Me before men, him will I deny before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:33. 

The part about, he who denies from him will I deny. That’s Timothy 2:12 part b, if we endure will reign with Him, if we deny Him, He will deny us, the privilege of ruling and reigning. So Matthew 10:32 and 33 is interpreted by Paul. It’s not dealing with unbelievers, it’s dealing with believers. And it’s saying, if the believer does not endure in confessing Christ, then that believer is not going to reign with Him. 

And so the fact that you endure in your faith doesn’t mean you’re enduring in your confession of Christ. And part of the way you confess Christ is going to church. You’re in the believing community. If you simply believe in, you’re a secret Christian, you aren’t a person that’s serving God, then yeah, you have eternal life, but you’re not enjoying it now. And you’re not going to be highly rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ. You’re not going to rule and reign because you’re not a confessing Christian. 

SAM: So we need to first believe in Christ for everlasting life. That’s always the starting point. And that’s the message that you should share with unbelievers. Everything else we’ve talked about here is not fruitful to an unbeliever because they’re still dead. They need to receive life first before this can apply to them. But then once you’re a believer, you need to maintain your belief. And like you said, it’s not necessarily a work you do, but there certainly works and actions you can take that will strengthen your faith or weaken your faith. Like we talked about previously, if you stop going to church, if you isolate yourself from other believers, that can affect your belief. And eventually you might stop believing. You might lose that faith because you’re not strengthening yourself with other believers with God’s word. But the continuing belief we have is your foundation line. And on that we build good works where we help other people, we live the way God wants us to. We confess Christ until the end. And then that’s when we’re persevering. That’s running the race like Paul talks about. But you still have to have that continuing faith as your foundation for that. But it’s not the work. It’s the reason you’re doing those things. 

BOB: Yeah. And one other quick point. It’s not enough to believe that by faith in Jesus, I have everlasting life. There are probably a million different propositions in the Bible and God wants us to believe all of them. So all the commands of Scripture we should believe and apply. Part of Christian growth is learning what God wants us to do and applying that. And also part of Christian growth is learning how to do that. It’s by going to church and having the word taught and my mind is renewed. And as a result, my behavior is transformed. Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:16. Well Marcia, a great question. And in the meantime, let’s keep grace in focus.

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On our next episode: how do we know the word believe in John 3:16 doesn’t mean commit? Please join us for that and until then, let’s keep grace in focus.