The necessity of belief for salvation is repeated several times in John 3. For anyone to be saved from sin, belief – or trust, or faith – in who Jesus is and that He has done everything necessary for salvation from sin is required. If we place our faith in Jesus Christ, He will give us eternal life. But that is not where it ends.

Trusting in the finished work of Christ also means living in the victory that He won on the Cross. After we’ve placed our faith in Jesus, our salvation can never be taken away from us (Romans 8:38–39). Neither persecution, death, nor even our own sin can separate us from the love of God. We can trust this to be true, even in the face of doubt, because even though it is our faith in Jesus that saves us, it is not our faith in Jesus that sustains our salvation. What sustains our salvation is the completed work of Jesus – His life, death, burial and Resurrection – and the unending power of God to preserve our salvation no matter what.

• What kind of doubts do you face in your walk with Christ, and how does His completed work on the Cross help you continue to believe?