1 Corinthians 15:2 – By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

We are saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  According to this verse, it is possible to believe in vain.  According to the Webster’s 1828 vain means.

Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance. Fruitless; ineffectual.  Empty; unreal

Believing in vain will send you to hell.  Is your belief empty or worthless?  Has your belief on the Lord Jesus Christ changed your life?  Do you value your salvation?  Has your salvation produced the fruit of the spirit like love, joy, and peace, etc. in your life?  Has the Holy Ghost filled your with the Spirit of God?  Is the Word of God real to you?  If that is true, then I would say your belief is not in vain.  If your belief is something worthless to you in everyday life, if it is not important or valuable, then I would say it is vain and worthless.

I realize you are going to have doubts and fears.  I realize the Lord is going to seem like he is no where to be found at times.  But despite all the junk the devil throws at your mind, has your salvation changed you and the course of life you took?  Has it moved you toward the Lord and away from this world?  Then I would say that is not belief in vain.

God does not work on our feelings.  Often we struggle with bad feelings and evil thoughts.  God works with the will or what the real you says and does.  The flesh fights the will and tries to convince us we are not saved.  Feelings will tear us down and try and convince us salvation is vain, salvation is useless.  It will seem or feel like faith in Christ can’t get us through a certain trial.  But the reality is our faith is not vain.  God is holding us up through it.  The Lord is growing us.  The Lord is changing us.  The Lord is accomplishing His will in our life.  Our faith is not in vain. It has substance.  It has value.  It is important.

Don’t let the devil try and convince you your faith is in vain and worthless when you are down in the valley.  God has gotten you through this far and he will lead you home.  Your faith is not in vain.  The Lord wants to grow a godly Christian.  It just takes a lot of work.  It is not in vain.  Let me close with the chorus to the hymn “When We See Christ.”

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

By Esther Kerr Rusthoi