Genuine faith is demonstrated by a deep love for Jesus that is evidenced by repentance. The Bible is clear that when a person truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are born again and have become a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 teaches, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come!” Furthermore, scripture tells us this is accomplished completely by God. Salvation cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Additionally, true believers don’t have to doubt the certainty of their salvation in Christ. Jesus is recorded in John 10:28-29, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” These verses of scripture demonstrate eternal security for genuine Christians.
True believers are differentiated from false believers by the sincerity and depth of their commitment and love for Christ or the extent of their belief. In a previous article (Do You Believe? July 1, 2023), I examined the intent of the term “belief” in the gospels:
The ancient Greek word used is pisteuō which stems from the word pistis, or “belief.” The word pistis is derived from the word peithō, which means to persuade or to be persuaded. The word pisteuō implies deep trust and confidence. Trust is defined as: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Christianity is made up of a wide array of people. Some are radical doers of the word, some live their faith privately and others live no differently than the secular society around them. They all claim to believe in Jesus, yet the fruit they bear is substantially different. Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18).
The context here is recognizing false teachers, however, the same logic can be applied to anyone who claims to be Christian but fails to produce the fruit of the Spirit as evidence they are in Christ (Galatians 5:22-24). You can tell a tree by its fruit.
False teachers, false prophets and false Christians mimic genuine believers, may exhibit Christian-like behavior and can even seemingly perform miraculous healings, however their power does not come from God. They are counterfeit in every sense of the word. On the outside they appear to be Christian but God knows the true contemplations of their hearts. They may even want to believe but deep inside they actually don’t.
Judas Iscariot followed Jesus for nearly three years and was considered to be one of His inner circle. He proclaimed loyalty to Him. He was included with the group that Jesus sent out to proclaim the gospel and heal the sick (Luke 9:1-6). He appeared to be loyal to Christ.
Judas walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, had a relationship with Jesus and had some level of belief in Jesus but he was not committed to Him. Judas had faith but it was not a saving faith. And ultimately, he betrayed Jesus. The Bible says, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24b). Judas was predestined to betray Jesus.
John 10:27, “My Sheep listen to my voice.”
Jesus called His followers His sheep (John 10:27) and He warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are ferocious wolves.” The take away here is false prophets and by extension false Christians are disguised as believers and followers of Christ. Outwardly the appear to be Christian but inwardly they have ulterior motives.
Later in the chapter Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Jesus says, “I NEVER knew you.” What this passage of scripture teaches us is that these self proclaimed Christians were never truly Christians. This means they were never saved and have no inheritance with Christ in His kingdom. Similarly, in Matthew 25:31-46, the sheep represent true believers and the goats represent nonbelievers. The nonbelievers are condemned to eternal punishment while the believers receive eternal life.
The goats include those who professed a false belief as well as those who denied Christ altogether. They have a common destiny. Counterfeit Christians were never saved and are not saved. 1 John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” Are the fruits of the Spirit evidence of your faith? Are you obedient to Christ? Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15). He goes on to say in verse 21a, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me”. You may believe in Christ but do you believe Christ?
Is Your Faith Lukewarm?
In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus tells the church at Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am going to spit you out of My mouth.” He then advises them to get their spiritual house in order. In verse 19 he adds: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” It is important to note that He doesn’t condemn them, He chastises them.
Backsliding Christians are sincere believers who have fallen into worldly behavior and may be weak in their faith but sincerely believe. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, ”Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.”
Paul goes on to say that even those who may struggle to produce viable fruit will be saved if their hearts are genuinely seeking God. “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Apostasy Is Prevalent
An apostate is defined as a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle. These include people who were raised in Christian homes, lived as Christians and may even have been pastors or missionaries but have for one reason or another recanted their faith and now profess to be atheists. They are apostates.
Today there are many people who know about Jesus but do not know Him. They are intellectually persuaded but spiritually uncommitted. They do not have a relationship with the living Christ. Among them are church clergy, theologians, scholars and philosophers. Professing Christians whose faith is not genuine and who were never regenerated or born again qualify as apostates.
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” And in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he states that the antichrist will not be revealed unless the apostasy comes first.
The writer of Hebrews warns, “It is impossible for those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6). This is a difficult passage and it demonstrates that salvation can evade those who don’t embrace it.
Having heard the gospel and understood the gospel, they have advanced part way towards salvation but have stopped short of repentance therefore their faith is not genuine. Interestingly, Jesus spoke of this very thing in his parable of the sower. The people who receive the word with joy but do not have deep roots quickly fall away when trouble or persecution arise, or worldly stress and temptations overwhelm their desire for Christ. It is the truth that they fall away from, not their salvation, because their faith wasn’t a saving faith to begin with.
Saving faith endures. If it doesn’t endure it wasn’t a saving faith. It was a dead faith. James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”. True believers will persevere in genuine faith. Their love for Christ will be deep rooted and unshakable and when their hour of testing arrives they will triumph.
Stand firm, then, amidst the apostasy that surrounds you, never abandoning your love for Christ. Jesus said, “He who stands firm until the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13). The scripture doesn’t say might be saved, it says WILL be saved. Praise the Lord!
