Tag Archives: Salvation

Faith

How to Get Right with God

Leave a comment

Millions of people yearn to get right with God. Some believe that in doing so God will give their life meaning, purpose and fulfillment. Others correctly connect the despair, discouragement, anxiety, and fear gnawing inside them with their disconnection from God. They believe a right relationship with God will replace those painful emotions with feelings of joy, peace, hope, and encouragement.

Perhaps you are one of those people. You’ve tried to find meaning and purpose in your career, reputation, social network, and worldly success, but all for naught. Maybe to overcome the overwhelming weight of stress, despair, and fear, you’ve isolated yourself from others, or lost yourself in the world of virtual reality and online gaming, or even become dependent on alcohol, illicit drugs, prescribed medications, or gambling to get through the day. Perhaps you pursue some regular outlet for you emptiness such as entertainment, exercise, retail therapy, or sexual gratification in a vain attempt to find fulfillment and contentment with your life. You might have even tried religion, volunteering, or good works but to no avail.

Now you have reached the point where you want to get right with God, but you don’t know how. You wonder what you must do to be reconciled with God and enter into a healthy, restored relationship with Him. But you have no idea where to look for guidance. Fortunately, the Bible offers a clear answer on how to get right with God.

But before we explore how to get right with God, we need to understand why we need to get right with God. Why are we separated from God in the first place? Scripture provides us answers to those questions.

The Bible tells us, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NSV). Notice there are no exceptions. Each of us is a sinner who has spent his or her life in rebellion to God. We have rejected Him and His standard of holiness in pursuit of our fleshly desires, dreams, and demands. As a result, we are not righteous in God’s eyes. In fact, the Bible asserts, “No none is righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10 NSV). It is important to acknowledge and accept these truths: we are sinners and our sin has fractured our relationship with God. The prophet Isaiah exclaims, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:2, NSV).

Most people believe, and most religions teach, that we can offset our sins by our own efforts: good works, monetary payments, reciting some mantra, or believing the right doctrine. But Scripture makes clear we can do nothing to earn a right relationship with God, and that our good works will never offset our sins.

In fact, the Bible states that, “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, NKJV). What this means is that even our most righteous acts are as filthy sin-stained rags of putridness in the eyes of God and relative to His standard of pure holiness. Consequently, we have no hope of restoring ourselves with God. Nothing we do will merit our being made right with God.

But there is hope. God loves us despite our sinful ways and our rebellion against, and rejection of, Him. Scripture declares that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NKJV). Despite our wicked ways, God still loves us, so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. 

As the perfect Son of God, Jesus never sinned and therefore He alone could serve as a sin offering on our behalf, redeeming us from the consequences of our sins, which is eternal death and suffering. The Bible says Jesus “is the sacrifice that atones for our sins” (1 John 2:2, NLT). Jesus willingly suffered a horrific death on the cross so we might be saved from our sins, so deep was His love for us.

Let us now return to our original question: ‘how are we made right with God?’ The Bible answers this question six times in the 3rd chapter of Romans:

  1) “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who [they] are.” (verse 22).

  2) “Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins” (verse 24).

  3)  “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood” (verse 25).

  4)  “[God] makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus” (verse 26b).

  5)  “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law” (verse 28).

  6)  “There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith” (verse 30).

During His ministry, Jesus would occasionally use 2 or 3 similar parables to drive home a difficult truth He wanted His disciples to understand clearly. In this passage above (Romans 3:22-29, NLT), the apostle Paul emphasizes the same biblical truth (how to be made right with God) six times. Six times! This repetition is due, in part, to the criticality of this foundational truth: We are justified by faith in Jesus.

Justification (being made right with God) occurs only by faith in Jesus and trusting His sacrificial death to redeem us from our sins. Christianity is unique in this truth – all other religions insist that man plays a role in his own salvation, through good deeds and meritorious acts. But Paul reiterates the Christian position 6 times here so there can be no doubt on the matter. And he revisits this truth in his letter to the church at Ephesus, reminding them that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:9, NKJV).

It is important to note two ancillary truths Paul mentions in the first two verses above. In the first verse, Paul stipulates that salvation through faith in Christ is available to everyone. All have access to a restored relationship with God through Jesus, no exceptions. God loves all sinners and offers them eternal life through His Son, Jesus.

Second, He declares that it is by His grace that He offers us the opportunity for justification. Grace is defined as unmerited favor. We did nothing to earn God’s grace. He extends it to us simply because of His love for us. Remember that when you are having a bad day and feel abandoned by God. He will never abandon His children!

So, what does it mean to have faith in Jesus and trust Him for our justification? The Bible answers that question with these words: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10, NLT). 

Note that belief in Christ, and His resurrection from the dead, must be rooted in the heart. It is not enough to recite a prayer or make a one-time verbal profession of faith. Genuine faith always flows from the heart and endures all the days of one’s life. Also, you must declare your faith publicly to friends, family, and colleagues. In doing so, you demonstrate you are unashamed to be counted among Christ’s followers and are willing to suffer shame, pain, and persecution on His behalf, even as He did for you when He died on the cross.

Let’s close with two final points. First, let me quote a verse from the apostle Paul regarding the desire to get right with God. “I know what enthusiasm [they] have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For [they] don’t understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, [they] cling to [their] own way of getting right with God” (Romans 10:2-3, NLT). 

Sadly, the vast majority of humanity pursues their own path of self-righteousness and good works to get right with God, instead of traveling through the narrow gate and down the difficult path of faith for justification from God. Please do not be deceived by the world’s empty philosophies and false religions that preach all paths lead to God, and that you can earn your way to heaven.There is only one way to God and heaven, and that is Jesus.

Secondly, allow these words from the Apostle Paul to soak into your soul, and motivate you to continue in the faith once you place your trust in Christ. 

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7, NLT).

Finally, I want to encourage you with one last verse; it is my prayer for you.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NLT).

Discipleship, Faith

What Must You Do to Go to Heaven?

3 Comments

Nearly all religions require their adherents to earn their way into heaven: reciting a prayer, performing a religious ritual, meditating daily, practicing good works, paying alms, adhering to a strict set of rules, or some combination thereof. While these actions may appear noble and earn the approval of religious peers, they do not bring you closer to God and His everlasting Kingdom.

The reality is that God demands none of these actions from those who seek eternal life. None of us can do anything to earn his or her way into heaven. No amount of hard work, devotion to God, obedience to religious requirements, or spiritual piety will bring us any closer to eternal life. What hope do we have, then? How can anyone enter heaven?

Jesus answers that question in this way. “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He is not talking about a physical rebirth, obviously. Instead, we must be born again spiritually. Again, Jesus explains how this happens. “No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:5-6). Without spiritual rebirth there is no eternal life, and without the Holy Spirit there is no spiritual rebirth.

But how can one be born again by the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us. “To all who believe Jesus and accept him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn” (John 1:12-13). Could the answer be anymore straightforward and clear? The Holy Spirit comes upon everyone who believes in Jesus and accepts him as the Lord of their life. No matter your race, ethnicity, economic status, or background, if you place your trust in Jesus and surrender your life to him, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, who will give you spiritual life.

While those born again in Christ will spend eternity in heaven, those who reject Jesus will experience everlasting torment. The Bible expressly makes this distinction. “Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already” (John 3:18). And again, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

So you see, Jesus offers (eternal) life whereas sin leads to death. This is what the Bible means when it says, “For you were dead (in sin), but now you have new life (in Christ)” (Romans 6:13). Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ have salvation because he died for their sins and bore the punishment for those sins. Those who do not believe in Christ have not been born again, do not have the Holy Spirit, and are condemned already. They will spend eternity in hell, suffering for their sins.

It is important to understand that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life are just that, gifts. We cannot earn salvation. Nothing we do merits entry into the Kingdom of God. And nothing we do contributes to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As Scripture proclaims, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

The apostle Paul offers a beautiful summary of all these truths. “When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us; not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

In his epistle to the Ephesian church, Paul reinforces these points. ”God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sin, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Now some may argue they are good enough to enter heaven on their own merit. But God makes it clear we do not meet His standard. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even the holiest people are unrighteous in the eyes of God. “We are all infected and impure with sin. All our righteousness is like filthy rags”(Isaiah 64:6). Our only hope, then, is to believe in Jesus Christ.

But what does it mean to believe in Jesus? The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Notice that an authentic belief in Christ must spring from the heart. An intellectual belief in Christ is insufficient. And a belief manifested only by a verbal profession of faith (such as saying the sinner’s prayer) is equally inadequate.

So how do we know if our faith in Jesus is authentic? The presence of the Holy Spirit, who is poured out on those who genuinely believe in Christ, confirms our faith. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us. The Bible says, “When you believe in Christ, God identifies you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

And we know the Holy Spirit resides in us when our lives bear ‘the fruit of the Spirit,’ which the Bible says is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Our lives should also increasingly reflect the image of Christ, in holiness and obedience. The Holy Spirit will facilitate this transformation as we cultivate a relationship with Jesus and begin to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength” (Mark 12:30).

It is critical to remember that this transformation is a product of being born again. Holiness, obedience, and a deepening love for the Lord are evidence of a genuine faith in Jesus. Any attempt to acquire those behaviors/attributes on your own strength, however, is as useless as it is futile. And realize that this transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process called sanctification, and it is life-long.

Finally, it is important to understand that the call of Christ is not easy, as the vast majority of American pastors claim. Most of the commands Jesus gave for those who place their faith in him are quite difficult. Resist the temptation to ignore these commands, as many churchgoers do. Obedience to these commands will mature your faith, deepen your relationship with Christ, and provide assurance of your being born again.

Here are a few to familiarize yourself with.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). This was Jesus’ first message and is also the first message we should respond to when we embrace Jesus as Lord. Ask God to forgive you for your sins, and ask the Holy Spirit for strength and discipline to stop practicing sin.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). When we receive and believe Jesus we become Christ-centered and cease to be self-centered. We prioritize God’s will and set aside our own agenda for every facet of our lives.

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). All who believe Jesus must surrender their lives to him. Not a portion of their lives. Everything. Their time, their income, their talents, their resources, their reputation, their future.

Do you believe in Jesus? Will you place your faith and trust in Him? Do you surrender your life to Him as Lord? If so, I encourage you to do three things now.

1) Get involved in a local, biblically sound church.

2) Read and study the Bible with regularity.

3) Pray daily. Ask the Lord to direct your steps and reveal His will.

And may God bless you with a steadfast and mature faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith

Jesus Offers Eternal Life – Not Condemnation.

1 Comment

Ask ten Americans to describe Jesus and you’re likely to get ten different answers. Teacher. Healer. Prophet. Good. Wise. Redeemer. The list goes on. Some have a favorable view of Him, others not so much. Some hold an accurate depiction, others a flawed one. And that’s unfortunate because an erroneous understanding of Christ represents one of the biggest barriers to people placing their hope and trust in Him.

One common misunderstanding about Jesus is particularly treacherous: the belief that He came into the world to condemn mankind. This distorted view paints Jesus as a stern authoritarian who scrutinizes the world for sinners and castigates them for the slightest misstep or infraction. He gleefully administers judgment against those who fail to meet God’s standards and secretly roots against them. It is an austere and inaccurate portrait of Jesus. Fortunately, none of it is true.

Scripture tells us this: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17, NKJV). Jesus didn’t come to condemn mankind; He came to provide salvation. That’s glorious news, but it gets better. The eternal life Christ offers is available to every person and only requires belief. It cannot be earned.

That truth confounds the world. How can a holy God allow people into heaven without working for it? The staggering simplicity of grace seems too easy, too risky, and too good to be true. But God’s word does not equivocate. John 3:15 says, “Everyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life.” Perhaps anticipating the world’s skepticism the next verse reiterates the point. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

That’s not to say that a steep price isn’t paid for salvation. It is. But Jesus paid that price on the cross. He offered His perfect life as a sacrifice for sin. All sin. Yours, and mine. Peter’s first epistle tells us that Jesus bore our sins in His body while on the cross and that by His wounds we are healed. His physical death gives spiritual life to all who believe.

Are you working feverishly to earn God’s favor, hoping to merit a place in heaven? Do you feel trapped in a religion that demands you work your way into paradise? Have your efforts to find God left you unfulfilled and racked with despair?

Then stop relying on yourself. No amount of good deeds will secure you a place in heaven. God’s grace, through faith in Christ, is the only path to salvation. For there is no other name under heaven, by which we are saved, than the name of Jesus.

Faith

What it Means to Believe

Leave a comment

One of Christianity’s foundational doctrines asserts that a belief in Jesus is necessary for eternal life. Which raises a crucial question: what does it mean to believe? Many of us think it’s nothing more than cognitive acquiescence – if we say we believe, then we believe. We are convinced that on Judgment Day God will simply ask whether we believe in His Son, and if we respond affirmatively then we are whisked away to enjoy eternity in heaven.

Imagine that approach playing out at your local courthouse. The bailiff brings a defendant before the judge and reads the charges. The judge asks the defendant how he pleads and whether he committed the crime. If the defendant replies ‘not guilty’ and affirms his innocence then the judge sets him free. No trial takes place. No evidence is presented. The judge requires no corroborating proof to support the defendant’s claim of innocence.

We scoff at the absurdity of such a scenario and express relief that courts issue verdicts only after a rigorous examination of the evidence rather than simply trusting the defendant’s plea. And so it is with God. He doesn’t ask if we believe and then ignore any evidence to the contrary. Instead, he examines our lives in great detail – every thought, word, and deed. Not to determine whether we are worthy and have earned a place in heaven. None of us are worthy and heaven cannot be earned.

But our thoughts, words, and actions do evidence what we really believe. Authentic belief transforms our hearts and our souls. That’s why the apostle Paul encourages us to, ‘Examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith,” and to “Prove ourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). He tells us that unless evidence supports our claim of belief then we have become disqualified – Christ does not abide in us.

James addresses this issue with the early church declaring, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble” (James 2:19, NKJV). The demons not only believe in God but tremble in fear of Him. But none of them will spend eternity in heaven. James is not suggesting that belief in Christ is insufficient. We know that by faith alone we are saved.

What James asserts is this: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17, NKJV). Godly works, thoughts, and words always accompany genuine faith. In their absence a fraudulent faith exists – one that cannot withstand God’s scrutiny. James summarizes that view with this rhetorical question, “If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can that kind of faith save him?” (2:14). The obvious answer, of course, is no.

Take time this week to examine your life. Does a growing body of evidence support your claim that you believe? Is your life increasingly marked by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? If not, ask God for authentic faith that transforms your heart and every facet of your life.

Faith

Heaven’s Diversity: Nothing Compares.

Leave a comment

For decades diversity has represented one of the defining pillars of modern liberalism. Progressives argue that diverse groups of students and employees create healthier campuses and superior work environments because they offer broader and more distinct experiences. In principle the idea makes a lot of sense. I’ve certainly witnessed its value at work and in school.

Unfortunately, in practice liberals tend to practice a discriminatory version of diversity – welcoming those moored to their political philosophy and rejecting those who subscribe to a conservative worldview. Rather than create truly diverse environments, then, liberals have used diversity as a club to bludgeon their political and ideological opponents and construct a very narrow and rigid worldview on campus and in the halls of progressive governments.

Perhaps the group most frequently targeted for exclusion and derision by denizens of diversity are evangelical Christians, whom the left loves to loathe. What’s ironic about liberalism’s antagonism for Christianity is that no academic institution, company, or community is as diverse as the body of Christ. More ubiquitous than Coke, Christians exist in every country and in the vast majority of towns and villages across every continent, including those openly hostile to the faith.

In fact, Christianity’s fastest growth this past century has occurred in places where opposition has been the most intense and brutal. For example, Christianity has exploded in China, despite governmental efforts and crackdowns, and is now home to more than one hundred million believers, many of whom practice their faith in small house churches to avoid the reach of government’s heavy hand.

Similarly, in the Middle East Christianity is experiencing a renaissance unseen for more than a millennium as more and more Muslims confess Jesus as Lord. Their embrace of Christ is not without risk, though, since conversion to Christianity is punishable by death in many Islamic countries.

Jesus’ universal appeal comes as no surprise to those familiar with the Bible. When the apostle John describes heaven in the book of Revelation he sees, “A great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Jesus), clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10, NKJV).

What incredible diversity!! Every people group, every dialect, every ethnicity will be represented in heaven. That’s exciting.

But Christianity doesn’t just thrive across dissimilar cultures, countries, and communities; it flourishes across every demographic imaginable, including economic status, political affiliation, social status, age, educational background, and profession. Moreover, it attracts those of every physical feature and every attribute, no matter how unique: tall/short, obese/slender, beautiful/ugly, genius/dimwit, athletic/clumsy, extrovert/introvert, leader/follower, successful/failure, popular/outcast, optimist/naysayer.

That list doesn’t even scratch the surface of heaven’s diversity. And no surprise since Jesus offers eternal life to everyone, without exception. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, Jesus is ready to accept you into His kingdom.

Scripture tells us God “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9b, NKJV). Consequently, He exercises patience in drawing all of us to Him and giving us more time than we deserve to repent from our sins and surrender our lives to Him.

Paul reinforces this idea in his second epistle to Timothy, telling us God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4, NLT). And what truth does He want us to understand? He tells us in the next two verses: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus. He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.”

While these verses make clear that God makes salvation available to every person on the planet, they also demonstrate that only one path to eternal life exists – and that is through Jesus Christ. Sadly, much of humanity rejects the simplicity of the gospel, insisting they play a role in earning their way to heaven and demanding that God honor the teaching of other faiths. But on this point God is unequivocal. Jesus alone is the path to life; all others lead to destruction.

Aren’t you glad God extends His offer of everlasting life to everyone? Isn’t it great heaven will be the most diverse collection of souls ever assembled? In view of God’s diverse plan for heaven, let me leave you with a couple important questions.

What are you doing to fulfill John’s vision? Are you actively sharing the Good News of Jesus with those from other backgrounds, cultures, and languages, and those quite different from you? If not, how is God calling you to identify and communicate the Gospel to individuals, families, and communities who have yet to learn of Jesus’ sacrifice and love?

After all, what could be more exhilarating than introducing someone to Christ and contributing to heaven’s diversity?

Faith

Eternal Life: Bible’s Specifics About Salvation May Surprise You.

Leave a comment

Scripture says a great deal about salvation and describes in detail the requirements for sharing eternity with God. And while the Bible illuminates a clear path to eternal life, over time the church has distilled the Gospel message to a dangerous degree. Specifics have been oversimplified (and mangled) to such an extent that many churchgoers now embrace a neutered version of what Scripture teaches. While the church’s motivation may have been (mostly) pure – to attract more people to the Lord and bolster church attendance – the results likely have produced an unprecedented spiritual disaster. So severe is this distortion of foundational, biblical doctrine it risks jeopardizing the eternal destination of many would-be believers.

To fully grasp the issue we need look no further than the most recognized verse in all of Scripture, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness are on full display in those twenty-five words, proclaiming salvation for all who believe. Sounds simple doesn’t it? On the surface, there doesn’t appear any room for ambiguity.

Of course, the crux of this truth hinges on the word ‘believe.’ How we define and interpret that word is critical to our understanding of the Gospel and the prerequisite to ‘everlasting life.’ Many churches teach that ‘belief’ is evidenced by a public profession of faith in Christ, by verbalizing one’s trust in Him, or by reciting some version of a sinner’s prayer. Representing a broad compendium of denominations, traditions, and doctrine, these churches share the view that salvation occurs the moment one orally articulates his or her acceptance of Jesus as Savior, irrespective of whether any life transformation occurs or any evidence of faith is subsequently manifested.

Scripture, however, adopts a decidedly different view on what it means to believe. The apostle Paul articulates a succinct but substantive definition in his letter to the Roman church. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9-10, NKJV, emphasis mine).

Paul declares that the faith that leads to salvation involves two distinct components: professing Jesus as Lord with your mouth and believing with your heart that He is the risen Savior. Belief limited to an intellectual assent of Jesus’ lordship is insufficient. Authentic belief always flows from the heart.

This may sound like a distinction without a difference. What does it matter, some may wonder. Head or heart, it’s all the same isn’t it? The answer, of course, is that they are not at all the same. The distinction is absolutely critical; one yields a transformed life while the other produces only outward change (if any at all) and a religious veneer. The former leads to eternal life, the latter to utter destruction and ruin.

God’s Word highlights this distinction over and over again, from Genesis to Revelation. The Pharisees embodied the attitude of those who verbally proclaim faith in God but do not believe with their heart. Jesus called them hypocrites, noting “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9, NKJV).

Steeped in religion, they commanded respect within the Jewish community. They said all the rights things and appeared to behave in a manner consistent with God’s commands. But they possessed an inauthentic faith, and Jesus quickly rebuked them for the spiritual frauds they were. He informed them that their faith was futile because it was manifested in words without a surrendering of the heart.

On the day of reckoning, Christ will engage fraudulent Christians in a similar manner. These are churchgoers who, like the Pharisees, say the right things and appear religious but have never abandoned themselves fully to Jesus. Despite their claims to the contrary, they don’t possess a genuine faith because they’ve never submitted to Jesus as Lord. The totality of their faith is limited to religious acts and Christian-esque language. In short, they excel at playing church.

This may strike some as judgmental on my part, suggesting that some churchgoers have an inauthentic faith. But the view is not mine, it is Jesus’. He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23, NKJV).

Like the Pharisees two thousand years ago, Jesus sees beneath the façade of faux-Christians and exposes them as religious charlatans. They have no place in God’s kingdom because they choose to follow a false gospel – one limited to verbal professions and religious antics but never rooted in the heart.

So what does faith look like when it flows from the heart? What evidence can we expect to uncover if we follow the advice of the apostle Paul, who challenged us to, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5, NKJV). The short answer is: our lives will look a lot like what we see in Jesus’ followers as captured in the New Testament: flawed men and women who love God, desire His presence, and share the Good News of Jesus with others.

But if that response is too vague and not particularly enlightening, let’s consider a few specific points to help us determine if our faith parallels that of the disciples or that of the Pharisees. Again, these are just a few indicators of authentic faith, according to Scripture. There are others, to be sure, but these will help facilitate some healthy internal reflection.

1] Your treasure reflects the things of God. Jesus informed His followers, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Genuine faith that springs from the heart stores up treasure in heaven by pursuing God’s will, advancing His agenda, embracing His priorities, and submitting to His leadership. It influences how we invest our time, direct our resources, and spend our income.

It is insufficient to simply say we treasure the things of God; the evidence ought to support our claim. This verse, then, represents a critical truth. It asserts that the one true love radiating from our heart is easily identified, because our heart and our treasure are domiciled together. Ask yourself what you treasure in life: the temporal things of this world or the eternal things of God’s Kingdom. What does the evidence show?

2] Authentic faith bears spiritual fruit. Jesus declared, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5, NKJV). The form of that fruit will vary widely by individual and may include leading others to faith in Christ, discipling new believers, sowing a seed of faith in unbelievers, watering that seed, or restoring one who has fallen away from faith. Notice that Jesus indicates His disciples will not only bear fruit for His kingdom, they will bear ‘much’ fruit. Is your life marked by production of much spiritual fruit? If not, what does the above verse suggest about your relationship with Christ?

3] Believers obey Jesus’ commands. Those who possess real faith observe God’s commandments and they are not burdensome or a source of resentment. Jesus proclaimed, “If you love Me, keep My commandments… He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me… If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:15, 21, 23, NKJV). Do you desire to keep God’s commands? Is your obedience limited to those commands that don’t inconvenience you or disrupt your lifestyle? Do you pursue Jesus’ words with joy in your heart or begrudgingly, out of a sense of obligation? While we will never perfectly follow all God’s commands, our heart ought to yearn for victory over every area of sin in our lives. Moreover, we ought to observe sure and steady progress over time in becoming more like Christ in our obedience (the process of sanctification).

4] Genuine faith produces good works. While it is true we cannot earn salvation with good works, it is equally true that the absence of good works reveals the absence of genuine faith. In his epistle, James tells us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:17, 26, NKJV). The apostle Paul echoes this perspective in his epistle to the church in Ephesus, “For by grace we have been saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, NKJV).

Do you see the relationship between grace, salvation, and works? God’s grace alone saves us, but if we are indeed saved then we pursue the good works God prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Though the substance of those works will vary by believer (just as the spiritual fruit did above), they will adhere broadly to the principles outlined in the parable of the Good Samaritan and in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (see Luke 10:25-37, and Matthew 25:31-46). Are you pursuing works of mercy, generosity, compassion, sacrifice, and love that help others and bring God glory?

5] A surrendered life manifests true faith. This is no mere throwaway concept but is foundational to authentic Christianity. Jesus communicated this truth on numerous occasions during His ministry and its essence is grounded in substance not superficiality.

He does not call us to express a willingness to surrender our lives or merely claim to do so. Rather, He calls us to actually and substantively yield our lives fully to Him – every nook and cranny, every thought, every dream, every act, every decision. The breadth of Jesus’ expectation in this regard perturbs many churchgoers and flat-out offends others. But Jesus does not make this demand optional for His followers.

He informs us, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it produces much fruit. For whoever loves his life will lose it, but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). Jesus’ metaphor is clear. We must set aside our own interests, desires, and dreams, and embrace His instead. Absent an abdication of our rights we cannot begin to fulfill the plans He has for us. Without surrender there is no salvation.

The above verses and biblical truths hardly scratch the surface of what Jesus taught about salvation and discipleship. But hopefully they rebuff the misperception that eternal life awaits those who merely verbalize faith in Christ in a single moment of time, no matter how insincere that commitment becomes. Hopefully the passages illustrate Jesus’ expectations for those who claim Him as Lord and profess their fidelity to Him. Hopefully they reveal that authentic belief flows from the heart and necessarily transforms the life of anyone who professes such faith.

Let me conclude with two critical points. First, the above elements are not requirements for salvation. In another words, God does not demand we bear spiritual fruit, keep His commands, or perform good works to secure salvation. Rather, those behaviors reveal the presence of authentic faith in our hearts, not just on our lips or in our minds. So although they do not precede salvation, they absolutely do proceed from salvation.

Second, don’t assume your salvation is sure and your faith real without looking at the evidence. What is at stake is far too important to trust to casual conjecture. Your heart may try to convince you that ‘you’re good with God’ and dismiss as poppycock the notion that any evidence will be made manifest in the life of a genuine believer. Resist that argument. Scripture makes clear that there will be overwhelming evidence of a transformed life in every believer. Remember, the Bible tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV). It is better to trust what Jesus taught and what Scripture communicates than to trust our own deceptive heart on the issue of faith and eternal life.

No topic is of more importance. I hope the evidence in your life supports your claim that Jesus is Lord. If it does not, or you have never surrendered your life to Him, take a moment to do so now. Admit you are a sinner and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Ask Him to wash away your sin and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Let Him know of your desire to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Place your entire life in His control to be used for His purposes. Inform Him of your desire to begin a lifelong relationship with Him and begin to develop that relationship by spending time with Him in prayer and studying His word. Finally, ask Him to direct you to a local church you can attend regularly and get baptized as soon as possible.

May God bless your decision and commitment to Him.