What’s the Difference Between True and False Faith?

Have you ever met someone who told you they believed in Jesus, but the way they lived their life seemed to betray their profession of faith? Millions of people have asked Jesus into their heart, but does that mean they're going to heaven when they die?

Perhaps you're wondering for yourself. You go to church, you've made a profession of faith in Christ, but you fearfully recall the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On the day of judgment, many people who thought they knew God will be surprised to discover that even though they went to church or recited a prayer, they didn't actually have a saving relationship with Jesus. Theirs was a false faith. And so it's worth asking the question, what's the difference between true and false faith? The Bible teaches that faith alone saves us, but not every faith is a saving faith.

The 17th century theologian John Owen distinguished between what he called a two-fold faith. Here's what he said, for there is a faith whereby we are justified, which he who hath shall be assuredly saved, which purifieth the heart and worketh by love. And there is a faith or believing which does nothing of all of this, which who hath and hath no more is not justified nor can be saved. Now this is sometimes what older theologians called historical faith. They called it this because by this faith, we believe in Jesus in the same way we believe in Abraham Lincoln or dinosaurs.

There's a credible reason for believing in them, so we ascend to their reality. But mere mental ascent in favor of Jesus is not going to save you. And there are lots of people described in scripture who had this, but weren't ultimately saved. Think for example of Simon the magician in Acts chapter eight. Acts chapter eight verse 13 says he believed and was baptized after he heard Philip preach the gospel. But it's clear in that passage that his heart wasn't right before God.

He actually attempted to go and buy the power of the Holy Spirit so that Peter said to him, I see that you're in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. See some people who have a historical faith go through the motions of religion. Maybe they even get baptized and yet they don't really know Christ. Oh and it actually goes a step further and he distinguishes between two kinds of historical faith. There's dead faith and temporary faith. Dead faith is what James described in James chapter two. What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but does not have works. Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them go in peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body.

What good is that? So also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead. A person who claims to believe in Jesus but lives in all manner of sins without repentance has a dead faith. Temporary faith on the other hand is what's described in places like Matthew chapter 13 in the parable of the sower. Jesus explained it with these words, when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word immediately he falls away. And for what was sown among thorns this is the one who hears the word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil this is the one who hears the word and understands it.

He indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold in another 60 and in another 30. So temporary faith is characterized by hearing the word and even responding to it in a seemingly positive way but in the final analysis the word of the gospel has never really taken root in a person's heart. In the end these people fall away from Christ because theirs was only a historical faith and the difference between historical faith and real faith isn't one of degrees. It's not like they're both the same thing but genuine faith just has more of whatever it needs to be saving.

These two faiths are different as to their nature. What you need to be saved is true faith and true faith isn't just believing in Jesus as a historical figure it's trusting in him personally as the son of God who suffered on the cross and rose from the dead to cleanse you from your sins. Now I want to give you what I think is one of the most beautiful pictures of true faith in the bible. It's found in Mark chapter 5 and there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years and who had suffered much under the hands of physicians and had spent all that she had and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment for she said if I touch even his garments I will be made well and immediately the flow of blood dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease and Jesus perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him immediately turned about in the crowd and said who touched my garments and his disciples said to him you see the crowd pressing around you and yet you say who touched me and he looked around to see who had done it with a woman knowing what had happened to her came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth and he said to her daughter your faith has made you well go in peace and be healed of your disease.

I've always loved that story as an illustration of genuine saving faith. Here you have a woman who is desperate for the grace of God. She's tried everything else. She has this condition that doctors haven't been able to help with. It seems like everybody that she's gone to right like there's just nothing she can do. She can't heal herself. She can't save herself. She's at the end of a rope and she thinks if only I lay hold of Jesus's garment I will be made well and so there she is in the crowd pursuing Jesus and there are all sorts of people who touch Jesus in the crowd.

He's bumping into people. The disciples are curious you know when he asked that question who touched me. A lot of people touched Jesus there in the crowd but this woman laid hold of him by faith.

She looked away from herself and grabbed onto his robe and was cleansed. True faith is an unclean hand that reaches out and grabs a hold of the righteous the righteous robes of Jesus Christ. You come to the end of your rope realizing your good works are not going to save you. There's nothing you can do to merit God's justification. There's nothing you can do to cleanse yourself of your sins and yet you cling to the righteous one Jesus Christ. You receive and rest on him alone for your salvation as he's offered to you in the gospel. That's what faith is.