Lesson 7

Something Better Than Believing In Jesus

John 2:23-25

There are about 250 million Americans. Incredibly there are more than 50 million professing Christians in the United States. One in five Americans profess Christ. It isn't uncommon for entertainers to claim they are born again yet their claims are not backed up by their morals, their choices, nor their lifestyle. You don't have to look at the rich and famous, to find those who claim to be Christians, but nothing they are or do can convince you of it. In the brief, eight year history of Dearborn Baptist Church, there are a number of people who make professions of faith in Christ - perhaps they come to church for a few weeks or months, maybe they go through discipleship training and are even baptized, but they have disappeared from the church, gone from and are gone fron any semblence of Christian living, and you couldn't find them today with a search warrant!

Why is this? What happened? How do you explain such a thing? Some would say that it doesn't matter what you do, how you live after you make a profession of faith in Christ. Some would say that if you say you believe in Jesus, that's good enough to take you all the way to heaven, no matter how you live thereafter. Some would say that you use to be saved, but you backslid to the point of losing your salvation and you need to be saved again. The most important thing is not what some would say but what the Bible says!

The words of our text today (John 2:23-25) give us an insight into this question.

It was Passover time in Palestine. Jewish historian, Josephus, who lived in the first century and wrote a history of the Jews, says that population of Jerusalem, normally between forty and fifty thousand, would swell to nearly a million people at Passover. That would be like everyone in Cincinnati moving to Dearborn County for a few weeks, only in a much smaller land area.

Jesus was in Jerusalem for the passover. It was then that he cleansed the temple. The text inmplies that he also performed miracles, although we do not know what those miracles were. The scriptures only record 36 miracles of Jesus (an average of less than one per month for his 31/2 year ministry. But the Bible also says that there are many other things which Jesus did which are not recorded - space would not allow. Well, this apparently was one of those times. Vs. 23 speaks of the miracles which he did.

The Bible says that upon seeing Jesus perform miracles "many believed upon his name." We would say that this had all the marks of a great revival. Many professing faith in Jesus. Many believing upon his name.

Please notice the next words - "Jesus did not commit himself unto them". Here is an interesting insight: the word "believe" in v. 23, and the word "commit" in v. 24 are the exact same words in Greek. That word is used 250 times in the New Testament and is translated - believe, commit, trust, have faith. The people believed in Jesus, but he did not believe in them! Jesus had no faith in their faith. We could say that they were "unsaved believers." That sounds like a contradiction of terms to us, like an oxymoron.

This text, then, reveals to us that there is a vast difference between being a professor in Christ and being a possessor of Christ. There is more than one kind of faith. There is saving faith, but there is also superficial faith. There is genuine faith but there is also phony faith.

And Jesus know the difference. In fact, this text speaks of what Jesus knows. John 2 reveals a number of things about Christ. At the wedding in Cana, Christ manifested his glory. At the cleansing of the temple, Jesus revealed his zeal. And in refusing to commit himself to those who claimed to believe in his name, Christ revealed his knowledge. Jesus did not need anyone to teach him about mankind, v. 25. He knows all men (v. 24) and he knows what is in man (v. 25). He knew the possibilities of Simon, that he would become a rock. He knew the character of Nathaniel. He knew the lifestyle of the Samaritan woman and told her all things that she had ever done. He knew the motives within the hearts of the Jewish religious leaders. H e knew that one of his own disciples was not a true believer. He knows all men and he knows what is in man. Jesus is omniscient - all knowing, all seeing. It is part of the evidence that proves that Jesus is God. Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart. He is never confused. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, 2 Tim 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And Jesus knows that some who claim to believe do not, in truth, possess saving faith. There faith is false, phony, to put it in Bible terminology, it is vain, empty, dead.

This truth is expressed throughout the scriptures. Let's look together at a few examples.

James 2:14-26 speaks of more than one kind of faith. There is dead faith, v. 17, 20, 26. Faith without works is dead. There is also demonic faith, v. 19. There is dynamic faith, v. 18. Two of these kinds of faith will not save. One will. Dead faith is nothing more than accepting the historical, biblical, doctrinal, theological facts. It is giving mental assent to certain facts. The example that James uses is that there is one and only one God, v. 19. There is a touch of sarcasm here - "thou doest well" = good for you or big deal! Saving faith goes beyond accepting a set of doctrines. Demonic faith goes a step further, but not far enough. The devils believe and tremble. Here is an emotional faith. But genuine, saving faith is more than just an emotional experience, more than a feeling. The point that James is making is identical to what John reports. There is phony faith. Real faith, says James, is revealed by my works.

Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23, esp. 20-21. Jesus speaks of four different responses to hearing the word of God. Some, like the way side soil are so hardened that they do not receive it at all. Some, like the thorny soil have a crowded heart which is so earth bound ("the cares of this world; the deceitfulness of riches") keeps them from believing. But some have an emotional response. Like, the stony ground, with joy they respond and seem to be believing. But they have no root, and soon, difficulty returns to their life and they get offended and wither and die having never produced fruit. Only one kind of soil in this parable represents true salvation. The good ground, the fertile soil, is evidenced by the fact that it brings forth fruit. Although not every Christian will produce the same amount of fruit (some 30, some 60, some 100 fold, v. 23) a genuine believer is known by his fruit.

Matthew 7:21-23. Not everyone who claims Jesus as Lord will be in heaven. To use the event recorded in Luke 8:40-47 to illustrate, there are many who have the faith to throng to Jesus, but not many who have the faith to touch him. Many have false faith and empty works. Their prophecies, their demon removals, their wonderful works are all meaningless. Jesus will say to them, "I knew knew you." They claim to know Jesus, but Jesus never knew them!

There is this theme again. The most important thing is not that you know Jesus, but that Jesus knows you! There is something better than believing in Jesus and that is Jesus believing in you! Not everyone who is professor of Christ is a possessor of Christ! And at the passover feast, many saw the incredible miracles and claimed to believe in Jesus, but he did not commit himself unto them.

It is one thing to respond to a miracle, but it is quite something else to commit one's self to Jesus Christ and continue in His word. It takes more than the experience of witnessing and believing a miracle for a person to be saved.

Jesus understood that the human heart is attracted to the sensational. And so, Jesus' miracles are always tied to his message. He fed the 5000 and the people wanted to make him king. Then he immediately preached a sermon on the Bread of life and they deserted him in droves. 1:17 - Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In grace, Christ performed a miracle to meet a human need. In truth, Christ taught the word. Miracles are testimonies but they are also tests. They give evidence to the deity of Christ, but they also expose the hearts of people.

Salvation is more than just an emotional response to a sensational event. And Jesus sees the truth of our response. He can recognize whether our faith is saving faith or phony faith.

Can we? Should we try to test our faith to make sure it is real, saving faith? 2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. 2 Peter 1:10 Make your calling and election sure. There must be self-examination. We must constantly confirm the genuineness of our faith. We must make sure that we did not just make an emotional response to the gospel, that we are not trusting in the fact that once we walked an aisle, once we joined a church, once we were baptized, once we made a decision, once we said we believe in Jesus.

How can you know that your faith is genuine and not junk? Here are 9 tests of true faith. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but according to the Bible, saving faith is never alone. According to Hebrews 6:9 there are some things that accompany salvation. What things? Let's just let the Bible speak. Look up the following passages:

Commitment. According to II Corinthians 5:15, a saved person is committed to Christ. He no longer lives for himself but now lives for Jesus.

Transformation II Corinthians 5:17 says that salvation brings a changed life - we are a new creature in Christ, old things pass away all things become new.

Discipleship John 10:27-28 - According to Jesus, those who are saved will follow Christ.

Love I Peter 1:8-9; 2:7a - Peter says that genuine faith has with it a love for Christ. And if we love Him, what will we do? According to John 14:23, we will keep his words.

Obedience. According to I John 2:3-4, assurance of salvation comes from obedience. This passages goes on to say that the person, who claims to be saved but does not have a general pattern of obedience is a liar.

Affection. I John 3:14 indicates that genuine salvation is also accompanied by a love of Christians. This love of God's people assures that we are saved.

Faithfulness. According to I John 2:19 true Christians also perservere. There life is a pattern of faithfulness. That does not mean that they never backslide or sin. It means that, in general, they will be faithful to the Lord. If they depart from the faith, then they never were really saved.

Morality. According to Ephesians 5:5-7, I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:17-21; Revelation 21:8 a life that is characterized by habitual immorality, impurity, idolatry, etc. is clear evidence that a person has never been saved.

Good works. Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 5:16.

This is the fruit of salvation. And Jesus said that we are known by our fruit.

Salvation is not something which we lose by disobedience. The scriptures teach that those who fall way (like Judas) were never truly saved to begin with.

Nor is salvation some little ommitment which you make which requires nothing of you.

What a shame it would be to have claimed to believe, to have had a sensational experience, to have sat in a church like DBC, to have agreed with the doctrine, to think that you know Jesus only to learn when you face him that he never knew you. The thought frightens me, that it is possible that every member of this church has saving faith.

Don't be deceived by false faith. Examine yourself whether ye are truly in the faith.