Dead Faith Unpacked

The last article, Understanding True Saving Faith, gave a general understanding of what saving faith is and what it looks like. It is not merely a mental acknowledgement of facts—Jesus is God, the Trinity, God created the heavens and the earth, but it is a life-transforming trust that manifests in visible evidence.

Pastor Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas stated that saving faith is often described as having three distinct aspects: knowledge, agreement, and trust. Trust, which is the key element, is the hinge the door of knowledge and agreement are attached to. Without trust, it turns into faith without works, and that my friends is dead faith. That is what we will talk about today.

What is Dead Faith?

Dead faith is a professed faith that never truly transformed the heart. It may consist of correct facts about God, accepting those facts, or even emotional decision, but it does not result in repentance, obedience, love for Christ, or a growing pattern of good works or fruit. James calls it “dead” because it is not saving faith.

If true saving faith is a wholehearted trust and confidence in the person of Jesus that results in a transformed life, to submit to Him as Lord and persevere to follow Him to the end, then dead faith is the opposite of that. It is a superficial faith that results in nothing. It is empty, leaving the person unchanged. It’s deceptive, and lies.

Dead Faith is…

There are many in this world that believe they are saved and are Christians, but choose every day to follow thier own heart, and not the heart of the Savior or His Word. Saving faith is not:

Just an acknowledgement of God’s existence

Many people I encounter on the street say they believe in God. They believe He exists. That He created everything. They may even believe He saves people from their sin. But this acknowlegement by itself doesn’t save.

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble!

James 2:19 NKJV

They know who He is, they know He created everything, and they know what He is capable of doing. But they do not live by faith. Angels and fallen angels (demons) were eyewitnesses of the creation.

Demons in the presence of Jesus even said:

• “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24)
• “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” (Mark 5:7)

They were present when it all started (Ezekiel 28:13). They were daily in the presence of God. They knew God. They saw Him. They worshipped Him. Therefore, they don’t live by faith.

Faith without repentance

True repentance is not only a change of mind, and a personal acknowledgement and confession of sin, but also a turning away from sin. It is the renunciation of the self-righteousness or good works apart from Christ’s shed blood on the cross.

There is a godly sorrow that leads to a change of mind and repentance that results in a change of action. But the Bible speaks of an ungodly sorrow as well. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) Sorrow alone accomplishes nothing except bad feelings. Peter denied Christ and he repented. Judas was sorry he betrayed Christ but, instead of repenting, he killed himself.

Faith without obedience

Imagine if a person came to you and said, “I took a walk on the interstate and got run over by tractor trailer, but I feel fine.” You look him over to discover he has all his limbs, no broken bones, and no blood. In fact, he doesn’t have a scratch on him. You could only assume he’s either a liar, or he’s crazy.

The same is true to assume that a man can have an encounter with the Living God in conversion and it not create a crisis leading to change is absolutely absurd. There would be signs, evidences, and obedience associated with it.

Faith and belief alone do not transform evil people into good ones, nor do they improve the character of flawed humans as if they simply elevate us to a higher class of sinner. Our goal extends beyond mere behavioral change; it’s about unwavering obedience to the Lord and His Word.

Found in baptism

Baptismal regeneration is the belief that a person is not spiritually reborn—or—”regenerated”—until he or she is baptized in water. In other words, this doctrine teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation and that the act of baptism itself brings about the new birth.

But, even though baptism is commanded by Jesus and an important act of obedience, it publicly identifies a believer with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4), but as a symbol of salvation, not the means of it.

Regeneration into a new person, being justified by Christ, occurs at the moment of faith, not after baptism.

Accepting Jesus

We are to receive Christ. To trust or rely upon Him to such a degree that we stake both our temporal and eternal well-being on the truthfulness of His claims, and we direct the entire course of our lives according to His will, regardless of the earthly circumstances, trials, and suffering that takes place.

Modern-day evangelism leads seekers to believe they can receive the benefits of Christ’s salvation without submitting to the rule of His sovereignty. They often feel assured of their salvation because they prayed the “sinner’s prayer” with sincerity, even though there is no evidence of a continuing work of sanctification in their lives that leads to the deception and destruction of many people. They say, we just need to accept Jesus into our hearts.

But the truth is, we don’t accept Him; He accepts us.

Hearing the Word and not doing the Word

When we assume that exposure to the truth or knowledge of the truth equals spiritual maturity, we deceive ourselves into thinking we are obedient even though we remain unchanged.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

James 1:22-25 NKJV

Deception is like looking into a mirror, seeing what needs attention, and walking away as though nothing is wrong. God uses His law, the Ten Commandments as a mirror to expose sin, calls us to repentance, and directs us towards Christlike living. To disregard that is to disregard His Word and authority.

Jesus gave a similar waring teaching that hearing His words without putting them into practice is like building a house on sand—a foundation that will not endure trials and testing:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV

As you can see, both parties faced challenges that arose from various directions, yet the one who built his house on the solid rock foundation found security and strength. This teaches us that while a life with Christ may also come with difficulties, the way we navigate through them by being obedient to His Word can lead to resilience and hope.

It’s Not About Perfection

This does not mean Christians obey perfectly at all times. Trust me, since we still reside in these sinful bodies, we still battle sin and need God’s grace and mercy every day. But, when the Word confronts us, we need to respond in humility, repentance, and trust in Christ as we would a parachute. It’s not that we merely believe He saves us, but that we confidently put Him on correctly with a growing willingness to obey.

In short, dead faith says, “I believe,” but remains unchanged; living faith trusts Christ and increasingly follows Him.

In the next article, we will take this information to the street and try to discern who has saving faith and those who do not. This endeavor will require a keen understanding of the various beliefs and experiences that shape individuals’ perceptions of faith. What are the things we can do to help us discern who we are talking to? We must engage in active listening, asking pointed questions that reveal the deeper convictions of their hearts. Additionally, we can examine their responses and behaviors to identify any potential barriers to faith. By employing these methods, we can thoughtfully assess and interact with those we meet, guiding conversations in a way that draws out those who may be trusting in anything but Christ alone, helping them to consider the truth of the Gospel and ultimately leading them toward a more profound understanding of genuine faith.