John 2:23-25 Unbelieving Believers

07.12.08 John 2:23-25 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 2:23-25

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unbeleiving Believers

For nearly 2000 years there has been a crisis in Christianity. As it was in Jesus’ day, people are confused as to what it means to be a Christian. We find people in all levels of culture, and in every social strata claiming to be Christians. Even recognized and established cults, make the same claim that they are Christians. Ideas of Christianity are as broad as the colour spectrum of a rainbow. These people believe that they have a good chance at getting to heaven when they die because they simply call themselves Christians.

The Gospel of John in 2:23-25 reveals this to us:

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Last Sunday we found Jesus in Jerusalem as He cleansed the temple. Jesus did so in order to pave the way for true worship for both Jew and Gentile. Today as we continue in the Gospel of John, chapter 2 in verse 23 - Jesus is still in Jerusalem at the Passover. Now many people during the feast witnessed the signs which Jesus was doing - and the text states this - that these people believed in His name. So there was apparently a certain level of belief in Jesus, due to the signs that began at Cana. Through these signs, people got a glimpse that in Jesus, was more than meets the eye. What was this belief?

Today we are going to look at different aspects of belief found in the UNBELIEVING and in BELIEVERS - manifestations which do not necessarily demonstrate true belief and in next week’s sermon - those traits that do demonstrate true belief.

As our church goes from door to door in this neighbourhood - we often get this response to our question - do you think you will go to heaven when you die? And most people give the answer that they think they will - or at least have a chance of getting into heaven….and they may not even call themselves a Christian. What is the basis for their thinking and belief? Something more disturbing is the fact that a number of people who sat in a church pew today - are clinging to a faith that does not save. They do have a faith…. but not have THE faith which will save them from God’s wrath against sin. These people are what I would call - UNBELIEVING BELIEVERS.
In one of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he challenges his opponents in this way: 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?

In light of today’s passage, we are cautioned about our own belief. Therefore it is wise to test ourselves in this regard.

Continuing in our text in verse 24 - Those who believed in His name - that is believed in Jesus, viewed themselves as believers. But Jesus had a different assessment of these persons. This is Jesus’ assessment - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them. Why did Jesus not entrust Himself to these people who believed in Him? John gives us the answer - for He knew all men.

The word - knew, in this verse is the Greek word which expresses personal and experiential knowledge. The last time we saw this specific word used was at the end of chapter 1, in Jesus knowing everything about Nathanael. In chapter 2 verse 24 Jesus knew everything about these people’s belief.

Once again, in Jesus’ response we see aspects of Christ’s nature of Deity at work, that He is all knowing and all seeing. Jesus Christ super-naturally is able to see into the hearts of all men. Jesus did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. Jesus didn’t need man’s instruction about false belief because, Jesus already knows that man is a sinner.

So you may ask what kind of belief did these people have? In the context of the passage and in analyzing the word - believed, we can come to a definitive conclusion. The word believed - has the Greek tense (aorist) which indicates that the believing is attained, but does not progress. It is a one-time event. Therefore they did believe - but this kind of belief, was an intellectual ascent to the signs displayed - and to the person who was the source of them. But it was not the kind of belief which goes beyond the external - the kind of deeper belief which is necessary for true salvation - genuine saving faith. It was not a true belief which is marked by true life changing faith in Christ, brought about by the Holy Spirit. Therefore Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them - because Jesus knew that they were still dead in their trespasses and sins. In summary - this can be said - ‘just because you say you are a believer doesn’t mean that you are a believer.’

Do we claim to be a Christian? Do we feel that we will be going to heaven? Is there any evidence which underwrites your statements? It is important for us to test ourselves as it states in 2 Cor. 13:5 - "Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" Our faith needs to be tested. If we do this then we may recognize if we have been deceiving ourselves or not, in regards to our salvation. A sober examination and testing against the following evidences of true faith, will lead you to an answer to our key question - ‘ARE YOU SAVED?’

Is there a way to test ourselves as to true saving faith? Yes there is. The standard for all saving faith is found in God’s Word - the Bible. And after having put yourself to the test it is our hope that you find yourself saved by God’s grace.

From Scripture we will see that there are two categories of ‘evidences’ -
a. Factors which are indecisive to evidence true saving faith.
b. Factors which do evidence true saving faith.

What I am presenting is based upon an article by my former pastor (John MacArthur), which is in my study Bible. We will begin with the:

Factors which are Indecisive to Evidence True Saving Faith

These are factors which neither prove nor disprove true saving faith. We will examine eight factors:

1. VISIBLE MORALITY - a person who may appear to live a moral life does not give us any indication of a saving faith in Christ. We can see the outward behaviour but we can not see the heart condition. These people in their relationships with others can be very moral, honest, dependable, and even very religious. They can be kind and loving to others, and generally grateful.

Despite these outward traits many of these people know nothing of sincere love for God. Outwardly they are moral but inwardly they have no sincere love for God and do not live for His glory. Whatever good works that are done in the end are done apart from God, because they do not have any saving relationship with God. The Bible gives us examples of this in Matt. 19:16-21:

16 And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" 17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is [only] One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 [Then] he ^said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man ^said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go [and] sell your possessions and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

In this passage we find a young man who is self-righteous. He kept all the commandments which Jesus mentioned here, "all these things I have kept" he claimed. In other words, he claimed that he had kept the Law. He was trying to obtain eternal life on his own merits. He did not recognize his sinfulness and that he could not keep God’s perfect law. That’s why Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, for Jesus knew that the commandment for covetousness was what the young man could not keep. If you follow down to verse 22 - the young man went away sorrowful because he knew he could not keep God’s law, yet he did not recognize his sin either, thus he went away sad.

In Matt 23:27-28 we find the scribes and Pharisees:

27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

They were the ones who knew God’s law well, they were in the position of authority, yet they were legalistic, because they added human traditions to God’s Word. On the outside, they were moral and righteous, doing all that the law and the traditions dictated, yet on the inside, they were hypocrites who did not obey God’s law and added to it, which burdened those they taught. The whole of ch. 23 of Matt. dealt with the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.

The young man, scribes, and Pharisees focused on visible morality, but it doesn’t necessarily mean salvation. People can ‘clean up their act’ through self reformation, but this is not the same as regeneration. So reformation or visible morality in itself is not an evidence of true saving faith.

Another factor we examine is:

2. INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE. It is very possible to have intellectual ascent and knowledge concerning the truth about God, yet be unsaved. Knowledge of the truth of God’s Word is necessary for salvation, and if one is saved then visible morality would be a fruit of this. But neither of these two alone translate into true saving faith.

James 2:19 - You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
This passage tells us that the demons know God, and that they believe and shudder.

But we do know that they do not posses nor ever will be saved. They know the truth about God, that there is one God, yet this is not a proof of saving faith, for they hate the truth and they hate God. People can know about God and all that He is. They can know all about Jesus, who He is and what He did to save people from their sins, but still turn their backs on Him. People can even witness the Spirit of God working in other people by imparting salvation and spiritual change in these lives, yet they themselves will not honour God.

Rom 1:21 - For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. This passage tells us that those who are unsaved know God, yet they do not honour Him as God. There are many people who know the Scriptures yet their eternal destination is hell, because they turn away and reject Christ. A person cannot be saved apart from the knowledge of the truth, but having INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE alone does not save.

A third factor which is indecisive in evidencing true saving faith is:

3. RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT. Being involved in the life of a religious organization like church, does not prove or disprove one who possess true faith. In the parable of the talents - Matt 25:14-30 we have an illustration which underscores the tragedy of missed opportunity:

14 "For [it is] just like a man [about] to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 "To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 "Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 "In the same manner the one who [had received] the two [talents] gained two more. 18 "But he who received the one [talent] went away, and dug [a hole] in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "Now after a long time the master of those slaves ^came and ^settled accounts with them. 20 "The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, `Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.' 21 "His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 "Also the one who [had received] the two talents came up and said, `Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.' 23 "His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 24 "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no [seed]. 25 `And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' 26 "But his master answered and said to him, `You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no [seed]. 27 `Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my [money] back with interest. 28 `Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.' 29 "For to everyone who has, [more] shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We should note that all three slaves have the same master who portrays Christ. The slaves are professing believers, for they all call Him Master. Each slave was given different levels of responsibility or opportunity, represented here by the talents. Note that this parable has nothing to do with the stewardship of one’s natural ability or gifts. Talents here is a measure of weight, in other words money, gold or silver. The slaves were each given a different amount of money. The amount represents different responsibility given to them by Christ, as believers they are to serve Christ until His return. Faithfulness is what Christ demands of them, notice the two faithful slaves received the same reward, though they were given different number of talents. The reward is to enter into the joy of the Master.

The parable suggests that all who are faithful will be fruitful to some degree. The fruitless person is unmasked as a hypocrite and utterly destroyed. This fruitless slave is not a genuine believer, even though he called Christ his master, he had no true knowledge of Christ and his life does not produce any fruit.

A person may attend church regularly, but this is no proof that this person is truly saved. Religious involvement or attending church does not necessarily indicate if one is saved or not. Like in the parable there are those who go to church and are true believers. And there are those who go to church and are not, like the man with one talent …in the end when Christ returns He will receive those who are true believers and reject those that that are not believers. It is difficult to tell simply by the act of attending church - or in other words RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT if a person is a true believer.

Next we examine:
4. ACTIVE MINISTRY. A person may be very active in serving and ministering at a church, yet this is also no proof of saving faith. The Bible gives us many examples of people in this category. Balaam, fits in this category, he was a prophet who spoke truths from God, but in the end we know that he was a false prophet (Deut. 23:3-6). Then there is Saul of Tarsus, who believed that he was serving God by killing Christians, before the Lord saved him and he was renamed Paul. Judas was one of the 12 disciples and even did public ministry as a disciple, but turned out to be an apostate.

Matt 7:21-23 states this - "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven [will enter]. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

Jesus spoke about certain people who were involved with ACTIVE MINISTRY, but Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for he knew all men. Jesus said He never knew them…which is a stinging call for one to - Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!
Being involved with ministry, serving in the church, does not prove that one is a Christian or not. Matt. 7:21-23 deals with works which unbelievers tried to pass off as being done in the Lord’s name. But from this passage we know that they were not true works of righteousness for Jesus says `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

What was done in Jesus’ name were really acts of lawlessness - that is -rebellious works stemming from unbelief, because these people had no saving relationship with Christ. Heb. 11:6 - states - And without faith it is impossible to please [Him]. Jesus does not suggest that it is good works that count toward salvation, but He is saying that true faith will not fail to produce the fruit of good works.

Another area we examine is:
5. CONVICTION OR FEAR OF SIN.

Most people have convictions or fear of sin, they know and would even admit that they have done something unrighteous. There are numerous people in our world who are filled with guilt. These people would even perhaps admit that they are not following God’s standard. They feel badly about their sin. They are convicted of sin in their lives just as it was with Felix in Acts 24:25 - But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you."
In Acts 24, Paul was engaged in a discussion with Felix, the governor of Judea at the time. Paul was talking about righteousness, self-control, and judgment with Felix and Felix became frightened. The reason for Felix’s fear was that he had lured another man’s wife - Drusilla, to be his own. This was now Felix’s third wife. As Paul talked about righteousness and self-control, Felix knew that he had none of these and he was fearful of the judgment which he faced. So he quickly dismissed Paul and over time Felix’s conviction of sin diminished, as did the opportunity to repent.

In Acts 8:21-24 we find a man named Simon:
21 "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." 24 But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Simon was a sorcerer who had professed faith in Christ, and was even baptized (8:9-24). Yet in the context of the passage we find that Simon wanted the same authority as the apostles, and he offered them money to get that power. Peter rebuked him and Simon was fearful of perishing. Simon was convicted of his sin, yet he was unwilling to repent and seek forgiveness, because his profession of Christ was false (I will show you why he was a UNBELIEVING BELIEVER later in our last point). He was only trying to escape the consequence of his sin of wanting power for his own gain.

Therefore being in and of itself - conviction of sin or fearing sin does not prove if one is saved. Many people know that they are sinners but they do not act in response to that conviction. The Holy Spirit and our consciences alert us to sin, righteousness, and even judgment, but this is a conviction that is meaningless because - there is no true repentance. What there is, is only the desire to be released from the consequences of sin.

People may confess their sins and abandon the sins which create a guilty feeling in them. They acknowledge that they are not living in a right way and want to change. So they change their ways externally, but there is no internal regeneration, so they still fall short of genuine saving faith. This is the kind of conviction that the demons experience, as they tremble, but they love sin more than God - so they are not saved.

Like Felix or Simon who were only fearful of the consequence of their wrong doings, many people know that they are sinners but they do not act in response to that conviction - they failed to repent of their sin, and ask for forgiveness from God. Therefore, even if there is a CONVICTION OR FEAR OF SIN, without repentance, a person does not have saving faith.

The sixth area of examination relates to the:

6. PROFESSION OF FAITH. There are many people that when asked will state that they are Christians. If we were to ask more questions of them, in regards to their profession we could discover they have a false profession. An examination of the pattern of their life would also indicate this too.

Mark 4:3-6 - "Listen [to this]! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some [seed] fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 "Other [seed] fell on the rocky [ground] where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Jesus interprets this part of the parable in verse 16-17:
16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky [places], who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no [firm] root in themselves, but are [only] temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

In the parable of the soils we find people who hear the word of God and received it with joy, yet after a while they fall away and produce no fruit. These passages are talking about people who professed Christ, without truly following Him as their Lord in their life. It is only a mere profession, there is no submission or obedience in following Christ. So when trials come and temptations arise, they stop following Christ, because they do not have saving faith.
Therefore, even if a person professes to be a believer, it is not evidence that he is truly saved. Man cannot see the into his own heart or anyone else’s heart, yet God is able to look deep into a man’s heart. Many people today claim to be believers but just by making that claim, it does not prove that you are a genuine believer. As in the parable those who wrongly profess faith, in times of trouble and in the test of time will fall away because they really were not believers. The PROFESSION OF FAITH is not trustworthy in determining true saving faith.

The seventh area of examination turns to:

7. THE FEELING OF ASSURANCE. Many people have the feeling that they are saved. Yet this is no guarantee that a person is indeed saved. In Matthew chapter 23 - Jesus condemns the Pharisees for their own belief that they were saved.

Here is a sample of Jesus’ assessment of them:
23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say [things] and do not do [them].
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus’ assessment of the Pharisees was that their faith - was merely outwardly religious and pious, and any unfounded feelings of assurance were brought to light as Jesus rebukes them for their unyielding and fruitless hearts. Today you hear people make this kind of claim - ‘I am a Christian because I feel and think that I am one.’ This kind of thinking is deficient reasoning. If merely thinking that you are a Christian, makes you a Christian, then anyone could simply, yet erroneously, believe that they are a Christian. This is one of one of Satan’s tactics. Satan deceives people to think this way, so that they are detracted from thinking about one’s eternal condemnation. They are lured into thinking they are saved when in fact they know nothing about God’s call to salvation. They believe that they will be going to heaven, that God won’t condemn them, because they feel good about themselves. They are OK and feel assurance - but they have a subjective assurance, which is not based upon the Word of God. THE FEELING OF ASSURANCE doesn’t either prove or disprove that one is truly saved.

A final factor which is indecisive in evidencing true saving faith is a:

8. TIME OF DECISION

Some people point to the time when they filled in a commitment card, walked down an aisle, raised their hand in response to a message, or the time they prayed a prayer. These people might even be able to pinpoint the exact time, date, and circumstances when this happened - but in and of itself does not mean anything. They may have even been baptized, and joined a church, but never experienced genuine saving faith. True salvation is not demonstrated by a past moment.

If we go back to Simon in Acts 8:13, it states that - Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

The text states that Simon - believed - the tense of the word believed in Greek (aorist) is the same as in our passage in John 2:23, which indicates that the believing is attained, but does not progress. It is a one-time event. From what we learned about Simon earlier, we knew that his belief was not genuine, but a matter of personal gain. His faith was not in the name of Jesus Christ but in desiring the power for the signs & wonders which were performed.

When we look back at the parable of the soils we find that there are people who encounter a TIME OF DECISION for Christ at a certain point in their life. But later on they fall away, because they were never saved (Mk. 4:16-17 - parable of the soils). It was not that they lost their salvation (which we will demonstrate that it can’t happen - later in this gospel) - but that they never had it in the first place. Just as it is was with Simon - we see that a person can make a decision, and may even be able to recall the exact time that this took place; but still it may not be conclusive evidence of genuine saving faith.

When we look at VISIBLE MORALITY, INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE, RELIGIOUS INVOVEMENT, ACTIVE MINISTRY, CONVICTION OF SIN, PROFESSION OF FAITH, THE FEELING OF ASSURANCE, and the TIME OF DECISION - we have discovered that these factors, do not either prove nor disprove one’s faith. They in and of themselves do not necessarily demonstrate genuine saving faith. In light of unbelief Christ desires true belief. A belief that leads to repentance demonstrated by the on going fruit of true belief - which is evidenced by receiving a new nature which produces a change in heart and the increasing measure of true obedience to the Lord.

Jesus in today’s passage found in chapter 2 of John, finds those who believed, but Jesus never entrusted Himself to them. Jesus knew their hearts. When Jesus examined them they were found to be UNBELIEVING BELIEVERS. The marks of genuine saving faith were not present. So you may be asking - what are the proofs for authentic true Christianity? Does God’s Word give us any clues? Yes the Bible makes it clear that there are a number of Biblical criteria for determining if one is truly saved or not. You will have to wait until the next Lord’s Day when these distinguishing marks will be examined.

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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