Intellectual Faith Versus Trusting Faith

December 11, 2022

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

All throughout the New Testament, we see evidence that even demons knew about Jesus (Luke 4:41).

While others might have doubted, the spiritual world identified Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ – the Messiah. Based on the written accounts of Jesus’ miraculous healings, it’s clear that when it came to the power of Jesus, even demons fled. Okay, but obvious demonic encounters aren’t so common for the everyday Christian in the western world.

So what can we take away from this story?

Just because you know WHO Jesus is – doesn’t make you a Christian. Plenty of people filling up churches believe Jesus to be the Son of God, just as the demons do. They believe Jesus died on the cross; many even believe that He rose from the dead.

Intellectual belief alone doesn’t make a person a Christian –  it’s simply the first step. The next step is trust.

True faith is trusting our lives into Jesus’ hands. It’s surrendering control of our life, our heart, and our plans to Christ. It’s both an intellectual faith, believing WHO Jesus is and WHAT He’s done, and a heart-level faith that believes and trusts Christ to receive salvation.

Where do you fall on the faith spectrum? Are you a “cultural Christian” who’s simply stuck at an intellectual faith level (just like demons)? Or have you moved towards a trusting, heart-level faith? Knowing simply WHO Jesus is doesn’t make anyone a Christian.

It’s about a heart-level faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH