The Christian experience often focuses on terms like “faith” and “belief”. Christians are sometimes referred to as “people of faith”. Especially in the Easter season, we are challenged to put faith in the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and have belief that He rose again from the dead. I have been challenged about the differences between belief and faith from a number of places over the past few weeks. While I realize our English Bibles sometimes use “faith” and “belief” as synonyms, sometimes they can also carry different meanings. For our purposes here, let’s take a look at the subtle distinctions that will make all the difference to our eternal destiny.

When I drive my car, I “believe” that when I press the brake pedal my car will stop. I don’t hesitate or worry when I hit the pedal that I will actually begin to slow down. However, I have also been let down by my brakes a time or two and so I often leave plenty of extra space to get stopped just in case something happens. This stands in contrast to others who have complete and unreserved “faith” in their brakes. You have seen them. They come up to a stop sign from an opposing street and, even though you have the right of way, you are afraid to pull out because they might not get stopped in time. They don’t show any signs of slowing down until the last possible moment when they hit the brake pedal hard, grinding a month of life off their brake pads in the process. These are the people who come zooming up behind you in traffic and slam on their brakes at the last possible minute to slow down (and often end up tailgating). These are the people that have absolute FAITH in their brakes.

The same can be true for us spiritually. It has been said that some people miss heaven by 18 inches (the distance between your head and your heart). You may have grown up being told about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and have come to believe it. You may have all the facts and may even say that it is an important thing to know. However, this belief in the message of the gospel may not have been truly been applied to your heart and become a living faith. You may still be “hedging your bets” spiritually, holding your knowledge at arm’s length and not truly allowing faith to transform you and cause you to be born again.

Good people throughout history have had this same problem. James 2:19 tells us, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” The devils KNOW without a doubt what God is all about and they even tremble at his power and judgment - but they do not have faith. Faith compels you to offer a full, heart-felt repentance for the sinful life you have been living, place your complete trust in the work of Jesus Christ, receive the all-encompassing forgiveness for your sin promised in Scripture, and relinquish full control of your life to a new Lord and Master – Jesus Christ. Belief falls short in all of these areas.

If you have been in church throughout the Easter season, you have likely been confronted with all of the facts of the gospel message. Namely, that Jesus Christ was punished on the cross, suffering and dying willfully for you. You have been told that Jesus Christ rose again the third day to new life so that you might have new life in Him. These can be just facts that you choose to believe with some level of skepticism or with simple intellectual ascent. Or, these facts about the gospel can change your life when they are turned into faith. Romans 10:9 says, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” This type of belief goes beyond just knowing the facts. This verse talks about a true, living, and transformative FAITH. Have you placed your heart-filled faith in Jesus Christ or is it just something you believe in your head? Jesus died and rose again so that you might have a saving faith through Him. If you would like to put your faith in Jesus Christ, you can do so by simply repenting of your sins, acknowledging His payment on your behalf, and asking Him to be your Savior and Lord. If you have questions, contact me and I’d be glad help you to begin a journey of faith in Jesus Christ. My email is – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.