Have you ever met someone who told you they believed in Jesus, but the way they lived their life seemed to betray their profession of faith?

Millions of people have asked Jesus into their heart, but does that mean they're going to heaven when they die?

Perhaps you're wondering for yourself, you go to church, you've made a profession of faith in Christ, but you fearfully recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 7, verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On the day of judgment, many

people who thought they knew God will be surprised to discover that even though they went to church

or recited a prayer, they didn't actually have a saving relationship with Jesus.

Theirs was a false faith. And so it's worth asking the question, what's the difference between true and false faith?

Yeah. What's the difference between true and false faith? The Bible teaches that faith alone saves us, but not every faith is a saving faith.

The 17th century theologian John Owen distinguished between what he called a twofold faith.

Here's what he said.

For there is a faith whereby we are justified, which he who hath shall be assuredly saved,

which purifieth the heart and worketh by love.

And there is a faith or believing which doth nothing of all of this,

which who hath and hath no more is not justified

nor can be saved now this is sometimes what older theologians called historical faith

they called it this because by this faith we believe in jesus in the same way we believe in

abraham lincoln or. There's a credible reason

for believing in them, so we assent to their reality. But mere mental assent in favor of Jesus

is not going to save you. And there are lots of people described in scripture who had this,

but weren't ultimately saved. Think, for example, of Simon the magician in Acts

chapter 8. Acts chapter 8, verse 13, says he believed and was baptized after he heard Philip preach

the gospel. But it's clear in that passage that his heart wasn't right before God. He actually

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