The Deception of Easy Believism:
When Faith Stops Short of Repentance

One thing that I wanted to talk about in this blog post is the concept of easy believism. Easy believism is probably not something that you have heard about, but it is definitely something many have experienced, and it’s dangerous. But to start, let me discuss what it’s not. 

Easy believism is not just saying something is easy to believe in. For instance, you could say that it’s easy to believe that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Well of course that’s easy, because all you have to do is pull out your compass app on your smartphone, note where East and West are respectively, and then just watch the Sun in its circuit. That’s not easy believism, that’s proving a fact. Let’s go a step further by saying that to believe in something requires that you “believe in” something that perhaps has not quite revealed itself. Let me give you another example. If you tell your children that you believe in them; that they can do it, whatever the “it” is, then what you are telling them is that they possess the ability to do “something” that has not quite happened yet. You are telling them that you believe in a future reality that has not happened yet because if it had happened you wouldn’t have to “believe” because the reality would be fact. To tell my son that I believe that he can make a particular shot on the basketball court is different than reflecting back on that same shot after he made it. One is a pre-shot thought saying I believe you will make it while the other is a post shot thought reminiscing on the fact that he did. One is belief while the other is fact and one leads to another. To take that down a scriptural path is to say that you “believe” that one day you will rise just as Christ rose from the grave because of what you believe now. Yet, you haven’t died yet, much less you haven’t risen yet, but you possess the belief that you will and if Scripture is true, which we believe it is, then your belief will one day give way to fact. This lines up with Hebrews 11:1 which says about faith, or believing,

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Easy believism is none of that and that’s why I have an issue with it and want to point out it’s biggest flaw. The biggest flaw of easy believism is that its ok for you to believe in something, and you believe only what you want to believe. For instance, to say that you believe in Jesus Christ, but you do not feel the need to repent or even change is easy believism. Yes, salvation is by faith alone, but that faith requires repentance and change which lead up to salvation. However, there are some who don’t want to change because they like what they are doing, yet they want to hold on to Jesus with one hand and the world with the other. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 15:8, 

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Jesus was calling them out for their hypocrisy. They wanted to have all of Jesus, but they didn’t want to let go of themselves. That’s easy believism and that lie from the pit of Hell will send you straight to where it came from if you continue in it. 

Just this past week I was thinking about the phrase, “You cannot have your cake and eat it too.” That’s to say that you cannot have the best of both worlds and I’m afraid that there are many out there who are trying to do just that. Galatians 6:7 says,

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

The devil would have you believe that you can have the best of both worlds but the warning here in this verse is clear; God knows better and so should you. So watch what you plant because one day it’s going to come back on you. To believe in Christ requires both repentance and change. Repentance means a turning away from the path that you were currently on to a new path and change is what is visible towards others. To live a life without change in your life is a clear signal that perhaps you have fallen prey to easy believism yourself. Remember, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. So, search your heart, read or reread the gospels and see what Jesus says about what believing in Him requires. First, it requires submission and next it requires sacrifice. If neither are clear or present in your life then you need to reassess what you believe and move away from secular easy believism and accept what the Bible says about faith.

Seasons Change but God Doesn’t

Just the other day both of my boys started back to school. My oldest went to Middle School for the first time as a sixth grader while my youngest moved up to the second grade. I couldn’t’ help but think about how this reflects both the passage of time and change. First, summer flew by. It seems like it was only yesterday when my wife and I were sitting down and making plans for the summer. Now it’s gone and here we are facing Fall and another school year. Second, our kids are growing up and growing up fast. Just like the memories we see sometimes on Facebook that remind us of the past, my wife and I have pictures of our little guys that seem like they were just yesterday. So, what does all that have to say? What does it mean to this Pastor’s mind? 

I’m glad you asked because I’m going to tell you. First, time marches on with the changing of the seasons. Nothing ever stays the same except one thing and that is God. God declared to Moses in the book of Exodus that He was the great I am meaning that He is the same yesterday as He is today and will be tomorrow. He does not change because if He did, he would have had to tell Moses something other than His past, present, and future reality. So, if God does not change then this should give me great comfort because it reminds me that the same Jesus who made promises in the Bible in the past will keep them in the future. The same Jesus who saved my soul when I cried out in confession to Him that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and He is that Savior. How when I asked for forgiveness of my sins crying out for His mercy, and He saved me … this same Jesus then is the same Jesus I know now. And His mercies are new every morning! There is a steadfastness that comes with knowing Jesus in this way, a rock-hard ambience meaning that if Jesus is not going to budge, then I don’t’ have anything to worry about as long as I trust in Him.

Second, as my boys grow up their “growing like weeds” reminds me of the future
generations. Moms and Dads, I cannot stress to you enough that you only have a brief time
where you can really have a significant impact on your kids for eternity. I know personally that
our culture does all that it can to keep us on the move and because of that we can get easily
distracted, but don’t get distracted by this. Your kids are watching you and as someone once told
me, “What your kids see you do in moderation, they will hardly do at all!” So, love Jesus, read
His Word. Let your kids see you pray and even pray with them. Take them to church and talk to
them about what they learned and what you learned in church. In all things, as much as possible,
point them to Jesus and the salvation that He offers. Beyond that, point them to what it means to
be a true disciple of Christ. Why? Why the fierce thrust behind this admonition? It’s simply this,
we think we have all the time in the world, when we really don’t. Just think about the change of
the seasons … nothing stays the same and we cannot in many ways get back what was lost. As a
quote I was heard goes, “The past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why
it’s called the present.” Parents, use today for what it is, a present and make sure you use it well for God’s glory for it won’t be long before these days are gone and all they will be is a memory as one season changes into another!

A Firm Foundation

I remember years ago when my parents decided to build an extra room onto our house. They hired a contractor and as a little boy I was amazed at all the work that went into building just one room. Looking back I cannot help but remember the contractor digging the footers, installing rebar, and then pouring the concrete. I’m reminded of this because this contractor knew that if that room did not rest on a firm foundation that it would not stand.

I often find myself asking: What are our churches really built on today? Across America—and around the world—what foundation are we standing on?

There was a time when that question didn’t even need to be asked. We just assumed the answer: Of course, the church is built on the gospel of Jesus Christ. That was the bedrock. The non-negotiable. But not anymore.

Today, assumptions are dangerous. Foundations are shifting—quietly, quickly, and sometimes unnoticed. What once was gospel-centered can now become culture-driven, comfort-focused, or personality-based. And it can happen faster than the next news cycle or presidential announcement.

So let’s get to the heart of the matter: What is the gospel, and why must it be the foundation of the church?
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ: that the eternal Son of God became fully human—born into our world—to live among us, to face every temptation we face, yet without sin. Why? Because only a perfect Savior could offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus died on the cruel cross of Calvary, was buried, and rose again on the third day—so that we could be saved.

That’s the gospel. It’s not a motivational message. It’s not moral improvement. It’s not religious tradition. It is the once-for-all, unchanging truth that Jesus Christ gave His life so we could find ours.

And here’s the incredible part: this gospel is a free gift. You can’t buy it. You can’t earn it. You can only receive it by grace—through faith. But make no mistake: receiving it means you must surrender your pride. You must admit that you can’t save yourself. You must surrender. You must trust in the cross.
In short—you need Jesus. We all do.

And if the church is going to be what God has called it to be—a light in the darkness, a refuge for the broken, a beacon of hope—then it must be built on that gospel. Nothing else will do.
The gospel leads us to grace—God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. And that grace shapes everything: how we serve, how we speak, how we treat others, how we love our neighbor. As Romans 12:3 reminds us, we’re not to think too highly of ourselves, but to live humbly, knowing that every good thing we have is a gift from God.

That’s what a gospel-centered church looks like: not flashy, but faithful. Not proud, but servant-hearted. Not chasing trends but grounded in truth.

Without the gospel, there is no real ministry. Not for children. Not for youth. Not for men or women. Not for anyone. Strip away the gospel, and all you’re left with is a social club where people gather to feel better about themselves.

But the church is not called to make people feel good. The church is called to bring people to Jesus.
So why must the gospel be our foundation?

Because without the gospel, there is no church.