Following and believing in Jesus

Many Bible passages focus on believing in Jesus and the doctrinal truths about salvation and forgiveness. Others, especially in the gospels, emphasize following Jesus as a disciple and obeying his commands. What is the relationship between believing and following? Can we believe in him without following him, or vice versa?

In this article I discuss why both following and believing are essential and inseparable elements of a relationship with God through Christ.

How did the first century Christians view this?

In the early church a Christian was one who believed in Christ, and they were at the same time considered a follower or disciple. The New Testament authors used the terms interchangeably, especially the book of Acts:

All the believers were one in heart and mind.  (Acts 4:32)

The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly… (Acts 6:7)

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 13:52)

Judas and Silas… said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.  (Acts 15:32)

Believers were considered disciples and vice-versa.  So, a true Christian is both a believer in Christ and a follower of Christ, which is a disciple.

The difference between believing and following

Although believing and following are closely linked, they clearly don’t have the same meaning. They are two different aspects of the Christian’s relationship with God:

We believe in Christ as our Savior. Salvation is a gift given freely out of God’s abundant grace, becoming effective through the faith of the believer. Those who believe in Christ are God’s children: forgiven, justified, redeemed, and adopted into God’s family. Only trust in Christ and his sacrificial death saves us from our sin. True faith is not just intellectual agreement with facts about God and Jesus but trust in a living God who gives life to those who trust him.

We follow Jesus as our Lord. Those who follow him as his disciples are submitting to his lordship. They offer their own bodies as a living sacrifices to God for his service (Romans 12:1). The call to follow Jesus is a call to learn from him, to serve, obey, and commit themselves to him, and to live with him and for him. Being Jesus’ disciple results from and naturally follows faith in him.

Multiple roles and identities

People can fill different roles in life at the same time. Can you be a student at a university and be an employee of that university at the same time? Yes. Can you be a father and a husband at the same time? Of course.

In the same way, believing and following describe two different roles in our relationship with God. You are a believer in Jesus and his disciple at the same time. There is no conflict—in fact, they are inseparable. One does not exist without the other.

So, believer and disciple describe the same person but describe two different aspects of that person’s relationship with Christ. 

This is why Christians know Christ as both their Savior and Lord. They follow him as Lord because they believe in him as Savior. But believing has its own blessings, and following has its own responsibilities and rewards.

Spiritual fruit

When a person first becomes a true believer in Christ, they become his disciple or follower. A person will naturally follow the one they believe in. And it would make no sense for a person to follow someone they don’t first believe in. So, obedience as a disciple is born out of faith.

As James points out, our actions demonstrate our faith:

Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  (James 2:21-22)

Our decision to follow Christ as his disciple does not save us. God saves us by his grace by means of our faith in his saving work. But the fruit that results from following Christ demonstrates that we believe in him. So, spiritual fruit doesn’t justify us—it is only evidence of justification. The apostles insisted that believers demonstrate their faith by repentance and love for God and others (Acts 20:21, 1 Peter 4:1-4). True faith is demonstrated by a changed life.

Salvation—our choice

To receive salvation, there is no work or effort on our part. God has provided it as a gift through the sacrificial death of Christ, received through faith. Faith is not work—it’s trust in God’s work. We must trust in and rely on God’s provision for the spiritual blessings that he has promised through Christ our Savior. And we wait in hope for all his promises to be fulfilled in us.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  (John 1:12-13)

Christ offered the gift of salvation to all, but he calls each person to accept that gift through faith. We make the choice whether or not to trust him and receive him as Savior:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

Each of us must trust Jesus for our own salvation. No one else—including God—can make that decision for us. It’s our faith in his provision.

Service—Christ’s choice

As disciples, we choose to follow Christ. We commit ourselves to his service and give ourselves over to him for his use. But then Christ chooses how we will serve and in what capacity.

So, we choose whom we will serve, but Jesus chooses how we will serve. For example, out of the many people who followed Jesus, he hand-picked twelve for his closest disciples, those who would travel and minister with him:

Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”  (John 6:70)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  (John 15:16)

These passages clearly don’t refer to salvation, but to discipleship and the spiritual fruit that results. And today it’s the same—Jesus determines who will serve him and in what capacity: as a pastor, administrator, helper, evangelist, counselor, or teacher. He is head of the Church and distributes the spiritual gifts as he sees fit (Ephesians 4:11-12).

The disciples’ faith

The original disciples were called to follow Jesus before they had been fully converted. Before his death and resurrection, they followed him as first century Jewish students would follow their rabbi. They had the opportunity to walk with Jesus and learn from him face to face. But at some point, they truly believed in him:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

There were occasions during Jesus’ earthly ministry when the disciples confessed Jesus to be the Messiah. Only toward the end did they all truly believe that he came from God:

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This make us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.  (John 16:29-31)

In the process of walking with Jesus, the initial faith of the twelve was transformed into true saving faith (excepting Judas). They became true believers, true disciples, and finally his apostles.

The learner and false believer

So, it’s possible for someone to learn from the teachings of Jesus before believing in him, and in the process come to faith. Today we would call these learners or seekers. The book of Acts tells how Paul found some disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus who hadn’t yet believed in Jesus, but did so later:

There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:1-5)

However, many people who followed Jesus around listened to him but didn’t believe in him. Although they were learning from him, they weren’t true disciples or true believers. There may be people in the church today who fit this description. Even though they attend worship and appear to be living a righteous life, they remain in spiritual darkness.

Of course, there is such a thing as a false believer (2 Corinthians 11:26, Galatians 2:4). This is a person who claims to know God and believe in Christ, but their claim is false. They may attend church, fellowship, or Bible study, but their faith is superficial, ceremonial, or cosmetic, or they believe false teachings about Christ. They do not trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord and their way of life shows that they don’t. Certainly, Judas was one of these.

Can a follower of Jesus lose their commitment?

Some Bible teachers claim that a Christian can lose their salvation by faltering in their walk with him or failing to serve him faithfully. This teaching results from a failure to understand the differences between believing and following, and the connection between the two.

We have all seen believers who have lost their commitment to serving Christ. Near the end of his ministry while he was suffering in prison, Paul lamented to his trusted helper Timothy that some of his other helpers had left him:

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me.  (2 Timothy 2:9-11)

A true disciple of Jesus can lose their passion and commitment to serving him as Paul’s helpers did. This is important because we also may become discouraged or lose our passion. But even so, we still belong to Christ. If we give up serving Christ, we will lose rewards we could have received from him, but we are still his sheep. And if we lose our way, Jesus the Good Shepherd may send a gifted pastor who will seek us out and bring us back.

But if we fall into serious sin, we bring disgrace to Jesus’ name and reputation. We then become a poor disciple and misrepresent him to the world. We can then expect God’s discipline, since he disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:5-6), and he also guards his own reputation.

Judging others’ faith

A true believer will never sincerely and intentionally deny Christ. To do so would contradict the very definition of believer (1 John 2:22). But unless someone overtly denies Christ in this way, we can’t say with certainty if a person is a true believer or not. We can’t judge anyone’s faith since faith is exercised by the heart (Romans 10:8-9) and we can’t see into anyone’s heart.

But we can observe if a person is a good follower of Jesus, because we see the results of their commitment to Christ in their actions and life. Just observing people within the church, we know that some believers are better at following Jesus than others. Some people may be true believers but not very good followers. They have issues and problems they’re still trying to overcome and at times might seem to be going backwards. Actually, none of us walk perfectly with the Lord at all times. We can be obedient, Spirit-filled disciples at times while at other times we are not.

So, it would be a mistake to assume that if a person isn’t following Jesus very well at one time in their life that they are not a believer. If for good reason we suspect someone at church may not truly believe in Christ, we should gently and patiently explain the gospel to them. But we can’t pass judgment on the eternal salvation of another person because there’s only one Judge (James 4:12), and we are not him! And the passage in James 2:14-26 about the necessity of works with faith wasn’t written so people could judge the faith of others, but that they would examine their own faith.

Becoming a good follower

If you are a believer in Christ, then you are also his disciple. So, study diligently to understand who the Lord is that you believe in and make it your goal to be the best disciple you can be. Take opportunities to serve him, obey him, and pattern your life after his, knowing you will receive your inheritance and reward when he returns.

Summary

The following table contrasts the differences between believing and following in our relationship with Christ:

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