“I love the Lord – I’m born again,” said Floyd. He frequented a church that embraced sin and taught that being born again is “acceptance of being born gay.” Floyd took opportunities to speak behind the pulpit and give to less fortunate people; he possessed a semblance of godliness. He was disciplined, neat, and thorough. Unfortunately, in his works, he denied the Lord and the power of the gospel. The power of God did not convert him; instead, he abused the grace of God and attempted to manipulate religion to become a good person. He possessed fake faith.
Floyd's Fake Faith
2 Timothy 3: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,1 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Titus 1: 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Floyd had a history of manipulation. He leveraged guilt to get his way and was good at gas-lighting people. At the same time, he was religious, believed in God, attended church, and had a reputation (as a young man) as a “Bible-toter,” carrying his Bible to class throughout high school. These activities are not unique to Floyd; most Americans have a form of religion. Most Americans believe they are good people destined for heaven. In actuality, they are mere manipulators of men and religion, abusers of God’s grace, and deniers of God’s divine saving power. In short, they are fakers.
The Greek word for “deny” is arneomai, which means to contradict, disavow, reject, renounce, or disown. An impostor rejects the truth. He contradicts what he says by what he does. In his actions, he renounces and disowns what is right. Inevitably, the real person will surface, given enough time. I have met thousands of alleged believers over the years, most of whom are fakers. They profess Christ and praise him from the same mouth they curse with. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Fake Profession
Do you hear a man cursing, blaspheming, participating in course jesting, or taking pleasure in those who do such things? (Romans 1:32) This man is a faker. James 3:10-12 teaches us that bitter and sweet water do not proceed from the same source. If you have a foul mouth, you have a foul heart. Jesus has not cleansed you, and you still are lost in your sins. That is not to say that a moralist is saved by simply ceasing to use foul language. Sanctified speech is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. But controlling your cursing does not save. A moral sinner still must put his full faith and confidence in Christ!
I know of people who profess Christ and control their tongue but have no relationship with Jesus. They are honest and moral people, but the Holy Spirit is absent. They spend no time in the Bible and prayer. Instead, they consume their waking hours pursuing a paycheck, feeding their face, and feeding their flesh with TV, Netflix, and video games. I know of people who waste hours of valuable time postulating and perpetuating their pet doctrine. For what reasons? Mostly, pride and acceptance. Their pride is on full display by demonstrating their knowledge of the subject matter. Their need for acceptance is demonstrated in their insistence on obtaining agreement with their pet dogma. It’s empty, friends. It’s nothing more than deception and fakery. It’s akin to being filled with wine over being filled with the Spirit.
Fake Fruits
Wine is a mocker. Show me someone who drinks an intoxicating drink, and I’ll show you someone weak in the faith. Proverbs 31:6 tells us that a strong drink is for those who are perishing. As believers, we aren’t perishing; we are flourishing. We are filled with His Spirit, not wine (which is a mocker). We are more than conquerors through Christ which strengthens us. When we put our faith in intoxicating drink while we profess that we are living for Jesus, in our actions, we are denying the power of the Holy Spirit. Our lives are contradicting what we profess. Jesus is our peace and joy. When we seek intoxication to provide peace and joy, we demonstrate to Jesus and the world that he isn’t enough. We exhibit that life it too hard, stress is too much, and the Holy Spirit is too weak to provide me the peace and joy that I need to make it through. What a lie. How pathetic.
What we have here, my friends, are fakers and posers. Pretenders. “They profess to know God, but in works they deny” Him. They have relationships with sports over the Word. Ask a worldly man about his favorite sports franchise. Who is the star player; what college did he play at? What is his height, weight, and completion percentage? Then, ask that worldly man what his favorite scripture is, where it is located, and how many people he has witnessed in the past month. His answer is quite revealing as he has zero time with Jesus or talking about Jesus. He knows all there is to know about his idol, though. This type of “believer” is nothing more than a faker. And the preacher is partially to blame.
Fake Power - Where are the Men of God?
Where is the man of God that will thunder against sin? Where are the pastors who live and speak holiness, are consumed with Jesus, and desire nothing more than to win the lost? Where are the men of God that secretly seek God, asking Him to reveal their errors to them? That cry, “cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psalms 19:13) Pastors today are more interested in growing their 501C3 clubhouse than they are seeking the lost. They use slick skits, cute jokes, smoke machines, and concert lighting to incite emotional responses. Perhaps this is because most preachers avoid having a translucent heart before the Lord. They lack Holy Ghost power because they deny His power. They commit “the great transgression.”
Exchange Fake for Faith
What is “the great transgression?” Based on context, I believe it is having a pseudo-relationship with God. In other words, being religious; being a faker. Exhibiting a façade of holiness to the world while possessing a shallow relationship with Jesus. When I was dealt the bitter pill of losing my job when I was younger, I backslid. My shallow relationship with Jesus was exposed, and my faith was revealed as non-existent. I had superficial faith based on morality. The clean-talking moralist and wine-sipper described above was me. I had no power, no victory, and repeatedly presumed upon God’s grace. Thankfully, He is merciful!
What is the solution to fake faith? How can a person be right with God? As Jesus said to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29, their error was that they did not know the scriptures nor the power of God. When we humble ourselves in true repentance and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us through the Word of God, He will fill us. The Holy Spirit will make His abode within us, changing and empowering us. John 3:3 says we must be born again. This is a spiritual birth that we must have. The Apostle Paul described the experience in 2 Corinthians 5:17 as being a new creature, “old things are passed away, behold, all things become new.” This, my friend, is how we move from being a faker to becoming a faith-filled follower of Christ. It’s a miracle of God, not a religious rite or moral commitment.
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