They said, “He may not have gone to Church, but in his heart, he believed in God.”

For the next hour, they told me stories about this person’s life, and none of them sounded like someone who believed in God. But then again, the issue is really about how you understand faith.

The Church struggled with a false teaching called Gnosticism in the early years. The basic idea is that it only matters what you believe in your heart and soul, while what you do with your body has no connection. They concluded that you could do all kinds of evil and still go to heaven because you have the right things in your heart.

The New Testament has several books, especially from the Apostle John, that explain there is a connection between our heart and actions. It is not enough to see someone hungry and feel compassion; the proper response is to feed them. What exists in our hearts will be seen in how we behave.

We now live in a time when Gnosticism is on the rise. Our modern times have been called “The Information Age” since we have so much knowledge at our fingertips. We can get our questions answered with a quick internet search. The answers are easy to access and even easier to believe.

But for it to be genuine faith, it must be evidenced in our actions.

When we say things like, “I don’t go to Church, but I believe in God,” or “Faith is a private matter,” or “I know what I believe deep inside,” we are often buying into heresy.

True faith in Jesus will be seen in our actions, heard in our words, AND believed in our hearts. If any of those things are missing, your ideas about faith may be flawed.