Believing Rightly but Acting Wrongly
David W Palmer
(John 12:42–43 NKJV) Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; {43} for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
As Jesus drew near to the conclusion of his public ministry at Jerusalem—and its outcomes—the Holy Spirit narrated the sad finale. Although many people had witnessed the thunderous voice, heard the message, and seen the confirming signs, they did not believe or pursue close fellowship with him—because of their own choices that closed their eyes and darkened their hearts.
“Nevertheless.” Despite the bad news of so many unbelieving responses, one glimmer of light seemed to shine … or did it? The Holy Spirit said, “many” “rulers” believed in Jesus. This seems like excellent news; perhaps all of Jesus’s treacherous trips to Jerusalem had finally paid off—even leaders were believing in him. However, what comes next is a sad description of the path many choose despite having genuine faith in Jesus: “But … they did not confess him.”
How could they be so close, and still fall short of receiving full salvation? You see, according to the Holy Spirit, even genuine faith in the gospel of Jesus is not the full equation:
(Romans 10:9–10 NKJV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The believing rulers didn’t confess Jesus, so they didn’t fulfill the requirements for salvation. What’s even sadder is their reason: “because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
This despicable indictment shows the next layer of those who fall short of God’s glory: the first layer missed out through unbelief, the second through believing but not confessing. Sadly, both are deadly, and both are prevalent today.
The rulers who believed but didn’t confess, respected the opinion of the Pharisees more than they respected God’s opinion of them. Theirs is a clear example of the fear of man, and this is what the Holy Spirit says about that:
(Proverbs 29:25 NKJV) The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.
The fear of man “brings a snare.” There is no worse snare than one that traps you into a lifestyle bound for hell. In contrast, the Holy Spirit says that the path to eternal safety is straightforward: “But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”
Simple deduction from these passages shows that trusting in the Lord includes confessing Jesus as Lord. Of course, if we confess Jesus is Lord, we are declaring that he is the one we are submitted to. The Holy Spirit confirms clearly that the faith that pleases God and that leads to eternal salvation is faith that obeys the Lord Jesus:
(Hebrews 5:9 NKJV) And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
Putting this together with James’s clarification, we see that faithful obedience and confession, along with diligent, fearless persistence in this, is needed for complete safety in Jesus—both now and eternally:
(James 2:20, 24 NKJV) But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ... {24} You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
James went further; he said that the believing rulers who didn’t confess and act on their faith were, in fact, in the same category as the demons:
(James 2:19 NKJV) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
Like the un-confessing rulers, demons “believe.” They even go one step further; they tremble in the fear of God—but they do not submit to him. And we all know where their eternal destiny is. So, let’s not follow their example, which is belief and fear without obedience. To have a better eternal outcome, we need more than just believing; we need to follow Jesus and his example completely: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death” (Phil. 2:8 NKJV).
What does the Holy Spirit say is needed for complete, eternal salvation?
Believe in Jesus, and follow him all the way home
Confess that he is Lord
Obey him, etc.
Our Lord Jesus preached: “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15 KJV2000). Then, at the Last Supper he added:
(John 14:15, 24 NLT) “If you love me, obey my commandments. … {24} Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.”
The conclusion? Believe, confess, and obey!
Today, the Holy Spirit’s emphasis is on truly understanding salvation and Jesus’s continuing role in it as Lord. He wants us to love his praise more than the praise of men—even the “so-called” religious experts. He wants us to confess Jesus—before men; and he wants us to express our love for him by obeying him. After all, like a loving parent who wants to protect their child by directing them away from danger; the only way Jesus can protect us in certain situations is if we obey his commands, instructions, directives, and heed his warnings. This safety applies eternally as well as to our everyday predicaments.
And today, the Holy Spirit is challenging us to check our hearts for any residual fear of man. Is there anyone in front of whom you are afraid to confess Jesus? Is there a group of people—in particular those claiming religious superiority—whose opinion stops you from doing what God wants? If so, right now is the time to repent and to put this right. (I’m not talking about Christ-like pastors to whom the Holy Spirit has directed you to submit—unless they are directing you contrary to God’s word.)
(Matthew 10:32–33 NKJV) “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. {33} But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”