Have you ever met people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, yet their lifestyle looks almost no different from the world around them?
Over time, I have encountered many who claim to be Christians, yet when you examine the fruit of their lives, you are left wondering whether they truly are. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that Christians must be perfect or without fault. What I mean is this: there are those who continue in worldly lifestyles, show no conviction for sin, stir strife among believers, and persist in harmful or malicious behavior, yet still sit in the pews every Sunday, listening to God’s Word, while their lives remain completely unchanged.
This naturally raises a few questions: who is a true believer? Are there such things as false believers? What does the Bible say about this—and how are we meant to respond? Let’s start by looking at the traits of a true believer through the lens of Scripture. From there, it becomes easier to discern who the false believer is.
TRAITS OF A TRUE BELIEVER
1. A Transformed Life
A true believer in Jesus Christ is one who has come face to face with the reality of their sinful heart. They do not excuse it or redefine it—they acknowledge it. They recognize that Jesus Christ came to earth, died for their sins, and that salvation is a gift freely given by grace through faith in Him alone. They believe in their hearts and openly confess that Jesus is their Savior. But salvation does not stop there. Jesus does not remain merely Savior—He becomes Lord. He becomes their Master. This means He now governs their life. His Word is no longer optional; it is their authority. His commands are no longer burdensome; they become their delight. And this lordship of Jesus Christ produces transformation. The things they once loved that are sinful, they now hate—because Christ hates them. The patterns they once embraced as cool and progressive are abandoned. New desires are formed. Their greatest joy becomes pleasing the Lord.
This transformation is not hidden. A true believer’s life will bear visible fruit. There will be evidence—seen by both believers and unbelievers alike—that Christ has truly taken residence in the heart.
2. Bearing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
A true believer will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is not optional, nor is it invisible. Scripture is clear: the life that belongs to Christ will produce fruit. There will be evidence—joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These qualities are not dictated by circumstances. Whether a believer is walking through trials of many kinds or standing in a season of joy and celebration, their life will still reflect joy and peace. This is because their joy is not rooted in seasons, and their peace is not dependent on situations—it is anchored in the Lord Himself (Philippians 4:7). They show kindness and gentleness toward God’s people. They exercise self-control when provoked. They do not react as the world does, because they are not governed by the flesh but led by the Spirit. You hear the world say things like, “when they go low, go lower”. A Christian ought to be different in their way of thinking.
This fruit does not appear by chance. It is the result of a life that walks closely with the Lord—one that is cultivated through prayer, shaped by His Word, and marked by faithful obedience (John 15:5; Colossians 2:6–7).
3. Obedience to God’s word
A true believer will obey God’s commands. They do not excuse them, cut corners, or twist Scripture to suit themselves. Instead, they strive to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, seeking to honor Him in all they do. They will not treat sins such as lying, gossip, gluttony, or slander as trivial or excusable. When they stumble—which happens—they groan in their spirit, grieved by the sin because it wounds their relationship with God. Their hearts are moved not by shame or fear, but by a deep desire to please Him. A true believer delights not only in knowing God’s Word, but in doing it (James 1:22). They carefully seek to understand what Scripture teaches so they can live it out fully. When obedience is difficult—such as forgiving an enemy—they do not rationalize or ask God merely to “understand” them. They recognize that unforgiveness grieves the heart of God and earnestly seek His strength to forgive completely. This obedience is not in order to earn reward or favor from God; it flows from their genuine love for God and a desire to honor Him (John 14:15). It is a response to His goodness, a reflection of a heart transformed by His grace.
4. Love for People
A true believer will love people, especially those who belong to the body of Christ. This love is not merely a feeling or emotion—it is active and intentional. It is the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13: patient, kind, and enduring. They are careful not to hurt, wound or slander others, and they seek to meet the needs of those around them. They will care for the poor and the needy in their society, doing so with compassion and without shaming them. When correction is necessary, they correct in love, restoring gently as Galatians 6:1 instructs. Their love also extends to unbelievers. They do not stand by silently while others walk toward destruction. They share the gospel, warn, and guide with a heart that longs for God’s mercy to save them. They intercede continually, praying for those who have yet to know Christ and pleading for God’s grace in their lives.
True Christian love is visible, active, and sacrificial—it reflects the heart of Christ in every relationship.
5. Repentant
A true believer is repentant of their sin. They do not persist in habitual sin as they might have before encountering the Lord. When they sin, they turn quickly to God in humility, confessing their wrongdoing and receiving His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Repentance is not a one-time act, but a continual posture of the heart. True believers strive against sin, refusing to coexist with it peacefully, and seek daily to align their lives with God’s will. Their lives reflect a genuine desire to please the Lord, not to excuse themselves or justify their wrongdoing. Repentance is evidence of a heart transformed by God’s grace and a life that is actively seeking holiness (Acts 3:19).
6. Perseverance
A true believer endures trials patiently to the end. They do not abandon their faith when faced with hardships—whether sickness, loss, unanswered prayers, betrayal, or other struggles. Their hope is not in the circumstances, but in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who has already proven Himself trustworthy. They bear pain and suffering with earnest expectation that the Lord will deliver them from all harm, even unto death. Paul demonstrates this confidence when he writes in 1 Timothy 4:18–19: he trusted that the Lord would rescue him from all harm and ultimately bring him safely into His Kingdom. Death was not seen as defeat or loss, but as God’s faithful way of delivering him home. True perseverance flows from a heart anchored in Christ, not in outcomes. It is a faith that clings to Jesus through every trial, knowing that He is sufficient and His promises are sure (James 1:12).
Having examined the traits of a true believer, it becomes clear that genuine faith is not just a matter of words or outward appearances—it is evidenced by a transformed life, obedience to God, love for God and others, a repentant heart, the fruit of the Spirit, and perseverance through trials among others. True believers are marked by consistency, intentionality, and a deep reliance on Christ, producing lives that reflect His character to the world around them.
But if these are the hallmarks of genuine faith, then it naturally raises the question: what about those who claim to follow Christ yet bear little or none of these fruits? Who are the false believers, and how can we know them?
The parable of the weeds in Matthew 13: 24-29 teaches us that tares—false believers—grow alongside the wheat, the true believers. They are planted by Satan and do not belong to the Lord. The Bible warns us not to uproot the tares, lest in the process we also uproot the wheat. They are allowed to grow together, and their true nature will only be revealed on Judgment Day.
SIGNS OF FALSE BELIEVERS
False believers often exhibit signs that distinguish them from those truly transformed by Christ. Christians who show no visible change in their lives after an apparent encounter with the Lord may not be genuine. Those who continue in sin without conviction, despite knowing they have been forgiven, demonstrate faith that is questionable. Those who love the world more than the Lord and are ashamed to be associated with faithful believers reveal a heart that is not fully surrendered. Similarly, those who bear no visible fruit of the Holy Spirit yet claim to be Christians, display evidence that their faith is not authentic. And those who abandon their faith in the face of trials but only affirm it when life is easy show a faith that is shallow and unstable.
As Scripture warns us in 1 John 2:4: “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
True faith produces a life aligned with God’s Word. Those who claim Christ but reject His authority reveal the danger of superficial or false belief. Jesus warned that on the final day, many will stand before Him and say, “Lord, Lord, we knew you,” yet He will reply, “Away from me, you workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23). These are some of the most sobering and dreadful words ever spoken by our Lord. They should awaken every believer to examine their faith seriously, testing whether it is genuine and alive.
As Paul also warned the Christians in Corinth: believers must examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). This is not meant to instill fear for its own sake, but to stir hearts toward repentance, transformation, and steadfast devotion to Christ.