Satan’s relentless strategy is to undermine your confidence in Christ and drive you into self-doubt and condemnation. One of his most effective tactics is to whisper, “Did you really believe the gospel?” He wants you to turn inward, to scrutinize your feelings and your performance, rather than to rest in Christ and His finished work.
The False Gospel of “Full Commitment”
You’ve heard the story: a man pushes a wheelbarrow across a tightrope and asks for volunteers to ride inside. This is trotted out as an illustration of “real faith”—not just believing facts, but “trusting enough to get in the wheelbarrow.” The implication is clear: mere belief is not enough. You must demonstrate “heart faith,” “total surrender,” or “full commitment.”
This is not a harmless analogy. It is a subtle but deadly redefinition of faith. Modern teachers, especially those influenced by Calvinism, insist that faith is more than agreeing with God’s testimony about His Son—it must be proven by your willingness to commit everything, to surrender, to risk all. In doing so, they exchange the biblical definition of faith for a system of works. The gospel is no longer about what God has done in Christ, but about what you must do to prove yourself.
If you accept this error, you lose everything: the assurance of your salvation, the certainty of your standing as a son and heir, and the rest that comes from knowing your justification is secure. You are left with a gospel that cannot save, because it depends on your own ability to maintain perfect devotion—a standard no fallen human can meet.
Biblical Faith: God’s Work, Not Yours
Scripture is not ambiguous. When you believed, you were persuaded by the Holy Spirit—through the Word—that the message concerning Jesus Christ’s death for your sins and His resurrection is true. John, in both his gospel and his epistles, is emphatic: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God is born of God.” There is no hidden clause, no secret requirement of “full commitment” or “total surrender.” Believing is simply agreeing with God’s testimony about His Son—certifying that it is true.
Faith is not an act of heroic effort. It is not “climbing into the wheelbarrow” by your own strength. In reality, you had no strength to do any such thing. The best you could do was acknowledge that the “wheelbarrow” exists and that Christ alone can carry you across the chasm. It is God who picks you up and puts you in Christ. As Paul declares, “Of Him are you in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30). God Himself puts you into Christ the moment you believe.
God Justifies the Ungodly—Not the Committed
Consider the testimony of Scripture:
“But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
God justifies the ungodly, not those who have achieved some mythical state of full commitment. Your faith is reckoned as righteousness precisely because it is apart from works. To commit yourself fully to God, in a way that satisfies the law, would require loving Him with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength—every moment, without interruption, for your entire life. Anything less is sin and falls short of His glory. No one but Jesus has ever lived this way. The demand for “full commitment” is not only impossible in this fallen flesh—it is a denial of the gospel itself.
Try it: resolve to give God your all. Within minutes, your mind and heart will wander. You may practice disciplines, you may feel spiritual for a time, but only Jesus lived entirely unto God and was without sin. The law’s demand is total, unwavering devotion. Anything less is transgression.
What Is Lost If You Accept the Error
If you allow faith to be redefined as a work—something more than simply believing God’s testimony—you forfeit the very heart of the gospel. You open yourself to endless doubt and condemnation, because your assurance will always be measured by your own performance, your own feelings, your own ability to “commit.” The enemy will exploit this, launching fiery darts against your conscience, keeping you from drawing near to God and robbing you of the boldness that belongs to sons and heirs. The gospel’s power is gutted, and your inheritance is placed out of reach.
The Assurance That Cannot Be Shaken
If you are plagued by the question, “Did I really believe?”—ask yourself: Do you still believe the message you first received? Could you “unbelieve” it, even if you tried? You cannot deny, but must confess in your heart, that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and is Lord. Scripture is clear: you could not make this confession apart from the Holy Spirit bearing witness within you.
Your level of commitment is not the issue. It fluctuates, affected by countless factors. But your salvation is not grounded in your commitment. It is grounded in Christ’s finished work and God’s promise. Jesus Himself declares, “He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.” This is not a secondary matter—it is the difference between a gospel that saves and a gospel that damns.
If you have believed, you are held by God. He has put you in Christ. He reckons you as righteous, as perfectly devoted, because you are in His Son. This is the assurance that silences the accuser, cleanses the conscience, and establishes you as a son and heir. Do not let anyone redefine faith and rob you of your inheritance. The gospel is God’s work from start to finish. Stand in it, and refuse every voice that would turn you back to yourself.
