I was doing my daily bible study the other day, and I started thinking about salvation. I know that we are saved by trusting in Jesus, who took all of our sins to the cross. I went online, and came across several sites that call this “easy believism”. So I looked at what they think the bible says about being saved, and they seem to say the same thing that easy believism supporters say, which is trusting that Jesus paid the price for our sins, so that we won’t have to suffer for them. I’m very confused; I can’t seem to find the difference between “easy believism” and “grace through faith”. I hope you can shed some light on this for me.
“Easy Believism” is a derogatory term. For the most part I’ve found that people who use it agree that we’re saved by grace through faith alone. But as they observe another believer, if they don’t see the life changes they think a believer should be demonstrating, they use this term to indicate their doubt about his or her sincerity. It’s like saying they don’t believe the other person is really saved.
The fact is, believing in Jesus should change a person’s life. But we’re all changed in different ways and at different times, and we all still sin every day. I’m very careful about accusing another of insincerity because I know the Bible cautions us about judging others. (Matt. 7:1-2)
And I know from experience how difficult it can be to break a bad habit or be cured of an addiction, and I know that I don’t have any idea what kind of struggles other people are going through. I wouldn’t want to be the one who causes someone to lose hope.
I think John had some very good advice for all of us. When we see a brother or sister sinning, our response should be to ask the Lord to forgive him or her (1 John 5:16-17). How are we to know we won’t fall into sin tomorrow and need a prayer like that for ourselves?