10/26/2026
The Danger of Superficial Faith
By Bishop A. Collins
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” - Luke 6:46
One of the greatest dangers facing the Church today is shallow faith. We have a Christianity which is perfectly respectable on the outside, which is perfectly acceptable to the world, which is perfectly plausible to the unconverted, but which is utterly devoid of any significant inward transformation.
We go to church, we do all the religious things, we say we love Jesus Christ. Yet, our lives don't reflect the character of the One we say we follow.
Superficial faith knows the language of Christianity
without in any way living the life of Christ.
In Matt 23:27-28 Jesus compares the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but full of dead men's bones on the inside. We have to ask ourselves whether we care more about looking Christian than we do about being Christlike.
Church attendance, a level of biblical knowledge and a degree of ministry involvement all matter. But none of that can substitute for a heart that has been changed by the Holy Spirit.
Religious activity is not in itself an indicator of spiritual maturity.
Matthew 13:20-21 describes those who receive the word with joy but have no root in themselves. When the trials of life come, they fall away. James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the word and not mere hearers. We can know what the Scripture teaches about forgiveness and yet fail to forgive. We can know how important prayer is and yet pray very rarely.
The purpose of biblical knowledge is not simply information. It's transformation.
Many want God's blessing, God's protection, God's provision and yet will resist His authority over their lives. Yet Jesus says in Luke 9:23 that it's a matter of denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Him. Authentic Christianity is not about trying to persuade God to do our will. It's about giving ourselves over to do His.
Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the Spirit as the evidence of His work in us. Are we becoming more loving, more patient, more forgiving, more humble and more obedient? Spiritual maturity is not in any way measured by how long we've been Christians. It's measured by the extent to which Christ is being revealed through us.
Jesus didn't just want us to produce church goers. He wanted us to make disciples who know His Word, obey His commandments, and are characterized by His nature. We have to stop equating religious involvement with spiritual transformation and biblical knowledge with biblical obedience.
The question isn't simply 'do I believe in Jesus Christ?' The bigger question is 'Is my belief in Jesus Christ actually changing the way I live?' God has called us beyond the mere appearance of Christianity into the reality of Christlikeness.
Collins Discipleship Institute Principle: Superficial faith is content with just knowing about Christ. Genuine faith is committed to becoming like Christ. Spiritual maturity is not demonstrated by what we say, but by what we actually do.
Ad Gloriam Christi — For the Glory of Christ.
HOWICP / CDI