Sincere but Unconverted: The Danger of Psychologized Faith in the Modern Church

In a previous piece, I argued that the psychological age we live in has corrupted the biblical concept of sin, relabeling evil and rebellion as illness—whether physical, emotional, or neurological. Now I want to look at the problem from another angle: the church, having absorbed modern philosophies, has begun to replace biblical faith with a psychologized faith.

The gospel is not about what we do, but about what God has done through Jesus Christ. Salvation is all of grace. And yet, the only way to receive the blessings of the gospel is by faith—faith alone. As Protestants, we confess that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone.

But here is the problem: much of modern Christianity has quietly shifted from the biblical concept of faith to a modern, secular one. Faith has been reduced to intellectual assent, sincerity, authenticity, and internal disposition. People are evaluated by how they feel. Assurance is granted by inner self-assessment. Obedience becomes optional; sincerity becomes sacred. This is expressive individualism baptized.

In this framework, a person can say the right things, feel deeply, and remain endlessly introspective while never actually repenting, obeying, or sacrificing. Faith becomes psychological rather than incarnate—an internal state rather than an embodied allegiance.

But biblical faith is never merely internal. It is embodied, allegiant, obedient, and repentant. It is not about perfection, but about direction. It is not sinless, but it is costly. Biblical faith manifests itself in reality as a life reoriented around Christ. You know a tree by its fruit (Matt. 7:16). Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh (Gal. 5:24). Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Luke 9:23). We are not called to admire Christ, but to follow him—even to death (Rev. 2:10).

This is why the mark of the new covenant is baptism: a public sign of death to the old life and resurrection to a new one (Rom. 6:3–4). Biblical faith is not merely felt; it is lived. It is not merely confessed; it is embodied.

The modern version of faith, by contrast, produces weak churches and weak Christians. People learn to say the right things and to feel deeply, but not to do anything costly. Congregations are trained to expect emotional cushioning rather than calls to repentance. Comfort replaces conversion. Introspection replaces obedience. Many are assured of salvation because they are sincere, even while their lives remain fundamentally unchanged.

Some will hear this and accuse it of legalism. But this is not a call to earn salvation or to keep it by works. That is not the point. The point is that the gospel demands an adequate response. When that response is absent, the solution is not “try harder,” but to truly consider the gospel and cry out to God for real faith—faith that is itself a gift from the Spirit.

Real, embodied faith is not the result of human resolve. It is a work of God. But when churches stop teaching what faith actually is, and instead reinforce a psychologized version of it, they deceive people into believing they possess what they do not. They offer assurance where Scripture would call for repentance. They comfort those who should be awakened.

May God have mercy on his church. May he wake us from our therapeutic slumber and grant us a faith that is more precious than gold (1 Pet. 1:7)—a faith that endures, a faith that obeys, a faith that cannot be shaken. A faith that saves.

Nino Marques