Why So Many “Decisions for Christ” Don’t Lead to a Changed Life

By Arnie Cole 

Over the years, I’ve celebrated countless moments when people responded to the gospel.

Hands raised. Prayers prayed. Digital forms submitted. Those moments can matter. Every sincere response to the good news of Jesus is worth rejoicing over. 

And yet, many pastors and ministry leaders are quietly wrestling with a troubling reality. A large number of people who once “decided for Christ” never seem to take a next step. They don’t grow. They don’t become meaningful members of a local church. Over time, many drift away entirely. 

I don’t intend for my observation to discourage our celebration of decisions people make in the moment. Not at all. But I want to clarify the nature of genuine saving faith, which results in life-long discipleship. Because the Bible never treats a first response to the gospel as the finish line. It treats it as the starting point. 

Jesus didn’t call people to make a momentary decision. He called them to follow Him. 

A Moment That Begins a Lifetime 

 The New Testament makes abundantly clear that salvation is a gift of grace, received by faith. When someone truly trusts in Christ, they are forgiven and made new. All of that happens in a moment. But what follows that moment, if the moment is genuine, is a process, a lifelong journey of learning to walk with Jesus. 

Scripture often speaks of this process of Christian growth. It’s the gradual shaping of a life by the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Theologians call this “sanctification.” But you don’t need technical language to understand the idea. Living faith grows. It changes direction. It produces fruit over time. 

Jesus put it this way: “Every healthy tree bears good fruit” (Matt 7:17). Fruit doesn’t appear instantly. Fruit grows because the tree is alive. In the same way, genuine faith doesn’t remain invisible. It begins to show itself across the years. 

This is where confusion often sets in. When we separate a person’s profession of faith from the longer-term process of discipleship, we unintentionally suggest that nothing else is expected. Then, when life doesn’t change, people are left wondering whether faith actually works or whether something is wrong with them. 

The Bible offers a better framework: spiritual progress, not perfection. 

Why Fruit Matters 

 When the New Testament speaks of spiritual fruit, it isn’t talking about personal moral achievements or religious polish. It’s talking about evidence of spiritual life. The apostle Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22–23). These qualities are not manufactured by effort. They are formed by the Spirit over time. 

Fruit doesn’t mean a life without struggle. It means a life that doesn’t stay the same. There is movement. Repentance. Growth. Sometimes slow and uneven, but real. 

Many believers quietly struggle because they expected instant transformation. When old habits linger or temptations remain, they wonder if their faith was genuine at all. Others assume that since they prayed a prayer years ago, nothing more is required. Both misunderstand the nature of biblical faith. 

The Christian life is not about flawlessness. It is about spiritual progress, not perfection. 

Faith That Grows Over Time 

 The Bible never invites us to honestly examine our lives. Not to see whether we “measure up,” but to see whether God is at work. This involves asking questions such as:  

• Are we confessing our sin and putting godly habits in the place of sinful ones? 

• Are we learning to love other people in ways we didn’t before? 

• Are we quicker to turn back to God when we stumble? 

• Are our desires slowly being reshaped, even when growth feels frustratingly slow? 

Those questions are meant to reassure, not unsettle. God is far more patient with us than we are with ourselves, and is 100%, fully committed to finishing what He started. 

That’s why Jesus spoke of abiding, not achieving. “Whoever abides in me… bears much fruit” (Jn 15:5). Fruit flows from relationship, not pressure. 

Why This Matters So Much 

When our view of “salvation” is reduced to a momentary public response, people are left unprepared for the long obedience that follows. Some grow discouraged when change doesn’t come quickly. Others drift away because they never actually embraced Christ with saving faith in the first place. 

True saving faith does not mean we never fail. It means we keep returning. It does not mean instant maturity. It means steady formation. Over time, a life connected to Christ begins to reflect His character. That is the biblical expectation. 

Again, the goal is spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection. 

Pray this truth back to God today:  

 Lord, thank You for beginning Your work in me. Help me trust the process of growth, and teach me to walk with You faithfully over a lifetime. 

And if this perspective brings clarity or relief, share it with someone else. Many believers are quietly confused about what faith is supposed to look like over the long haul. Sometimes all it takes is one honest conversation to help someone see that God’s aim has always been progress, not perfection.