Not all believers are disciples, and not all disciples are believers.
In John’s Gospel, belief grants life, while genuine discipleship describes the life that follows—but the two are not coextensive.
A disciple is a pupil who binds himself to a teacher to learn from him and to adopt His worldview and way of life.
Meanwhile, a believer, in John’s sense, is someone who has become persuaded that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (cf. John 20:31).
For example, after Jesus did His first miracle of turning water into wine, some of his disciples believed in Him:
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11, emphasis added).
If “His disciples believed in Him,” the implication is that, in some sense, they didn’t believe in Him before. It may be that some did not believe in John’s sense, or it could be that their faith in Him merely increased. But either way, John does not equate being a disciple with being a believer.
Confirming that insight, Jesus later recognizes that not all his disciples were believers:
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him” (John 6:60-64, emphasis added).
Some of these disciples—which is a larger group than the Twelve—found Jesus’ saying hard, offensive, and unacceptable. They didn’t believe. Believing and being a disciple are distinct. One doesn’t guarantee the other.
Later, when some people from the crowds came to believe in Him, Jesus called them to become His disciples:
Even as he spoke, many believed in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:30-31, emphasis added).
Simply believing in Him is not enough to be a “real” disciple of Jesus. A believer who desires to become a disciple must continue to “hold” (or “abide”) in His teaching. The image is that of entering into and then staying in a given state. A real disciple doesn’t merely believe for a moment—he or she continues to “abide” in Jesus’ teachings, allowing it to saturate and shape their entire lives.
John’s Gospel, therefore, draws a distinction between salvation and discipleship. In John, eternal life is conditioned on belief, not on discipleship. One may believe in Jesus for eternal life without yet following Him, while others may follow Him externally without believing in Him. Confusing salvation and discipleship leads to misunderstanding both.
Have you believed in Jesus? And having believed, are you choosing to abide in His word?
Thanks, Shawn, for showing how followers that don't believe and believers that don't follow clearly highlights another reason that salvation and discipleship are completely distinct and yet should be intentionally connected. I really appreciate your summary thoughts in this article!