Moment With The Master
“Even Demons Believe!”
Categories: Cornerstone of Faith“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
- James 2:19 ESV
According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 77% of US citizens identify themselves as Christians. Strictly going by the numbers that’s not so bad. A little over three-fourths of our country believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings. However, this or any poll cannot take into account whether that belief in Christ or their identity as a Christian goes very deep.
There have been many articles and books written in the last year by various leaders of denominations pointing to a problem with the millennial generation leaving their churches. There is a deep concern over this trend, and rightfully so because when a nation forgets God it is doomed to go further and further into sin. This concern over lost members should of course not be about numbers, but about souls, which is what brought me to this verse in James. James puts forward a question about faith that we all need to spend some time considering, do I truly believe there is a God, and that He will do what He has said He will do?
When you ask people from that 77% of US citizens I am sure that 100% of them will tell you, “Yes, I believe there is a God.” How deep does that belief go? Consider the example James used when he wrote his letter: Even the demons believe—and shudder! Satan and the demons believe in God. They know who God is, and they know His power. However, their knowledge of God did not translate into obedience to Him. Satan and the demons know that there is punishment waiting for them, and they still don’t obey. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6)
That punishment is waiting for each of us as well. God has revealed Himself to us (Romans 1:18-23) and given us everything we need to know to be saved. (1 Timothy 3:16-17) It is dependent on us whether we go on to punishment or to glory. It isn’t enough to just believe that God is, we need to act on that belief. Faith is the cause and obedience is the effect. James’ point is this, doing good works is proof of our faith in God. Our obedience to God’s will and submission to Him is what will prove our faith to be genuine when we stand before the Father on the last day. If we want to influence others with the gospel and save souls then we need to be certain of our own faith.
