But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. [James 2:18-19 NIV]
In today's Day Share I want to focus on only seven words which are highlighted in red. This is a staggering statement which James is making. Remember the context, James is continuing his debate with an imaginary opponent. This Jewish opponent has been making the point that he is very different from those who are not Jews. The difference is that he knows the truth that there is only one God - Yahweh or Jehovah. This imaginary Jew, who is really representing those to whom James is writing, is so aware of the lifestyle of the Gentiles as he is now living in a Gentile land away from his homeland of Judea. He is even proud when he sees them going into the temple to worship dead idols. "I am not like that!" he thinks or even mutters to himself.
James is almost sarcastic - "Good." Don't make too much of your belief in one God. Of course, you are right and that is good. But - and here is the punchline - even the devil and his demons believe that there is one God. Wow! Try to imagine the impact this must have had on those Jews reading or listening to this letter. That cuts them down to size. The Gospels tell us about an incident when a demon possessed man came into contact with the Saviour.
Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” [Mark 1:23-24 NIV]
“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” [Luke 4:34 NIV]
So the Gospels record that demons were aware of who Jesus is, the Son of God. They don't need to be told about the trinity. They are fully aware of God's power. Satan does not want mankind to know about God but that does not mean that he is ignorant of God. Quite the reverse. The book of Job shows that Satan is in communication with God. His power is limited by the Sovereign Lord. Notice the effect of this knowledge on the demons - they tremble or shudder. They are fully aware of God's power - they choose to hide this from us in a misguided attempt to rebel against the One God. The devil is the great deceiver. Whenever we find deception, we find Satan at work. However, this belief does not benefit them in any way.
The point is very stark. The demons believe the fact, but they do not surrender to the Lordship of Jehovah. William MacDonald puts it like this:
"When a person truly believes on the Lord, it involves a commitment of spirit, soul and body. This commitment results in changed life." [William MacDonald: The Believer's Bible Commentary: Second Edition - Kindle page 3282]
So unless there has been this real experience of God's power in a person's life, their faith is dead.
Photo by Michal Prucha on Unsplash.
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