Demonic faith

Many people have "demonic faith" in God. No, I don't mean theithy worship demons. I mean they have the same kind of faith in God that the demons do. They believe in the existence of God, and maybe they even believe that there's only one God, but that's as far as their faith goes. It doesn't make any difference in their lives.

In James 2:19, we're told that the demons believe in one God. I think that Satan and the demons are entirely orthodox in their beliefs about God. In fact, it's more than faith to them-they know the reality of who God is and what He's like. I;m sure they are consistent Trinitarians, knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you gave them a theology test on the existence and being of God, they'd ace it.

Despite their "orthodoxy," however, Satan and the demons are condemned to eternal judgment. Their correct belief in God didn't stop them from pursuing their own way, with Satan wanting to be like God and the demons following him in rebellion. As a result, they fell, and their knowledge of God only gives them reason to tremble at the thought of what's coming.

Having the facts about God straight is important, but those facts alone aren't enough. We have to take what we know about God and act on it. The first thing we must do is acknowledge who God is, and who we are in relation to Him. We need to accept Jesus as our Lord by faith. We need to have a faith that really makes a difference in our lives as well. Our knowledge should be matched by our commitment.

James is the NT book that stresses having a living faith. James is often criticized for putting an emphasis on works; in fact, some people accuse him of teaching salvation by works. That's not what his message is when you look at it closely. James sees works as evidence of a real faith, and the absence of any good works as evidence of a dead faith. He follows the advice of his older brother, who said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:20) If our faith is alive, it should be visible in the way we live our lives.

We do need to know the truth about God accurately. We need to have a strong grasp of the teaching of the Bible. But we also need to take what we know and put it into practice. If our faith is no better than that of a demon, we've missed the whole point about Jesus. So let's hold on to the truth, but let's also let that truth work itself out so the world can see the difference that faith in Christ makes in our lives.