Moving Beyond Demonic Belief

Day 323: James 2:18-3:18

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” - James 2:19 ESV

Acknowledging something as true isn't biblical belief.

I can acknowledge that 45-year-old Tom Brady is a statistical anomaly and is good at football, but I am for sure not going to go out and buy his new Buccaneers jersey. It probably isn't fair to go from talking about Tom Brady to bringing up a conversation about demons, but here we go.

The first part of this verse is dripping with sarcasm, and the second part is terrifying. The thought that a demon would know more about the fear of God than I do really bothers me. Darkness is well aware of the light's capabilities.

So, what should separate us from the demons? James says it is the activity of faith. It is the act of getting up every day and submitting our entire lives to Jesus. Like we discovered in yesterday's post, genuine faith in God is going to find its expression one way or another.

I love that the two examples James gives are a patriarch and a prostitute (vs 21, 25). Both Abraham and Rahab were obedient when it counted. Were they always obedient? Well, no. Abraham was a liar, and Rahab was... you know. Yet they found expression for their faith when it counted most, and it is reflected in their legacies.

What about your legacy? Is your faith reflected in what you are leaving behind for future generations?

Sophie Laws says it well when she writes, “For Jesus, whose teaching may be in James’s mind, love of the God who is one leads to love of the neighbour. The challenge to James’s man of faith is to show what response his profession evokes from him.”