Saving Faith or Demonic Knowledge?
Oct 7 2022 - Adam Seitz
Many people today describe their “faith” as “I’m spiritual and I have no problems with Jesus. Isn’t that enough?” This is a faith that believes there is a god, acknowledges Jesus as a real person who walked the earth, but does not call Jesus “Lord” and does not believe He is the only Way, Truth, and Life. These “spiritual” people may see Jesus as a friend, will readily acknowledge he had some good moral teachings, and might even give Him an hour of their time a few Sundays every month. But the “spiritual” person will never give up their own way to follow His way. It interferes too much with their own enjoyment, college football Saturday, their tailgate plans for the Chiefs game on Sunday, their kid’s sports schedule, or other plans for their life. The story of James, the half-brother of Jesus, gives us a warning on being “spiritual” but not fully submitting to Jesus as your Lord and King. As we will see, a “spiritual” faith is no different than the faith of the demons.
The book of James has a fascinating backstory from which God wants us to learn a lesson. James is Jesus’ half-brother, a child of Mary and Joseph who was born after Jesus. But James was not always a believer. He grew up with Mary and Joseph, two pillars of the faith! They would have taken James to temple, taught him the laws laid down by Moses, and he surely would have seen the faith of his parents when they offered sacrifices to atone for their sins. One of the reasons I love the Bible is that it doesn’t hide the “warts” of its heroes and we see a “wart” here with James. Despite his upbringing, the Bible makes clear that while James may have been spiritual and acknowledged Jesus as a good guy with some solid moral teachings, James did not always believe his brother Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. This family divide is revealed in the book of John where we learn that James and his brothers misunderstood who Jesus really was and, as a result, “not even his brothers believed in him.” (James 7:2-5).
After letting us know he was not a believer, the Bible picks back up with James in the book of Acts where he is gathered with the other believers in the upper room in Jerusalem “devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:12-14). Clearly something had changed for James and it’s not hard to figure out what that was. James had seen Jesus die, rise from the grave, and ascend to heaven! God had opened James’ eyes and now he knew and believed Jesus really was the Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life! James knew he needed to give up who he previously thought he was, give up any plans he had for his own life, and follow Jesus with all his heart, soul, and mind. We see this radical transformation in how James refers to himself. James’ very identity is now in being “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1). It is with this unique perspective, from unbeliever to believer, from “spiritual” to “saving faith,” that James tackles the question of whether it is enough to simply acknowledge Jesus as a friend, or a good moral teacher, without anything more:
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19).
Wow. Imagine the uproar if James posted a tweet like that in today’s world. I can just imagine the responses calling James “exclusionary,” “elitist,” “close minded,” and “lacking compassion.” The “experts” of this world would be gathering on cable news shows to discuss how Jesus was a good moral teacher, but not the only Way, Truth, and Life. People should “coexist” (to steal a popular bumper sticker) and everyone can find his or her own way to heaven. But James knew the truth of his half-brother:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25).
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18).
Faith, true saving faith, is more than merely knowing about Jesus. More than merely knowing that Jesus was a man who actually walked the earth. And it is even more than believing Jesus is your friend. Jesus met many demons during his time on earth who recognized him as the Son of God. (For example, Matthew 8:28-29 and Mark 1:23-26). The demons knew who Jesus was. The demons didn’t doubt his existence. And they even knew He was a powerful teacher. But these demons won’t be going to heaven. So what is the difference between the demon’s knowledge and a faith that saves? James answers that for us: true saving faith is “submitting yourselves therefore to God” by “humbling yourselves before the Lord.” (James 4:7, 10). This humility is a broken and contrite spirit that comes to God on bended knee, acknowledging that you lack the power to fix anything on your own and that you are helpless without Him. It is a mouth that confesses that Jesus is Lord and a heart that believes He can and will save you because God raised Jesus from the dead! It is loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is dying to your own wants, desires, and wishes every single day in order to live a life that glorifies Christ. A saving faith, unlike demonic knowledge, bends the knee to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Is that you? Have you submitted to Christ as King over every aspect of your life? Or are you still “spiritual,” merely thinking of Jesus as “nice guy” (or even your friend) who you run to when you can’t figure out something on your own? Don’t play around with a demon’s knowledge of Jesus—it’s like playing with a lion, it won’t go well for you. If today you hear God’s voice calling you to repent, don’t wait any longer. God has promised today for your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow for your procrastination.