Trailblazin Ministries

A Dead Faith: Part 5 - James 2:19

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Monday, 26 November 2007

So, we've been studying the issue of faith versus works, one of the more challenging passages to deal with in Scripture. As we have already seen, though, the passage isn't as difficult to understand as many make it out to be. Simply put, if you're a Christian who is truly saved by grace, then works are a natural outpouring of the mercies of God that have been stowed upon you. If you don't have works, then where is that saving grace and why hasn't it transformed you? Maybe because it's not really there. That's the layman paraphrase of what James has stated thus far, and he is now getting ready to use the next two verses (19 and 20) to setup his final argument that faith without works is dead by giving his readers a history lesson in Old Testament literature. We will spend today looking at verse 19, as it reveals some very interesting points that are worth noting and truly serve to drive home James' point when you take time to ponder on the matter.

James 2:19 (NASB) - You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

As we can see, this is a very short verse, but it packs a wallop of a punch. Upon investigation, we can see that it can be broken down into three segments: 1) You believe that God is one, 2) You do well, and 3) the demons also believe and shudder. Let us examine each of these statements one by one and you will start to see the full picture develop as to the point that James is trying to drive home.

You believe that God is one. For the Jew, this is a no-brainer. The core of Jewish belief is that they are monotheistic and only believe in one true God, with everything else being a false god or idol. This is also known as the Shema, which can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4. Indeed, it is the most basic of all Jewish beliefs, and it is the one thing that set Judaism and the Jewish people apart from all of their pagan counterparts who believed in numerous gods. In other words, James is saying that his readers have no problem believing that there is a God; they have enough faith to believe and trust in that simple fact. But does it simply end there though, or is there more to it? Is it simply enough to believe that God exists and that He is one in essence? Take time to think on that before moving on to the next point.

Well, apparently James believes that his readers do well to believe that God is one. Of course this reads into the text, but you get the sense that this is a genuine statement, but it is one spoken with much sarcasm as well. Yes, it is a great thing to believe that God is one, otherwise everything else that you believe is out of line and false. As we've already stated, believing that there is one God is the most basic of truths, and knowing that is truly a good thing. Once you have that truth, you then have a solid foundation upon which to build everything else. Even with that, you can tell that there is something missing. What good is simply having a monotheistic theology if that is all you have, without saving grace that is able to change your life? Apparently it doesn't do much good, as we will see in the next point.

This last point is bound to rock your world, as it is one that takes some time to fully wrap your mind around. The demons also believe that God is one. In fact, satan and his demons have a better theology than we do. They believe and know for a fact that God is one; that Jesus is the Son of God; that the Word of God is true; and so on. At the very root of it all, demons are very orthodox in their theology and, honestly, are probably better theologians and scholars than many of today's finest Christians. You see, they have been in the presence of God and have witnessed the unfolding of history, so they know for a fact that everything is true, and even know what their fate is (Matthew 8:29). This is interesting though, if you think about it. Demons have as near a perfect theology as anyone could possibly dream of having, yet they are fallen and have no hope of redemption. There is no saving grace that is available to save them from their damnation because, even with their absolute knowledge of God, they choose to walk in disobedience towards God.

It is very interesting if you look at the verse that immediately follows Deuteronomy 6:4, verse 5 reads as follows, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." This is where the demons failed, just as those with a dead faith fail. You can have all the head knowledge of God and Scripture that you want, but until you believe that it is true, apply it to your life, and allow it to change you, then you will continue to have a dead faith. Just like in James 2:8 where James says you do well by keeping the royal law, you still are a transgressor because you have broken other areas of the Law. Remember, how we outlined how the Law is one? Well, if you break one part, then you are guilty of the whole. This is akin to what James is saying here; if you just have the knowledge without the power of God behind it, then you are missing it. Indeed, as James will point out in verse 20, you cannot say that you have faith if you do not have works as proof of your faith.

It's sad to think that satan and the demons know more than we do about God and Scripture, but look where they are at; they chose to break fellowship with God and are doomed to the lake of fire. Now look at yourself, how much less do we know about God, yet we have the opportunity to be saved if we would simply have a living faith, a faith that is alive within us. If we would just have that faith, we become heirs with Christ and escape the same faith that awaits those spiritual beings who have a much more orthodox theology than we do. Think on that today, and examine yourself to see which is true for you: do you have a dead faith that you think is alive or one that is truly living within you?