Knowledge
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” - James 2:19 NIV
“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” - James 2:19 NLT
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” - James 2:19 ESV
In the midst of sharing about the need to have faith WITH works, James added this pearl of wisdom. Faith is more than believing that there is one God.
When I was a kid, we didn’t go to church very often. Sometimes at or around Christmas. Sometimes on Easter. Mostly sporadic at best.
Though my parents taught me how to pray as a small child, Church and things of faith were not a big part of our lives. Thus had little bearing in our lives and actions.
So, I grew up with this head knowledge of who God and Jesus were, but I had no heart knowledge. I had no experience with them. There was no relationship.
I knew God was God. I knew who Jesus was and what He did on the cross. I knew about the virgin birth (though I didn’t understand it.) And I knew about the resurrection. I had been to church (like I said, sporadically), I had heard the stories.
And that’s where it stopped. I had some head knowledge, but had no heart knowledge.
Even the demons know and believe at least as much as what I knew and believed... and they shudder.
I mean, think about the depth and magnitude of what James is saying.
How many people come to the westernized church on a weekly basis and attend merely for social reasons, attend merely because grandma did/does, attend merely to gain business and social contacts? They may even be active members of a Sunday School class… or may have even been elected deacon
Yet, time and time again, they leave unchanged… unfilled… without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
They have a head knowledge of Christ, but no heart knowledge. No belief. No trust. No relationship with Jesus (see Matthew 7:21-23)
Faith, like love, is an action verb.
Faith causes us to draw near to Jesus...
Faith drives us to strive to know Him more and more...
Faith calls us to take up our cross and follow Him...
Faith wants us to become more and more like Him....
Faith causes us to love and treat others to like He would love and treat them...
Faith ultimately causes us to want to live out what we say we believe. It causes us to want to share the good news - the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world around us. It causes us to love as He loves, see as He sees, touch as He touched, live as He lives...
Head knowledge, on the other hand, is stagnant and dead, like the demons who shudder at the mention of His name.
Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem
