Tuesday: The “Faith” of Demons
If works are absent, there is only one other way to prove
the genuineness of one’s faith: by orthodoxy. If I believe the right things, then I must have faith, right?
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
Read 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 2:4; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 1:22; and 1 John 3:18-19. What do these verses tell us about how important knowing truth is?
There is no question that an intellectual knowledge of truth has its place, a very important place. Yet, that knowledge, in and of itself, is not sufficient to prove that a person has saving faith.
What warning is given to us in James 2:19 about a false concept of what true faith is?
The most fundamental statement of faith in the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 6:4, Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
(NASB 1995). Known as the Shema (because this is the Hebrew word it begins with), this verse neatly summarizes belief in one God. Every other biblical teaching flows from this cardinal truth.
But even the demons believe this truth. In fact, they know it! And yet, what good does it do them? They tremble in God’s presence, as they did also when confronted by Jesus and commanded by Him to come out of their victims (Mark 3:11, Mark 5:7).
An intellectual faith that has no effect on how we act is useless; in fact, it is the same faith that demons have, demons who are actively at work to deceive us with false doctrines and lies. As with Israel at the time of Jesus, demons will encourage people to believe their deceptions based on their victims’ desire to hold onto impure and unrighteous behavior: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils
(1 Tim. 4:1).
Faith must be manifested in our lives or else it is not saving faith; it is, instead, the faith of demons,
and such a faith won’t save us any more than it will save them.
(36)
How sad! The demons know that Jesus is the Son of God, they know all about His loving nature, but still they refuse to surrender their selves to Him? Why? I would have thought that anyone who truly knew Jesus they would love Him, why don't they?
If one is in love with fulfilling his/her selfish desires, Jesus will not appear attractive to that one no matter how deeply that one knows Jesus.
Very true.That is why we must abandon self and take on Jesus
That knowledge of Jesus becomes cosmetic, if not superficial.
Because the demons that there referring to are the cast out angels. So they new God walked with him chatted with him. But chose to follow Satin and be cast out of heaven. This is why they fear him they know of his power and what is to come.
Can demons repent? Can they also accept the gift of salvation; are they eternally dammed, no matter what?
Hi, Shirley de Beer,
I believe these demons are false angels. These the angels that were deceived by Satan. They were given time to repent yet they refused. They believe in Jesus yet do contrary to His will. E. G. White
Agency of Evil Spirits, Chapter 31, p. 513.
Thank you Nicolas,
It is a sad warning, if we continually ignore Jesus' call we will end up like them.
This is the problem with sin. Even though we know we shouldn't do something and we keep on wilfully doing it, we can get to the point of no return from constantly pushing the Holy Spirit away until eventually the great sin that David spoke about in Psalms, is committed -the unpardonable sin. I assume this is what has happened to the fallen angels. They kept on sinning, even when they came to the full knowledge that they were doing so, thus hardening their hearts against their Maker. We as human beings are in similar perils, if we stubbonly refuse to give up sin, despite knowing the Truth. God have mercy upon us. Faith without works is dead.
An intellectual faith that has no effect on how we act is useless...
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But furthermore, our faith should affect our conception of God.
Our faith in God should not cause us to be afraid of or mistrustful of Him.
Knowing Gods and His love is not enough, the devil knows of Gods love. We must truly practice loving each other as God does.
The faith of demons is a faith that is out of sync with the TRUTH of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:14) – in fact, it is another gospel, which is no gospel (Galatians 1:7) because it is founded merely on knowledge and belief, which is not followed by works of obedience to the TRUTH of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, this kind of faith offers the individual a path to salvation that nullifies the GRACE of God and contradicts the WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT in the life of the individual – it does not produce fruit bearing. The faith of Demons lacks obedience to the TRUTH of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must remember that we are saved not merely by faith, but by FAITH in Jesus Christ; not because of what faith is, but because of what FAITH lays hold of and receives. THE FUNCTION OF FAITH IS TO UNITE US TO CHRIST.
What is the faith of the demons? I think we can get some idea about it from their interaction with Jesus. "When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me" (Mk. 5:6-7 NKJV). That was the unclean spirit speaking through the man and it had to do with punishment.
Isn't it strange that demons would worship Jesus thinking that He was there to torture them (one of the meanings of the Greek in that verse)? I would like to suggest that that is the faith they have in Jesus. It has nothing to do with salvation but only of condemnation and hell. Neither do I think it has anything to do with works as such, just punishment and suffering from God which is the reason they tremble. But then that was the reason Satan rebelled against God in the first place because he thought that he had a better government and looked at God as one without any concern for His creation but only as a self serving dictator.
I like the way the The Message bible states I James 2:19
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them?
Demons believe Jesus but refuse him to change them they would rather remain unloyal to christ, knowing fully well that their end is demnation.
oh what a generation we are in! many are departing from the truth by retrieving their loyalty from christ.
How then can we convince the world that our God is a living God? We can only show them by living out our beliefs, using our self as prove to what has, can, is and will do in the experiment he demonstrate with our lives.
Here we are sitting and going further and exploring demons, firgetting to search our hearts honestly and finding out if we arent exercising demonic faith as well. We at times do exercise it. We know that as Christian youth maybe, we cannot be allowing whoever we date to touch us they way they like, or kiss intimately even while having unchaperoned visits. We battle with our minds until when opportunity avails itself we cease it with both hands and part take in that which we know is wrong but seem not able to "help ourselves". God is watching us and wishing we could please Him with faith like Abraham, Enoch,Noah,Seth,Mahalaleel and all the prophets of God. When we search our hearts and find our way to Him, He will shield us from demonic faith.
First of all "The Faith of Demons" is a phrase not found in the Bible. I suppose the writer of the lesson does not really mean to ascribe "saving" faith to demons as such is not possible. What I assume he/she is trying to convey is the thought that a mere belief in the existence of GOD and JESUS is valueless if that belief does not lead one to acknowledgment, acceptance of, and obedience to the Mighty Creator.
Hi Albert,
When I saw that title I also thought it strange, however if you look at the Greek you will find that the word 'faith' in Jas 2:18 is 'pistis' meaning 'moral conviction', while the word 'believe' in Jas 2:19 is 'pisteuo' which is derived from 'pistis' and means 'to have faith and is the same word in Jas 2:23 where it says Abraham believed and it was counted righteousness.
So one could say the demons have faith, however I agree that the translators were correct when they used the word believe because the demons definitely don't trust Jesus, don't surrender themselves and definitely don't obey Jesus, all of which I believe are aspects of true faith in Jesus.
Jas 2:18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works.
Jas 2:19 You believe that there is one God, you do well; even the demons believe and tremble.
Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
Demons believe but they do not have faith.
When we speak of faith, we need to make a distinction. There is a kind of belief that is wholly distinct from faith.
"The existence and power of God, the truth of His Word, are facts that even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible says that "the devils also believe, and tremble"; but this is not faith. Where there is not only a belief in God's Word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97. And the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1. {FLB 90.4}