James 2:19 (KJV)
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
This, I believe, is the axle upon which this chapter turns. The issue is the definition of faith. It is more than believing a thing to be true. Faith is active. Faith responds to truth. Faith is obedient.
Faith shows little respect for personal status on the earth. It accepts that God sets up one as well as another and gives that respect to the Lord, not to the one who has position or possessions. Faith recognizes that each of us will stand individually before God and give an account. Therefore, faith focuses on one’s own account and not another’s.
Faith changes one’s view of others. Rather than looking up to one and down upon another, faith glorifies the God who provides and reaches out to help those who have need.
Faith both knows and understands the Bible. Faith leads one to study to shew himself approved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the word of truth, so that illustrations such as those provided in James 2—of Abraham and of Rahab—make sense and have application to daily life.
Faith sees the Bible as a whole, not just one part or another. It is the person who focuses only on the works in this passage, without considering the whole message of Scripture, who runs into problems. One group, like the Catholics, emphasizes works and insists we must do them. Another, like Martin Luther, struggled to reconcile the works and wished the text removed.
Faith need not go to either extreme. Faith actively finds balance in the whole counsel of God.
The devils believe.
But they do not have faith.
#FaithThatActs #LivingFaith #James219 #FaithNotJustBelief #BiblicalFaith
You Believe in God—So Do the Devils: What Makes the Difference?
What do you think—does your faith show up in what you do? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. I’d like to hear how this passage challenges or encourages you.
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