Is Belief Really Enough? Don't Even The Devils Believe?
You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19
This verse is often incorrectly taught as if James is conveying something along the lines of, “Oh you believe in Jesus? Good luck with that, that's not enough, even the devils believe and tremble.” Well that's not what he is saying here at all, not remotely.
Sadly this verse is commonly used to allegedly prove that to believe or have faith in Jesus Christ is not enough for salvation, and that one must also have works in order to be saved eternally. This is not only totally incorrect, but is an enormous heresy and affront to the true Gospel of faith alone in Christ alone.
It is commonplace today for proponents of the Works-Salvation / Lordship Salvation error to claim that believing (trusting) Jesus is insufficient for salvation because devils also believe and we know that devils cannot be saved. They quote James 2:19 out of context, as if devils believe in Jesus regarding salvation. But that is not the actual context by a long shot. The belief of demons regarding God and the belief of humans unto salvation are two entirely different subjects. In fact salvation and eternal life are not even in view in this verse or overall passage. This error is taught in an attempt to diminish the strength and importance of the word believe in order to elevate the incorrect idea of works being required for salvation. Works are not required for salvation (Eph 2:9), neither are any aspects of human performance required (Titus 3:5). Salvation is a free gift (Eph 2:8) and Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins (John 2:2) in order to give us this wonderful gift.
A simple review of the Greek meaning for the word “believe” in the Bible as pertaining to John 3:16 and other salvation verses reveals much. The definition we find is “trust in” and “reliance upon”, nothing more. The immediate and overall context that the word believe is used in also confirms and upholds the meaning.
Not surprisingly, Works-Salvationists / Lordship Salvationists often fail to quote the first part of James 2:19, which shows what the demons actually believe in: “that there is one God”, nothing more.
You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19
The devils believe that there is one God and they know very well who Jesus is, part of that one God. This verse is clearly not saying that devils believe Jesus for (their) salvation. Devils know quite well that they cannot be saved and upon that they can surely rely (trust). They know that there is no hope for them. So therefore it is impossible for them to have saving faith (trust in Christ for salvation). It is impossible for them to trust that Jesus paid the penalty for their sins because He did not. Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of mankind not devils. There is no way that devils can trust Jesus for that which they know they can never possess: forgiveness of their sins and eternal life in heaven.
With regards to salvation, belief or faith means to trust in something and we know from the Scriptures that the devils do not trust Jesus for salvation. Devils however can be convinced of a fact. They can rely on something to be true and trust that information, namely their condemnation and more importantly the fact that God exists and that they are in enormous trouble with God.
The bottom line is God has made no provision whatsoever for demons to be saved and they are all well aware of this. They do however know (and therefore fully trust) that God has told them the truth about their future. Any belief that they have is not a trust unto salvation, but rather a trust that certain facts are true, namely their doom.
Also, the word peitho, is the root of the word believe in James 2:19 and it means “have confidence in a fact”. While this is not the same as the meaning of the main Greek word pisteuo (believe), it is still related to the subject of trust. The devils certainly have confidence in the fact that God has told them the truth about their fate. One must have confidence in certain facts in order to have trust regarding those facts. A human being must understand the facts related to their sinful condition and their need for a Savior in order to place trust in Jesus Christ as their one and only Savior. Having certain vital information or facts is a prerequisite of trust. We need these facts about Jesus and other information from the Gospel (that Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead according to the Scriptures) in order to even know that we need to place our trust in Him for the forgiveness of our sins.
Now, for those who might say that the extreme rebellious nature of demons proves that they have no confidence in their fate and somehow proves that they are planning (and hoping) for a way to escape, this is entirely untrue. The devils know God has power, immense unlimited power. This is why they tremble and they clearly see the bounds of their spiritual chains. They know they were cast from heaven. They are very aware of their limitations and restrictions. So assuredly they have confidence in their fate. Satan himself knows that his time is short (see Rev 12:12). The Bible does not say that the Devil disagrees that his time is short or that he doesn't believe God on these matters, as if he is somehow working to escape his fate (as if he could even do so). He knows he cannot. What he is diligently working on is to try to cause as much damage to the Kingdom of God before his time is up. Why? Well first, because again he knows his time is short and also because he can, and he has nothing left to lose. He hates God and he hates His children. Such is a formidable adversary that should never be underestimated.
"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time." Rev 12:12
So you could say that Satan and the devils overall have rock solid faith, unshakable belief, undying trust and total reliance upon the fact (as well as complete assurance) that they are in BIG trouble with God and that their future is sealed. That is exactly the level of rock solid faith that people should be placing in Jesus Christ for their salvation, totally trusting that He paid the full price for their sins, with full assurance that heaven will be their eternal home.
ChristiansFree.com
You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19
This verse is often incorrectly taught as if James is conveying something along the lines of, “Oh you believe in Jesus? Good luck with that, that's not enough, even the devils believe and tremble.” Well that's not what he is saying here at all, not remotely.
Sadly this verse is commonly used to allegedly prove that to believe or have faith in Jesus Christ is not enough for salvation, and that one must also have works in order to be saved eternally. This is not only totally incorrect, but is an enormous heresy and affront to the true Gospel of faith alone in Christ alone.
It is commonplace today for proponents of the Works-Salvation / Lordship Salvation error to claim that believing (trusting) Jesus is insufficient for salvation because devils also believe and we know that devils cannot be saved. They quote James 2:19 out of context, as if devils believe in Jesus regarding salvation. But that is not the actual context by a long shot. The belief of demons regarding God and the belief of humans unto salvation are two entirely different subjects. In fact salvation and eternal life are not even in view in this verse or overall passage. This error is taught in an attempt to diminish the strength and importance of the word believe in order to elevate the incorrect idea of works being required for salvation. Works are not required for salvation (Eph 2:9), neither are any aspects of human performance required (Titus 3:5). Salvation is a free gift (Eph 2:8) and Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins (John 2:2) in order to give us this wonderful gift.
A simple review of the Greek meaning for the word “believe” in the Bible as pertaining to John 3:16 and other salvation verses reveals much. The definition we find is “trust in” and “reliance upon”, nothing more. The immediate and overall context that the word believe is used in also confirms and upholds the meaning.
Not surprisingly, Works-Salvationists / Lordship Salvationists often fail to quote the first part of James 2:19, which shows what the demons actually believe in: “that there is one God”, nothing more.
You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19
The devils believe that there is one God and they know very well who Jesus is, part of that one God. This verse is clearly not saying that devils believe Jesus for (their) salvation. Devils know quite well that they cannot be saved and upon that they can surely rely (trust). They know that there is no hope for them. So therefore it is impossible for them to have saving faith (trust in Christ for salvation). It is impossible for them to trust that Jesus paid the penalty for their sins because He did not. Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of mankind not devils. There is no way that devils can trust Jesus for that which they know they can never possess: forgiveness of their sins and eternal life in heaven.
With regards to salvation, belief or faith means to trust in something and we know from the Scriptures that the devils do not trust Jesus for salvation. Devils however can be convinced of a fact. They can rely on something to be true and trust that information, namely their condemnation and more importantly the fact that God exists and that they are in enormous trouble with God.
The bottom line is God has made no provision whatsoever for demons to be saved and they are all well aware of this. They do however know (and therefore fully trust) that God has told them the truth about their future. Any belief that they have is not a trust unto salvation, but rather a trust that certain facts are true, namely their doom.
Also, the word peitho, is the root of the word believe in James 2:19 and it means “have confidence in a fact”. While this is not the same as the meaning of the main Greek word pisteuo (believe), it is still related to the subject of trust. The devils certainly have confidence in the fact that God has told them the truth about their fate. One must have confidence in certain facts in order to have trust regarding those facts. A human being must understand the facts related to their sinful condition and their need for a Savior in order to place trust in Jesus Christ as their one and only Savior. Having certain vital information or facts is a prerequisite of trust. We need these facts about Jesus and other information from the Gospel (that Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead according to the Scriptures) in order to even know that we need to place our trust in Him for the forgiveness of our sins.
Now, for those who might say that the extreme rebellious nature of demons proves that they have no confidence in their fate and somehow proves that they are planning (and hoping) for a way to escape, this is entirely untrue. The devils know God has power, immense unlimited power. This is why they tremble and they clearly see the bounds of their spiritual chains. They know they were cast from heaven. They are very aware of their limitations and restrictions. So assuredly they have confidence in their fate. Satan himself knows that his time is short (see Rev 12:12). The Bible does not say that the Devil disagrees that his time is short or that he doesn't believe God on these matters, as if he is somehow working to escape his fate (as if he could even do so). He knows he cannot. What he is diligently working on is to try to cause as much damage to the Kingdom of God before his time is up. Why? Well first, because again he knows his time is short and also because he can, and he has nothing left to lose. He hates God and he hates His children. Such is a formidable adversary that should never be underestimated.
"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time." Rev 12:12
So you could say that Satan and the devils overall have rock solid faith, unshakable belief, undying trust and total reliance upon the fact (as well as complete assurance) that they are in BIG trouble with God and that their future is sealed. That is exactly the level of rock solid faith that people should be placing in Jesus Christ for their salvation, totally trusting that He paid the full price for their sins, with full assurance that heaven will be their eternal home.
ChristiansFree.com