Message Manuscript

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The Faith of Devils

James 2:14-22

In today’s message, we read this verse: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19). Wait, what? Even demons believe? What do they believe? Well, they believe that there is only one God.

The Shema is something that the Orthodox Jewish community focuses on a lot, and it emphasizes this truth: “God is one.” This Shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, which says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” So, even demons have knowledge and faith in this crucial dogma. Because they believe it, they fear God and tremble before Him.

For example, we see this in Luke 8:27-28, where demons are terrified of Jesus: 

When Jesus stepped out on the shore, a man who had been possessed by demons came to meet Him. The man hadn’t worn clothes for a long time and lived in tombs instead of a house. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at His feet, shouting, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 

The demons clearly recognized who Jesus was and were deadly scared of Him.

So, does the belief that “God is one” and tremble before Him mean demons truly believe in God? In other words, can their belief lead them to salvation? What do you think? Can their faith save them?

You may ask me like this. “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘The one who is righteous will live only by faith’ in Romans 1:17”? According to this Scriptural teaching, it is correct that faith brings salvation. Period! Then, does that mean demons can be saved too, for they have faith in God? (A pause to think)

But no, demons cannot be saved. Why? Because their faith, even though it’s based on facts and truth, doesn’t lead to good actions. Their belief is all in their heads—it’s not in their hearts or shown through their actions. They don’t act according to what they believe. Their faith doesn’t lead to any proper actions. Of course, believing that “God is one” is good, but just accepting that fact doesn’t save them. Their faith doesn’t bring them peace with God, either.

If we truly believe God is one, we should serve Him and only Him. But demons don’t do that—they serve Satan, who opposes God. Their actions don’t match their beliefs. So, even though they have faith in God’s teaching, it’s not the right kind of faith that leads to salvation.

Then let us think about our faith. Is it the kind of faith that God can approve of? Sadly, many people know the teachings of the Bible only as facts, not as a faith that God accepts. They believe that having faith in Jesus will save them, but even demons know that much. So, what’s the difference between the faith of demons and our faith?

Demons tempt people to sin and constantly plan evil, yet they still believe that God is the Creator. However, they don’t submit to God’s authority and continue down their evil paths. If our faith doesn’t lead to action and we don’t have a desire to do God’s will, how is that different from the faith of the demons? What good is faith if it doesn’t lead to obeying God and Jesus? No matter how much faith we say we have, if it doesn’t produce good deeds, what’s the point?

That’s why Elder James says that faith without good deeds can’t save anyone. He even questions, “Can such faith save him?” His point is that faith without works is useless. True faith shows itself through actions.

It’s important to understand that James isn’t talking about doing good deeds to earn God’s approval, like Paul says in Romans 3:20 – “For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” Instead, James is saying that real faith naturally leads to good actions. Genuine faith changes a person’s behavior.

James gives an example of faith without works in today’s Scripture: “If a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ but you don’t give them what they need, what good is that?” (James 2:15-16) 

Then he states clearly: “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (v. 17). Good deeds are the proof of living faith. If there are no good deeds, it proves that the faith is no use

James isn’t saying that such faith isn’t real. He’s just saying that it’s not the right kind of faith. It’s not living faith, and it can’t save. Remember, even evil spirits have faith, but their faith can’t save them.

In his letter, James goes on to explain the kind of faith that God approves through two stories.

First, Abraham’s faith: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God” (James 2:23). Abraham’s faith and actions worked together. It means that his actions confirmed his faith.

Second, the faith of Rahab, the prostitute: “Rahab was considered righteous for what she did when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out another way” (James 2:25). Rahab wasn’t part of Israel; she was a prostitute. But because her faith led her to protect the Israeli spies, and then she was declared righteous. James isn’t approving of her former life as a prostitute, but he focuses on how her faith led to the right actions.

Therefore, James concludes by saying: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17); “Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (James 2:26). A body without a spirit is just a corpse. Faith without good deeds is like that—dead and useless. True faith must lead to action.

During the Reformation, people divided faith into three parts: Notitia (knowledge), Assensus (agreement), and Fiducia (trust). Notitia is like saying, “I know that Christians believe in a God of love.” It’s just knowledge. Assensus is agreeing that it’s true, like saying, “I believe that God is love.” But Fiducia is deeper—it’s saying, “I believe God is love, so I trust Him with my whole life and follow His ways.” This kind of faith leads to salvation because it results in personal decisions and actions.

If we only have faith at the level of Notitia or Assensus, our faith is no better than the demons’. It’s a dead faith because it doesn’t lead to action. But when we have Fiducia, we reach true salvation because that kind of faith leads us to live in obedience to God.

The difference between faith-based works and regular good deeds might not seem obvious at first. Both involve passion and joy in doing good. But the purpose is different. Faith-based works show our faith in God and give glory to Him only, while regular good deeds show ourselves as good people.

Jesus explained the purpose of faith-based works this way: 

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden. People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

There’s a famous line in the movie “Jerry Maguire” where the football player Rod Tidwell says to Jerry, “Show me the money!” He meant that only if you can show me the proper contract paper for me, I can trust that you really care about me. 

When thinking about today’s message, I hear a similar chant: “Show me the faith!” Just saying we have faith doesn’t prove anything—only our actions can show if our faith is real. That’s why James says, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” Then brothers and sisters, how can we show our faith to God and to the world?

Last Wednesday at the Food Pantry, after a brief message and prayer, we had Holy Communion for the first time there. Before it began, I talked a bit about what Holy Communion means and encouraged everyone to join if they felt ready. After that, both the volunteers and everyone who came for lunch and food supplies were invited to take part in the Holy Communion.

Almost all the volunteers took part in the Communion, but about two-thirds of the other people joined in. Those who did seemed happy to receive the bread and wine, but those who didn’t join looked a bit uncomfortable when I came near them. Some even lowered their heads to avoid looking at me.

So why did some people act like that during Communion? I believe there could be several reasons. First, maybe they didn’t know what Communion is all about. Second, some might have felt that Communion is something extremely holy and sacred. Third, maybe they didn’t feel prepared to take part that day. Out of these reasons, the second one—people thinking it’s too holy and sacred—stuck out to me the most.

Yes, the Communion is indeed very holy and sacred. The bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ, so it’s definitely something so precious and not to be taken lightly.

But here’s something else to think about. If the bread and wine in Communion represent the body and blood of Jesus, then who should be receiving it? Only the holy and sanctified believers? Sure, they are invited to Communion. But does that mean anyone who doesn’t look holy should be excluded? If Jesus died on the cross for the sins of everyone, then shouldn’t anyone who is thankful for His sacrifice and wants to participate in Communion be welcomed? This is what we call “the Communion as a means of grace.” If Communion helps us remember and be more thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice, then shouldn’t it be available to all?

It’s good when people respect and value Communion, but it’s also important that they understand what it means. In other words, knowing what Communion is and having faith in it is important, but even more important is acting in the right way based on that knowledge and faith.

That morning, just before heading out to help at the Food Pantry, I knelt down to pray in front of the sanctuary. As I prayed for the day’s ministry, especially for the Communion service, I suddenly heard a voice inside me that made me stand up and say “Amen, Lord!” What I heard was that “I died on the cross to atone for the sins of all people.”

True saving faith isn’t just about agreeing with a theological statement. It’s deeper than that—it involves our whole selves and shows through a changed life.

James sums it up perfectly: “You see that faith was active along with his works, and by works faith was brought to completion” (James 2:22). In other words, faith and actions must go together. When they do, faith is complete. Dear brothers and sisters, let us show our faith to the world by what we do. Amen?

Prayer: Lord, let our faith be more than just words. Help us to live out our beliefs in all that we do. May our actions be a testament to the transforming power of your love and grace. We confess that sometimes we fall short, but we thank you for your forgiveness and mercy. Guide us by your Holy Spirit to be doers of your word and not hearers only. Let our lives be a light that shines brightly, drawing others to know and glorify you. In your son, Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.