Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 2, Verse 19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

It is important to believe in God. It is foolishness not to believe in God. James has no argument with the need for believing and no argument against believing. His concern is that believing that does not stir up Godly behavior is insufficient for walking in the light with Jesus.

The entire Bible is a story of people who believed that God existed but refused to follow His commands. We are amazed sometimes with how blatantly humans have rejected the will of God in spite of His warnings of dire consequences. Yes, the evil beings in this world know for sure who God is, but they also believe in His wrath. They shudder, not because of their belief but because their belief has not motivated them to act. James calls the needed acts: work.

Task for Today: The fact that you are reading this comment blog gives strong indication that you believe in God. So that is not the real question we are asking as we look at James chapter two. The real question is “What are you doing in response to your belief?” Are you working or watching? God created you for good works, so doesn’t He have the divine right to expect your faith to lead you to do them? I think you will agree that is the case and James is making it clear that you can’t live the Christian life on the sidelines of believing.