Even the Demons Believe

1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

James 2:17

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Probably the biggest division between Protestantism and the more eastern traditions of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy is the debate over the importance of faith and works in salvation. While Catholics and Orthodox would say that, though one first receives grace through faith, salvation is not completed until one makes an effort through works. It’s almost as if, through grace, God has extended His hand to lift us up from our sin, but in order for Him to lift us, we must first grasp His hand. In the end, we ourselves are doing comparatively nothing, but we still must do something.

Protestants have traditionally held a distinctly different view. Instead of seeing salvation as faith and works, they would say that we are saved by faith alone, or sola fida. This belief is based on the ideas presented in Romans where Paul explains that we are so depraved as human beings that we have no way of working our way to God, so therefore, we can only be saved by faith. In regards to works, Protestants typically say that we must have works, but they naturally process from our salvation. In the end, you have these equations: Catholics and Orthodox => Faith + Works = Salvation, Protestants => Faith = Salvation and then Works.

In Protestantism, this emphasis on faith turns into a huge emphasis on knowledge, which means that it’s what or whom you know that counts. However, even though I’m a Protestant myself, scripture challenges me to say that something is fundamentally wrong with this mindset. As James explains and Mark demonstrates, even the demons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In fact, they seem to know and very much believe all that we say would be “doctrinally correct,” but they don’t seem to be in anyway saved by this mere knowledge. So, along that line of thought, are we? Are we saved by mere knowledge of who Christ is?

As Paul says, we can have all the knowledge of God possible, but if we don’t have love, for God and for man, then we are nothing, or as James would say, our faith is dead. Now, I know that I’m probably about to sound pretty “fire and brimstone” –ish, but I don’t want to soften this message. If we don’t have love for God and for our fellow man, then why are we pretending to be Christian? Jesus commands us again and again that we need to care for those who are oppressed, in need, or suffering, and He says that when we take care of these people, we are effectively taking care of Him as if He were truly present. The flipside of this coin is that when we neglect these individuals, we are neglecting Christ Himself.

In saying all of this, I need to admit that I don’t live up to this call myself. I fail miserably in “feeding the sheep.” I am addicted to comfort, and I usually rather promote my own happiness than get my hands dirty and actually help people. As it is right now, though, many people, including me, are missing the point. We are not on this earth to be saved and then just relax. We are here to bring the Kingdom of God to the people who need it most, now, which involves a little work.

Sam Hunley