James 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." Some folks think that since they believe in God, they must be saved. But if belief in God is all you have, you are no better off than the demons!
Matt. 8:29, "And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" There are several things we can learn about what the demons believe from this verse.
1. Demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God. This belief will not save them, for it is not a belief of the heart, but a fact of the mind. Many people have a belief like this.
2. They believe in punishment for sin. They believe they are going to be punished and are actually expecting judgment for their sinfulness.
3. The demons believe in a set time for punishment. We all know there is coming a day when the judgment of God will be poured out on all who are disobedient. So far, we have found nothing wrong with what demons believe and also nothing that would indicate they are saved by what they believe.
4. The demons believe that Jesus is the one who will punish them. They are not expecting to be judged by mankind, or the angels, or the created beings. They rightfully expect Jesus to be their eternal judge.
5. It is astonishing to realize what the demons believe, but look in Mark 5:6-20 for more. In verse 6 of this chapter, the demons worship Jesus! Yes, they worship Him! Verse 7 states that their worship is not a happy, joyful worship, but a miserable, forced worship.
6. In verse 10-13, the demons recognize that Jesus has authority over them, and ask permission to enter the herd of swine instead of going "out of the country."
What Demons do not believe
One would think that if the demons believed all these things, they would be saved. But there are some very important elements left out of their belief. The first thing that is left out is love and faith. The demons have no love for God or faith in His precious promises. They show only contempt for His sovereignty and righteousness. Second, the demons know that Jesus is a savior; they just donÂ’t know Him as their savior. Remember the demon possessed girl of Acts 16:16-18? This girl followed Paul and Silas many days, proclaiming "...these men are the servants of the most high God which show unto us the way of salvation." Finally Paul, being grieved in his spirit, turned and rebuked the evil spirit, commanding it to depart. This was an evil spirit proclaiming where the truth was! This may sound very remarkable, but we must remember that demons know all of the truth; they just donÂ’t believe any of it.
True faith will always be evidenced by an undying love for God and the truth taught in His Holy Word. There will be fruit of that love in the form of works that magnify God, not the bearer of the fruit.
Wayne Reynolds, Pastor
