James 2:19

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

Sadly, I think James 2:19 is a verse that applies to tens of millions of Americans, if not most of them. Most Barna and Pew studies show that roughly 76% of Americans self-identify as Christians. That sounds nice, but like James has been teaching us…talk is cheap. Sadly, once you start asking those same people some clarifying questions, you quickly come to a James 2:19 conclusion: they recognize there is one God…but He is not their personal savior.

“I believe in God” has never been the definition of a Christian. Among the ranks of the demons there is not a single skeptic, agnostic, or atheist. Every one of them “believes that there is one God,” yet none of them will ever be redeemed. Likewise, there are millions of people in America who “believe in God,” yet they have yet to submit themselves to what that reality entails. They have yet to bow the knee and claim Christ as Savior and Lord…making them just like the demons.

Are YOU one of those people who “believes in God,” yet cannot say that you have been born again? You BELIEVE that He exists, yet you continue to place your eternal hope in the fact that you are a “pretty good person?” YOU ARE WRONG. Your so-called belief is of no more value than that of the demons until you recognize your need for a personal Savior, confess your sin, repent, and then place ALL of your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.