Today James turns to the person who is sure they pass. You want to talk about faith. Fine. Here is your creed. You believe that God is one. And James says, good. You do well. Full marks on the doctrine test.
“Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18, ESV)
Then he drops the line that should stop the room. Even the demons believe that. And they shudder.
Sit in that for a second. The demons have perfect theology. They are not confused about who God is. They know exactly who he is, and the knowing makes them tremble. Flawless doctrine. Dead faith.
So James will not let us mistake knowing the right answer for being alive. You can believe every line of the creed. You can sign the statement of faith. You can correct everyone else online. And have the faith of a demon. Right answers and no breath.
Breathing past your creed does not mean the creed is wrong. The creed is true. It means real faith does not stop at agreeing with the truth. It moves on the truth. The demons agree and shudder. The believer agrees and obeys. Same confession. One of them is breathing.
So do not just check the box that you know God is one. The demons check that box. Check whether knowing him has turned into living with him.
This is good news, not only a warning. If faith were only agreement, you could never be sure of yours, because your agreement wavers. But faith you can see is faith you can check. When knowing God turns into caring, obeying, and risking, you are watching the breath move. You do not have to feel alive. You can watch yourself breathe.
Today: Name one truth about God you fully believe and have not acted on in a long time. Pick one thing it would lead you to do. Do that today.