Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread":

A thoughtful subscriber writes a question: “Is it possible that some
people might believe and yet not obey the truth? James says ‘the
devils believe and tremble.’ Is that word ‘believe’ the same one?”

Yes, it is. But the problem with the devils’ “believing” is that
they “tremble” (“shudder,” Greek). Their motivation is fear or
horror or hatred. The “love” (agape) which they have seen does not
“constrain” them to selfless living (2 Cor. 5:14, 15) but they dread the final
judgment and hate those who do appreciate agape. That’s why James
says their “faith” is “without works”--they have gone the utter
length of hard-heartedness. Isaac Watts describes faith: “When I survey the
wondrous cross / On which the Prince of glory died, / My richest gain I
count but loss, / And pour contempt on all my pride.” The devils
“believe” their doom is coming but they “pour” hatred on
Christ. They don’t “survey” the cross with appreciation but with bitterness.

Is it possible for us humans for whom the Son of God died (please
remember, He did NOT die for the fallen angels!)--is it possible for us
to “believe” and not obey? No. That’s the point of John 3:16,
Romans 1:16, Galatians 5:6, etc. One can’t “believe” and continue in
sin. Those who at last enforce “the mark of the beast” and seek to
destroy God’s true people will claim that they “believe,” but at that
time “Babylon” will have “become the habitation of devils,” and thus
the epitome of a presumption that has replaced biblical faith (Rev. 18:3).
Today, let’s look l-o-n-g at that cross!

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