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James 2:19
19 Thou [su] believest [pisteuo] that [hoti] there is [esti] one [heis] God [theos]; thou doest [poieo] well [kalos]: the devils [daimonion] also [kai] believe [pisteuo], and [kai] tremble [phrisso]. KJV-Interlinear
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. NASB
All religions believe that there is one supreme being or universal existence. Whether Hindu, Buddha, Islam, Judaism, or whatever, there is an underlying belief that one can advance to some higher level of existence which is ultimately controlled by some being or power or existence.
This belief constitutes faith in every sense of the word. But what kind of faith is it? It is faith in something that does not exist, it is a false faith. And therefore, faith alone is insufficient to save ones self.
There must be an object of faith, an object which is valid, but then there is even more to this faith. And here we are beginning to understand James point. The faith must be efficacious, and that requires an object which is legitimate, real, valid, and true. But there is one more thing required of faith, and that is that it must be applied in accordance with the policies of the object.
And so it is with demons, or devils or fallen angels as they are often times called. These are those angels who rebelled against God, along with Satan, refused to return to God way back in prehistoric times, times before man.
Even these demons, whose destiny is the Lake of Fire, believe in God. They have known God since their very creation. They have known God through their rebellion. They have known God through their trial and conviction. Even they know of their eventual sentence - the Lake of Fire.
Even Satan walks in the halls of heaven, corresponding with God. We studied this in Job. But this faith, or belief, or recognition of someone, what good is it? For the fallen angels, it is of no use to them, because they do not follow their belief with legitimate spiritual works. Works which we call spiritual production.
What good does Hindu, or Buddhism have, by their faith in their versions of the hereafter? None, because their faith is in something that does not exist. They believe in a lie.
What good is it for Judaism, or Islam to believe in the one true Father, which is very close to the right path, but they reject the plan of the Father, therefore the Father rejects them. In their beliefs, the Savior, Jesus Christ, is rejected. They want faith on their terms, not in accordance with the terms of Gods plan.
Therefore, faith must be a legitimate faith in a legitimate object, and works must be in accordance with Gods plan.
Anything you try by means of your own definition, is false and therefore in valid. There are hundreds of religions and cults and philosophies in this world. All are based on false assumptions. The only exception is Christianity. And even within the Christian faith, there can crop up some pretty bizarre rituals and ideas. So, all faith and all works must be in accordance with Gods policy and plan. No exceptions.
