Daily Devotions
Demons, Baptism, and Saving Faith
Reading for October 14th: Matthew 27-28
Weekly reading for October 11-17: James 1-5
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!
James 2:19
The preacher has proclaimed Jesus. He died for our sins, was raised from the dead, is seated now at the Father's right hand... And he's coming back! He is our only Lord, our only Savior, and our only hope of eternal life!
Now the appeal. He tells us that we are saved by God's grace, but this grace demands a response of faith. So the preacher calls on the audience to bow their heads and close their eyes (the eyes must be closed!), and anyone who wishes may profess their faith in Jesus Christ by raising their hand. (Again, he stresses that everyone's eyes must remain closed. This is between the sinner and Jesus.)
What's wrong with this picture? Many things but I want to point out two:
1. It is without precedent in the New Testament. Show me where any preacher in the New Testament called on people to make silent confessions. Even the demons had greater faith than this (Mk 1:23-24; Lk 4:40-41).
2. It is based on a misunderstanding of salvation by faith. We are saved by faith apart from the works of the law (Rom 3:21-26; 4:1-6; Gal 2:15-16; Eph 2:8-9). However, this does not exclude works of faith, like baptism (Mk 16:16; Rom 3:26-27; Col 2:11-12; 1 Pet 3:21). Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 24). We've substituted the "sinner's prayer" (another thing you can't find in the Bible) for baptism. And we've ended up with a faith that is less than the faith of demons.
Father, give us faith that is bold and confident and that will not shrink or be afraid. Give us faith that is strong and that will obey all of your commandments.
