Believe? Even the Devil believes!

Text: John 3.31 –end

John the baptiser speaks about Jesus, and about the need to have faith in him

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.   Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true.   He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath."

The words we’ve just heard come from John the Baptiser.  Some of his disciples have noticed that Jesus has started his ministry, and has been baptising followers.  They wonder how John feels about Jesus effectively muscling-in on his ministry.

John is not concerned – at all.  He recognises Jesus for who he is.  John knows that his role was only ever to pave the way for Jesus.  He recognises that Jesus was sent by God – and he draws a comparision between himself and Jesus.  He says, “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.”  Of course, John means that he is the one who comes from earth (and only speaks about earthly things).  Jesus, on the other hand, comes from heaven.    

Then, after speaking about how Jesus speaks the words of God, mediated by the Spirit, John utters these memorable words: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”  These words echo the phrase that Jesus himself uses, a few verses earlier, in that famous line which is included among the comfortable words of this communion service: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him shall have everlasting life”.

So, for both Jesus and John, the issue of belief is uttermost.  If you have belief in Jesus, you will have everlasting life. That’s the promise. But what does it mean, to have belief?

If I believe that Jesus is the Son of God the same way that I believe that King Charles is our nation’s monarch, have I fulfilled the conditions needed to be saved?  Is it enough to simply accept, intellectually, that Jesus is the son of God? Or is there more to belief than that?

We know that just accepting the proposition that Jesus is God’s son is, in fact, not enough - because even the devil believes that.  When Jesus began to confront the demonic powers of the devil, they cried out loud, "We know who you are. You are the holy one of God. You are the Son of God."   You see, the devil of the Bible is absolutely orthodox in his belief in who Jesus was.  

So, what more is required of us, if we aim to receive the gift of eternal life? The image of the devil stands for complete self-obsession.  The devil is that part of us which can see the inherent good in Jesus, but which rejects what Jesus says, in favour of our own choices.  The image of the devil is the one who places his own worth, his own opinions, his own destiny, above and instead of the worth that God offers us as a son or daughter.  The devil rejects the teachings of Christ, he rejects The Narrow Way of trust in Christ.  The devil does not view God as precious and valuable. He hates Christ and Christ is a threat to everything he stands for.

Instead, we find our Narrow Way to eternal life by delighting in our belief that Jesus is the Son of God.  We embrace it, and we make Christ the treasure and the Lord of our life, by surrendering completely to him. Unlike the metaphorical devil, we find that we just want to know Jesus, be with him, enjoy him, follow him, and celebrate him. That transition—that change of heart, so that we are now looking away from our demonic self-centredness, towards Christ and embracing all that God is for us in him—that is what faith is. That is what belief is. That is what saves.

For the apostles, as we saw in our lesson from the 5^th chapter of Acts (Acts 5.27–33), that meant being prepared to stand trial for Jesus.  It meant imprisonment and persecution for standing up against the violent powers of their day.  It meant being utterly committed to the life-giving Narrow Way of Christ, regardless of the cost.  Oh that we could find such belief, such trust, such devotion to the way of Christ! Amen.