Consider the reference to demons
that James makes when criticizing followers of Christ who were arguing about
faith and works: “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also
believe, and shudder” (Jas 2:19). This statement of James supports that humans
and demons have a similar capacity for belief and intelligence as personal,
conscious beings! But the demons’ belief is crippled because it is divorced
from any holy and happy relationship with God; thus they “shudder” in fear of
God and their coming doom. Therefore, unless we begin to manipulate the text,
we can see that the Scriptures describe demons as persons who behave in similar
ways to human beings; they are real persons and not an impersonal influence or
entity. (Scott D. MacDonald, Demonology
for the Global Church: A Biblical Approach in a Multicultural Age [Carlisle,
Cumbria: Langham Global Library, 2021], 106-7)
Further Reading:
Thomas Farrar, “Even
the Demons Believe and Shudder: Demonology in the Epistle of James,” Dianoigo
Blog, February 12, 2018
