In his book A Trip Into the Supernatural, Roger Morneau describes the invisible world inhabited by demons. He tells how a friend talked him into attending a meeting by a demon worshipper, where the power of demonic forces made such an impression on him that he agreed to join them. However, just before his induction, he met a Christian, heard the story of Calvary, and accepted Christ as his Saviour.
A short time later, a powerful demon visited him while he was alone and tried to win him back. This being gave Morneau a demonstration of his power.
Morneau heard the demon's voice, and he saw objects levitate and break, but the demon itself remained invisible.
Strengthened in his faith by the Word of God, this new believer commanded the intruder, in the name of Jesus, to leave. It slammed doors and made threats, but it finally left. It had no choice.
Do demons believe Jesus Christ exists? Yes, they do, and they are subject to His commands. But believe in Him, they do not. In James 2:19, the apostle makes a play on words. He says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” They may still hope to usurp Jesus' position in heaven, but they will not succeed.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). “‘Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life'” (John 3:16). Believe in Him, accept Him as Saviour and live eternally. So, according to the apostle Paul, it's by God's grace that we are saved, through faith in Christ and “not by works, so that no-one can boast” (Ephesians 2:9). You do not have to be “good” in order to be saved, as some people would have you believe.
When in his late teens, one of my sons began to smoke cigarettes, and when I discovered this, I tried to dissuade him. “I only have a few puffs,” he responded. “ All my friends do it. But I can give it up any time I choose.”
He never did. Tobacco led him to alcohol, and alcohol to drugs. Just before he died from a brain tumour at age 46, he whispered, “Oh, Dad, if only I'd listened to you and Mum!” He knew his time was near, but still he would not surrender to Christ. He knew of a better way, but because of his pride, he would not permit me to even pray with him.
I know God loved him. I know Jesus died for him. But he chose to reject that. God has the welfare of the universe to consider, so if He were to relax the condition of salvation—believing in Him—and allow my son into Paradise, it would put Paradise in peril.
Simply believe and be saved? Too simple?
Too easy? May I remind you of the verse that began the Reformation: “By grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation.
It is free, its price paid by Jesus when He died on the cross almost 2000 years ago. But there is one thing we have to do if we are to have salvation, and that is to accept the gift when it is offered.
When we accept Jesus, He transforms the way we think and feel. Then all the good things we had tried to do in order to be saved become possible to us because we are saved.
