January 4, 2026

“…and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness and he was called the friend of God.”

James 2:23

There is a vital difference between believing in God and believing God. Even the devil and his minions believe in God, yet they are neither saved nor ever will be (James 2:19). In the Gospels, the demons are among the first to recognize the true identity of Jesus Christ:

“Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ” (Luke 4:41).

So what is the difference between believing in God and believing God?

Many non-Christians readily say they believe in God—that is, they acknowledge the existence of a god or supreme being. This is evident in the multitude of religions throughout the world that reject the God of the Bible and His Son as Savior, as He is revealed in Scripture.

Abraham, however, believed God. God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky—an astonishing promise that seemed utterly impossible given Abraham’s circumstances.

“Without becoming weak in faith he (Abraham) contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:19–20).

Simply believing that a god exists is not salvific. Salvation is the fruit of trusting that God is able—and faithful—to accomplish all He has promised.

Again, speaking of Abraham, Paul writes, “…and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:21–22).

This kind of faith does not require us to understand how the things of scripture can be true. Abraham certainly did not understand how he and his barren wife could become the parents of a multitude. Scripture is filled with truths that surpass our understanding. The question of faith is not whether we can comprehend the incomprehensible, but whether we will believe God when He promises to do in Christ what is beyond us.

To believe God is simply to trust Him—especially when His word seems so unbelievably impossible to us in the moment.