The following has been presented to us:
James 2:19 states: "You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder." -- World English.
Obviously, there is nothing in James 2:19 that says that the demons know that Jesus is God. Thus, the trinitarian (or oneness believer) who uses this verse to claim that the demons know that Jesus is God has to create a lot of assumptions that have to be added to and read into what James said to make it appear to say that demons knew that Jesus is God.
Obviously, James by his words recorded in James 2:19 is referring to the same one person he speaks of as "God" in James 1:1,27. We have no scriptural reason to think that James was not referring to the same one person who is identified as the "one God" in 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5. Indeed, it is the same one person who is the God of the Messiah in Micah 5:4 and who is the God and Father of Jesus as spoken of in Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3.
They may claim that since there is only one God, and since the Bible uses the word God of Jesus in a few verses, that this means that Jesus has to be that "one God." Of course, such simply ignores the Biblical usage of the words for "god". It would narrow the Hebrew and Greek words for GOD down to meaning only Supreme Being or false god, and thus claim that either Jesus is the "one God" or else he is a false god. We have addressed this in other studies and thus will not address this again here, except to say that since Jesus is not the "one God" of whom are all (1 Corinthians 8:6), any application of the Hebrew and Greek words for GOD to Jesus should be understood in the sense of special might and power as given to him from his God and Father.
See our studies:
The Hebraic Usage of the Titles for "God"
They may claim that since there is only one God, and since the Bible uses the word God of Jesus in a few verses, that this means that Jesus has to be that "one God." Of course, such simply ignores the Biblical usage of the words for "god". It would narrow the Hebrew and Greek words for GOD down to meaning only Supreme Being or false god, and thus claim that either Jesus is the "one God" or else he is a false god. We have addressed this in other studies and thus will not address this again here, except to say that since Jesus is not the "one God" of whom are all (1 Corinthians 8:6), any application of the Hebrew and Greek words for GOD to Jesus should be understood in the sense of special might and power as given to him from his God and Father.
See our studies:
The Hebraic Usage of the Titles for "God"
As far as who the demons knew Jesus to be, the scriptures tell us that Satan knew Jesus, not to be God, but rather the Son of God. (Matthew 4:3,6; Luke 4:3,9) Indeed, if Satan thought Jesus was the Supreme Being, he surely knew that the Supreme Being could not be tempted into disobeying himself, and thus he would not have wasted time trying to tempt Jesus into disobedience to himself. The demons likewise knew Jesus to be, not God Almighty, but rather the Son of God, the Son of the Most High. -- Mark 3:11; 5:7; Luke 4:41; 8:28.
We certainly find nothing in James 2:19 (or anywhere else in the Bible) that presents Jesus as being the "one God," nor do we find any thought that presents the "one God" as being more than one person. Any such thoughts have to be added to and read into what James wrote.
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