18 Inches from Heaven ∙∙

18 Inches from Heaven ∙∙

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. – James 2:19

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

On judgment day, many will say to me, “Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.”

But I will reply, “I never knew you.”

Living in Fantasy

Nicolas Gentile, an Italian pastry chef, became deeply captivated by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the world of Middle-earth. His fascination intensified to the point that he began dressing like a hobbit. Yet even that was not enough. He did not merely want to imitate a hobbit; he wanted to be a hobbit.

Nicolas said, “Some time ago, I realized that books and films were no longer enough for me to satisfy my passion for the fantasy genre and, in particular, for the Lord of the Rings saga. I was still reading about other people’s lives. I decided that I wanted to live my hobbit life to the fullest.” In 2018, he purchased land in the Italian countryside near Chieti in Abruzzo. There he built his own version of the Shire, modeled after Hobbiton from Tolkien’s world. Nicolas now lives there with his wife and children and hopes to attract others who share his vision in order to build a full-scale hobbit village. He said, “I am living my dream.”

It is, in fact, a dream and nothing more than a fantasy. A Middle-earth reenactment society may be devoted to researching, sharing, and embodying that imagined world, but no amount of devotion can transform fiction into reality.

When Fantasy Replaces Reality

People often blur the line between reality and imagination, with fantasy sometimes mistaken for real life. In today’s connected world, it’s easy to confuse familiarity with true relationships. Knowing facts about someone isn’t the same as truly knowing them, just as chasing a dream isn’t the same as living in truth.

Humans naturally have longings, ambitions, and hopes. Many genuinely wish to know the Father and to be with Him forever. However, that desire must be based on truth, not just feelings, assumptions, or religious imitation.

A Manufactured Heaven

Nicolas Gentile created a modern replica of a Hobbit Shire and moved in. Similarly, many professing believers may risk building a spiritual reality of their own design, trusting it to carry them into eternity.

Many believe that being religious proves they have a relationship with God. They might attend worship, recite creeds, say formal prayers, do acts of kindness, make good moral choices, or come from religious families. Because they are sincere and try to live decent lives, they conclude they must belong to God.

However, belief in God’s existence alone is not saving faith; that is, faith that leads to eternal salvation. A person can learn the language of faith, sing sacred songs, and memorize passages from the Bible while still missing the core of the gospel. They might know a lot about the Father but not truly know Him. The difference is small in size but huge in consequence: it’s the gap between intellectual awareness and heartfelt trust, between religious knowledge and a genuine, personal relationship.

The Warning from James

The book of James directly challenges spiritual complacency and strips away false assurance. James presents a sobering truth: it is possible to possess correct theological knowledge and still remain completely lost. The creatures he points to are neither skeptics nor atheists. They acknowledge the existence of the Father and recognize the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet those beings are demons.

James 2:19: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

This passage makes clear that intellectual agreement with truth is not the same as saving faith. Demons can affirm what is true about God. They know who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Their belief is entirely intellectual. It is real in the sense that it recognizes truth, but it is not redemptive because it is devoid of trust, surrender, and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. They have never placed their trust in Him for salvation. As a result, they remain under judgment, trembling in terror, aligned with darkness rather than with the Light of the World.

The Difference between Knowing and Belonging

James therefore forces readers to reckon with a vital distinction: knowing truth about God is not enough. Saving faith is more than informed belief. It is a personal, living trust in the Lord Jesus Christ that brings a person into a redeemed relationship with the Father.

REFLECT & PRAY

As Warren Wiersbe observed, “The final test is not what we think of ourselves, or what others may think. The final test is: What will God say?”

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world. Those who receive Him as Savior and Lord are brought into a true and living relationship with You. Thank You that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of the King.

INSIGHT

Knowing about Christ Versus Knowing Christ

One could spend a lifetime studying Scripture and learning about the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, yet still miss a true relationship with Him. People often participate in noble-sounding activities that seem spiritually meaningful, but without a genuine relationship with the living God, these efforts fall short. History shows many who serve faithfully, express religious sentiments, perform commendable actions, and display outward devotion. Nonetheless, it is essential to recognize that mere words and deeds, in isolation, are not enough.

Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.’”

The Lord Jesus Christ offers a sobering warning to those who desire eternal life with Him. What ultimately matters is not only whether a person claims to know Him, but whether He truly knows that person in the intimacy of a redeemed relationship.

The Inadequacy of Religious Appearance

Religious appearance and outward formality may impress other people, but they cannot deceive the Father or the Son. On the day of judgment, every disguise will be removed, and every false confidence exposed. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches plainly that a true relationship with Him is established through sincere and wholehearted faith in Him as the One sent by the Father to save sinners.

What the mind accepts as true should also be accepted by the heart. Saving faith starts when the truths of Scripture shift from simple understanding to complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such trust is shown by personally accepting Him as their Savior and Lord.

The One Work God Requires

John 6:27-29:

“‘But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.’

They replied, ‘We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?’
Jesus told them, ‘This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.’’’

People have misunderstood the Lord Jesus Christ because they heard His words through the framework of religious works. They assumed that eternal life had to be attained through effort, moral discipline, or personal merit. Their focus was fixed on what they must do, rather than on what God had done. As Wiersbe explains, “The people picked up the word labor and misinterpreted it to mean they had to work for salvation. They completely missed the word give.”

Wiersbe adds, “Steeped in legalistic religion, they thought they had to ‘do something’ to merit eternal life. Jesus made it clear that only one ‘work’ was necessary – to believe on the Savior. When a person believes on Christ, he is not performing a good work that earns him salvation. There is certainly no credit in believing, for it is what God does in response to our faith that is important (see Ephesians 2:8-10).”

The gospel does not call people to earn salvation. It calls them to receive the One whom the Father has graciously given.

When Truth Becomes Personal

What should we do to start? The first step is clear: recognizing that Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. This fundamental truth is the essence of the Christian faith. However, Jesus underscores that mere intellectual acknowledgment of this message is insufficient. A person may grasp the concept without having a personal trust in Christ.

This gap is often referred to as the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. This leaves us 18 Inches from Heaven. True faith involves making that truth personal, accepting Jesus Christ not just as a theological idea but as one’s Savior and Lord. The mind’s understanding becomes a heartfelt conviction, transforming knowledge into a confident, personal trust.

John 1:12: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to receive Him. It is to entrust oneself to Him fully, resting in His person and saving work rather than in religious activity, moral sincerity, or spiritual heritage.

The Difference between Demonic Belief and Saving Faith

The demons know exactly who the Lord Jesus Christ is; their knowledge is accurate, and their admission is genuine. However, this knowledge does not save them, because they do not receive Him with humility and faith. Instead, they remain in rebellion, reacting in terror.

James 2:19: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

This is the critical distinction. Mere recognition of truth is not the same as saving faith. Saving faith receives the Lord Jesus Christ personally and trusts in Him alone.

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© Dr. H 2026