Our Faith Vs Our Works

Welcome to Man Talk, brought to you by TAWCMN, talking and walking Christian men's ministry, where they're devoted to breaking down the walls of race and denomination, and challenging men to take their God-assigned role.

Here's our hosts Will Hardy and Roy Jones Jr., a black guy and a white guy. Welcome once again to Man Talk Radio and Roy, we got a really, really good subject today. In fact, two subjects, if you want to call it that. We want to talk about the difference between when an individual, in reference to salvation, first of all, we want to say that, in reference to salvation, faith versus works.

What's the difference between the two, and do you need both of them, do you need one of them, or how does all that line up? Am I supposed to give you an answer? I don't know, we may have to take a caller on this if you're not prepared. This is the age-old argument, I guess, that goes biblically speaking, right? So many people on both sides of the fence with this, but I think as we had heard with Dr. Evans, I guess it was earlier this year, maybe last year, in one of his sermons we were listening to, he did a great illustration, if I can remember correctly, but I'm paraphrasing here, was that the faith without works piece is dead indicates that if you're not showing it as you're living out on earth, then that means you're basically, no one can see that you believe the way you believe.

Does that make sense? Exactly. And another way he put it was that you're actually living out heaven on earth when you're out doing God's work, so therefore you're proving out your faith, and not that it has to be proven to anyone, but you're just proving it out to the people around you that this is the Lord that I serve and that I love, and by His love, I'm loving you and doing the things that He's asked me to do. Yeah, because see, what it does is it demonstrates change, and if there's no change, then you're going to continue to do what you were doing, and see, if a person does continue to do what they're doing, then they're not demonstrating any change, which means there's no conversion within them, which means that we have to go back and have them do a self-inventory of their self to say whether or not you are truly converted and whether or not you're truly born again. You know, with that explanation you just gave, Will, that also defines another component of life, insanity. We'll get our producer to look at what the definition of insanity is, and I believe he can confirm for us, but I believe insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting the same result, so we'll get him to validate that for us, but that's what the common workplace says today. Yeah, exactly.

You keep doing the same thing, you expect change, expect a different result, that's insane. And see, and we want to dive into the book of James, because the book of James, as well as other books, all of you biblical scholars out there know, where it talks about faith and talks about works, but we're going to be coming from the book of James chapter 2, beginning with verse 14, and it says, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? Now, a lot of denominations and some religions turn this around, and so what they say is, you have to demonstrate some good action, some good work, you have to go out, feed the poor, you have to go out and visit the sick, doing a good deed, if you will, without having the faith in God to understand that we are depraved individuals, and God gives us the ability by faith to receive him, because we have to first hear the word of God. Right, but go back to what you said, some faith, I guess is where you're headed with that, require you to go do a service, if I was hearing you correctly, in order to then be saved through faith. So if you've not done the works, then you're saying some belief systems out there are saying, then you can't accept Christ because you've not done any works. Exactly, exactly, exactly. And see, that's contrary against the truth.

Oh, of course. You know, it always goes back, and I guess this was why God allowed it to happen, was the thief on the cross, you know, he had no chance to do all of those things, right? He just simply believed that Christ was the Savior, and that's all it took. And indeed, faith is defined in Hebrews 11 and verse 1, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Now if I can see it, then it's not faith. But see, that's the problem I think we have with the world when they say, I have to see it before I believe it. So they're in the see and then believe instead of the believe even though I can't see it. So you know, that's a contradictory statement within themselves because they say, I'm on the same level as you are with respect to my salvation if I see it. Because they'll say, what's so harm?

It's the harm in seeing something and then believing it as opposed to not seeing it and believing it. And my answer to that would be, because that's not what the Word of God says. So as we always try to do, Will, we try to give a life application, right? So how can a man apply this to his life? So as we're talking through this, we would challenge you men out there listening to us today, to say, okay, what am I doing for the kingdom? And for those of you who read my testimony, and Will's heard this, but that was probably the greatest wash over the Holy Spirit ever did with me was on a particular Saturday morning, it came over and said, what have you done for the kingdom? And it wasn't, what have you done for the kingdom so you can get saved or so you can come home? It's what have you done for the kingdom? I know you love me, but what have you done for the kingdom?

So that's what we need to be asking men out there is what have you done for the kingdom? And if you're listening to this program and you're one of those folks that says, hey, I'm just too busy, that excuse doesn't cut it. Exactly.

That excuse just does not cut it. You have to hear the word of God and Romans chapter 10, beginning with verses 13 through 17 point that out, you know, in order because Israel rejected Jesus Christ and in order for an individual to understand and who God is, you have to hear the word of God. And that's what Romans chapter 10 says.

It says, and of course he was referring to the Israelites, but the application behind that could be anyone who comes to the knowledge of the truth have to first hear the word of God. You've got to get yourself in a place where the word of God is being taught. You need a good, steady and firm foundation of that word. Exactly. And it doesn't only relate to Sundays.

Exactly. You need to be reading the word yourself and you need to be meditating upon the word so that God can speak to you through that. I guess the number one failure of most men is that we don't read the Bible enough. We just don't take time to read the Bible enough and you know, I think we've done personal surveys with some of our men's groups and that's probably the single largest failure or shortfall, if you won't call it a failure, but shortfall in that they're not in the word timely and regularly. And everything, you know, that you read in the word, if you're a new Christian and you're just coming to the knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, everything you read in the word of God, you're not going to understand it. You're not going to understand it. It takes a individual who has given time and given effort, just like you give time and effort to eat, to go to a job, to go to school, to go to the football game, fishing, to absolutely whatever it is that you're doing.

You have to give yourself time and you have to give yourself effort. That's why when the word, the word of God is clear and in second Timothy chapter two in verse 15, when it says study to show thyself, approve unto God, you can't be approved by God if you don't know what's in the word. So if you don't know what's in the word and then when the word of God is spoken, then the spirit of God within you then can discern whether or not truth is coming forward and whether or not you want that truth to enter in your inward man. Darrell Bock And you know, don't be intimidated by the fact you may not understand the word because what you do in the natural, Christ will come along and the Holy Spirit and God will come along in the supernatural and I guess and explain if you will and reveal to you what it is he's trying to say to you through the word. Reginald Jackson And see, he'll use messages to do that, he'll use individuals, you know, how many times have God used you to come alongside a man and help him and instruct him in the way of maybe a marriage situation or problem that he's gone through. So see, God can use any means.

He is unlimited with respect to whatever means that he want to use to get to that end result. And we sometimes, as you stated, Roy, we get intimidated, but we shouldn't. You have to humble yourself, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt you in due time. Darrell Bock Seek ye first. Reginald Jackson The kingdom of God. Darrell Bock Amen.

Reginald Jackson Amen. And see, I think that's one of the things that men is we're trying to talk to you on a regular basis here. We just want to keep driving home two things, salvation, second is getting up off the sidelines and getting engaged and become more a disciple of Christ. And I think this is what's important. It doesn't matter what stage of life you're at or what stage in your walk with Christ you're at. He can take you to the next level. You just got to totally depend, as we just mentioned a moment ago, seek ye first, the kingdom of God. That's what you've got to do. And it's so hard for us, especially in America, we've gotten so distracted with so many things, with the cell phones, with the TV, with the 300 channels, all those things we've gotten so distracted with.

And I think if we can get back to the basics, if we can restore biblical manhood, which means starting with him and ending with him, and him being God, then we would be so much better off. And I just want to encourage you, if you're listening today, that it's never too late. It doesn't matter. As I was picking a few weeks ago with my pastor, I said, you're either in the first quarter or you're in overtime.

It doesn't matter where you're at in the cycle of the game. You can make an impact. And you will make an impact if you'll just trust God. And it's never too late to get tuned in to this journey, Will. You know that. And I just want to acknowledge publicly, I'm always amazed at your recollection of Scripture.

Folks, he only has the notes he read out of James, but these other Scripture just given in the last few moments have been off the top of his mind and what God has allowed him to learn and ingrain in his heart and mind. So Will, for that, I thank you, brother. I just want to openly acknowledge that. Praise God. And you know, Roy, it's not for show and it's not for entertainment.

No, not at all. It's something, I just want to stress that to the listening audience. As for when you give time and you give effort to meditate, God will reveal to you and these things will be deposited in your inward man. Amen. And folks, just stay in the Word. Get in the Word. Stay in the Word.

And allow God to speak to you through what you're reading. TAWCMM would love to have you join their community of men for breakfast every first and third Friday of every month. They have Bible discussions and fellowship after the best breakfast in town. The meeting location is at their gracious Host Church, First Christian Church in Kernersville, 1130 North Main Street in Kernersville.

They have a hard start at seven o'clock and a hard stop at eight o'clock. First time visitors eat for free. Join your hosts, Will Hardy and Roy Jones Jr., a black guy and a white guy. Affordable chiropractic in High Point, as you might tell from their name, affordable chiropractic, even for the cash patient. Dr. Jeff Rickey has been caring for patients in High Point for 34 years. Physical therapy such as ultrasound and spinal decompression for disc conditions such as herniation, comprehensive care for auto accident injury patients with no out-of-pocket expense. Remember, affordable chiropractic on West Lexington Avenue in High Point.

Call 336-885-1987. Welcome back to the show, folks. We're just getting back into part two of Faith Without Works is Dead and a conversation around the book of James, the second chapter, starting with verse 14, and we're going to take you through verse 26 as we finish up the program today. But one of the things we want to talk about is if I'm a Christian and I'm listening to this program, but I'm that person that's kind of sitting on the sidelines as we commonly refer to, maybe in that conversion stage versus discipleship stage, why would I do anything any different?

Why would I do anything any different? Yeah, I'm reasonably comfortable. Christ has blessed me, God's blessed me through his son, and I don't have any wants or needs right now. I'm doing okay.

Life seems to be pretty good. There's no storms on the horizon that I can see, which is the key there, he can't see. We all know the storm's coming. We don't know when it's coming.

Why would I, Will? What does scripture tell us in this book of James? But you know, when an individual gets comfortable and they think that this life that I have, I'm going to go through this life and I'm going to have something to show.

You have to ask yourself the question, man, do you or will you really have something to show if you're not growing? See, and so the 15th verse says, if a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to him, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you not give him the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself is it does not have works, it's dead. So that means our love for God and wanting to reach out for those who are destitute is a result of our conversion. So we, we are converted.

We love God for what God has done for us. And now through that love that he shown us, now we begin to reach out and you will demonstrate your salvation by the love that Jesus Christ has given you in reaching out to others. So you're saying I will demonstrate my salvation. I will demonstrate the fact that I'm saved.

That's exactly right. By the love that I show others. Because of the life, the love that Christ shown you. Exactly.

Okay, good. So, so if you're one of these folks that are listening today and you're saying, well, I can't really think of anything I've done to show others. And I know there are quite a few people out there because we've all been in that point of life and point in our walk at some time. Just ask yourself, what is it that I can be doing differently versus what I'm doing now?

Because what you're doing now probably isn't working for you. You know, if you're outside of Christ and if you think you're getting ahead and you're prospering in the worldly way, you very well may have a knowledge and understanding on how to make money, how to prosper, how to move yourself forward. But in the end, who's going to be driving that car when you pass away from here? Who's going to be living in that house?

Who's going to be wearing your clothes and who's going to be eating your food? You know, that these are things we have to ask if we attach ourselves to the world. Let's turn to our producer for a sec.

I got a question for him since we're on this topic is let's ask Danny, our producer, Danny, one of the things that, listen to Will, you're hearing both of us talk here. We can ask you as a third party that's unbiased to our program to say, you know, have you ever seen, let me see if I can word this properly, have you ever seen someone's faith demonstrated by not doing something? For the Lord. For the Lord. No.

No, that's an easy, that's an easy answer, no, I haven't. You know, while you guys were talking, I made a couple of notes here about, you know, getting right before, before you get right. God doesn't call us to, he says, come, come as you are and, and then receive your salvation and then go and be disciples because you can't be a disciple of God until you're a child of God. That's exactly right. And so going out and the discipleship is the works. And then that is, is how God uses you to witness and to, to, to show just, just how awesome God's presence can be in your life. You know, cause anybody, anybody can go out and do a good deed. You know, it's almost like the old earthly caveat, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Oh, sure. And we all know that I, I've cut up with quite a few of my friends, I've got several friends from the, from the New York area and New Jersey and they always kids, you know, the Southern folks talk about being nice to the Yankees are, are legitimately nice. They don't talk quite so, so I guess eloquently as if you will, or Southern like if you will, but I'll tell you, it's funny, they, they truly know what it means to treat another person well, and a guest well, so they are actions say, well, I'm going to take care of you and they provide for you, but yet they're missing the other component. It won't say they as a whole, but some people that are doing that same behavior are missing a opponent, just the component, just like the people of the South, they're doing good things to other people and for other people, but yet the believers are sitting there not doing things that we should be doing them. God commands us to do.

Exactly. And in a sense, we can learn from those individuals who are service oriented, administrative oriented, you know, and doing those things, but they're not counting for anything once they leave this life because they don't know Christ. And so he says in verse number 18, but someone will say, you have faith, I have works, show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. And again, this is turned around in certain religions and denominations, but the first component is my works display my faith. My faith in God gives me the ability to do the work and that work now will be counted when I leave this life and I go to heaven because see apart from Christ and in his name, anything you do, if you doing it outside of his name, it's done in vain. Well, and that's a great, great illustration to will the, one of the things that most people will hear when you start talking to them about following Christ or accepting Christ as Savior, at least with me in many instances when I talk to non-believers, we'll say, look, I'm a good person. I do this, I do that. I don't treat people badly.

I don't cheat on my wife. I don't, I mean, they'll give you the whole list of things that they're doing in their mind's eye proper. And so then the question becomes, well, you're already doing a lot of things you would be doing as a believer, just not with the same motivation. So why not go ahead and accept Christ? And let me, let me walk you through the plan of salvation. So many people have got that mindset that they think that's going to get them there based on some of this confusion about the scripture, I think personally.

Exactly. But you know, I would challenge him even on the front end of that to say, if you are a good person, then why do you need a savior? The savior, if you're a good person, but the word of God says there is none good, no, not one. None righteous.

Yep. There's none who understand it. There's none who seek after God for all have gone out of their way.

Their mouth and tongue is like a poison asp or a snake. So see, we're depraved people. We're people before we come to Christ, all we know is evil. We don't know anything of good. We, the good that's, that we should know, we know through basic understanding of what not to do and what to do. And I, an example of that would be, I know not to get out on the road and go 65 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone, you know, but again, when it comes to doing those things for the kingdom, kingdom work and see, man, this is what we're trying to say. Kingdom work, kingdom work sets one apart from doing things out of scratching my back and I'll scratch yours.

Exactly. We're not doing it for anything in return. Christ didn't ask for anything in return. It's unmerited favor that the, he is unmerited favor that Christ gave to us and there, and there is no, uh, because we don't, we don't have anything to pay him, nothing, nothing possible. And Isaiah 64 and six, you know, we, we've talked about that particular passage before to where we are all, uh, as the leaf that fades and our iniquity, uh, like the wind carries us away because we have nothing righteous to give to God. We come with an empty hand and we say, God, my hand is empty.

I don't have anything to give. I want you to pour into me so now I can pour into my brother. Right. Praise God. Hallelujah. I think we may have be having church in here now, but it's so good and our heart is that if you're listening just again, uh, and this comes from the pure sense of love that we want you to, we want you to get moving off the sidelines and start working for the kingdom. And if you haven't accepted Christ, we want you to know that's an easy process. We just want you to just confess being a sinner, accept that Christ died for you and ask him in the heart and just to guide the rest of your life and get in amongst the body of believers is will is always so, so good to put in one of our shows of not every one of our shows. That's so important. That fellowship. Amen. Again, with our point tonight is that, uh, that you can't, um, you can't earn your way into heaven. That's right. But you're proving out your faith when you start doing the works that God expects us to do as believers and followers of Christ.

Absolutely. And it's sola fide and sola fide is faith alone with Christ alone, with scripture alone. So we have to understand the scripture. And when we understand the scripture, the scripture tell us who Christ is, and then we exercise our faith that he is giving us the ability to believe because we cannot believe on our own. Hallelujah.

Glory to God and then get in the word prayer daily and meditate on his word, allow him to speak through his word to you. And we hope you have an absolutely wonderful week. Thank you for joining us and come join us for breakfast. Yes. Amen. First and third Fridays.

That's right. 7 a.m. First Christian in Kearnsville. We love you. And that's why we're here doing this, that the love of God is reaching out.

Amen. Thank you again for joining us. As we wrap up today's show, be assured that TAWCMM, talking and walking Christian men's ministry is building a community of men that are Christ followers with the desire to be servant leaders in their homes, communities, churches, and work environments. Check out our website for upcoming events and regularly scheduled meetings. Drop us a note for topics that you would like to have us visit in the future. Thank you for joining us on Man Talk today. Visit us at www.tawcmm.com. Men walking the talk. This is the Truth Network.