Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

Speaker 2

Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters? Or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow-capped mountains?

I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

Speaker 1

Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God and fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh you spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Speaker 1

Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

Speaker 3

On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

The Bible says there's no contradiction. James and Paul are both saying the same thing. We are made right with God by grace and grace alone. It's received as a gift.

But we are shown to be righteous by the fruit in our life, by the results of our Christian walk.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. For centuries, theologians have puzzled over the question of how a person can be made right with God. Paul says it's by faith alone. James, he says that faith needs works. So which is it?

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress unravels this apparent contradiction by showing how faith and works exist in perfect harmony.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 3

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. One of the keys to living a healthy Christian life is taking regular vacations. Amy and I developed this discipline long ago, and spring has become our favorite time of year. Today, I'm inviting you to join me for the vacation of a lifetime by signing up for the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska. Our ship departs from the world-class port of Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 13th, and for seven days, we'll explore the majesty of Alaska together. Take some time to look at the itinerary online and the quaint ports of call we'll get to visit. I promise you'll never regret investing in a luxurious week of rest and renewal. All the details can be found online at ptv.org.

Before we start today's study in James Chapter 2, I want to ask you an all-important question: How do you know if you're really saved? You see, it's not enough to simply say you believe in Jesus. True salvation produces spiritual fruit in your life. In my brand new book, *How to Know if You're Really Saved*, I'll show you what that fruit looks like. Together, we'll discover how genuine faith gives you strength through trials, transforms your speech, cultivates humility, and moves you to care for others. This isn't about working for salvation; it's about the evidence of salvation already working in you. Let me send you this faith-building resource. It's yours when you support Pathway to Victory with your generous gift today.

Okay, let's continue now with our study in the Book of James. We're looking at a couple of important statements in James Chapter 2. I titled today's message "The Biggest Contradiction in the Bible."

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Recently, I preached a message titled "How Can I Know the Bible is Really True?" You may remember that I pointed out one of the objections people have to the inspiration of Scripture is the so-called contradictions in the Bible. Most people have never read the Bible enough to know what the contradictions are, but they have heard it out there somewhere, and so they use that as an excuse. However, if we're honest, we would have to say that there are some passages that seem, at least at face value, to contradict one another. This is true of the passage we're going to look at today. I call it the biggest contradiction in the Bible, and it has to do with the most important issue in life: How can a person be made right with God? This is not theological nitpicking; it is the essential question: What must I do to be right with God?

Paul says in Romans that it is by faith alone, in God's grace, faith apart from any works. James, however, seems to say just the opposite. He states that faith without works is a dead, non-existent faith. It is faith working together with our works. Which is it? This is an important issue because getting the answer right can spell the difference between heaven and hell for each one of us. Well, that's what we're going to talk about today. If you have your Bibles, turn to James chapter two. Remember, the theme of James is that faith will always produce fruit. Authentic faith produces spiritual fruit, and if there is no visible spiritual fruit, then you can assume there is no saving faith. He has been building that case, and now we come to the apex, the zenith of his argument.

Look at James 2:14-24, and we are immediately confronted with a problem. What use is it, my brethren, if somebody says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Then in verse 24, we see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Notice how that is opposite of what Paul says, or seems to be, in Romans 3:28. Paul said, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." He goes on to say in chapter four, verse two, using Abraham as an example, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God." Abraham was dependent upon his faith alone.

Now, back to James in James 2:21-24: "Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered up Isaac, his son, on the altar?" You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. This is interesting. Paul and James seem to be saying two different things, and they both use Abraham as an example. James says we can't be saved apart from works. Look at Abraham; he offered his son Isaac. Paul says we're saved by faith alone. Look at Abraham on the night he believed God, and God counted it as righteousness. Again, this is not a peripheral issue. What must I do to ensure I go to heaven when I die?

Today, we're going to unravel this contradiction by going through this passage in James chapter two. At the same time, I want to do something else to help you. I want to share with you how to interpret difficult passages of Scripture. Whenever you come to a place in Scripture that is hard to understand, how can you make sure you're interpreting correctly? First of all, let's look at the goal of interpreting Scripture. The goal of interpreting Scripture ought to always be to understand what the writer of Scripture had in mind when they wrote those words.

So many group Bible studies today are nothing more than what my mom used to say is a pooling of ignorance. Everybody just pools their collective ignorance about the Bible. "Well, what does it mean to you?" "Well, what does it mean to you?" "Well, what does it mean to you?" Could I suggest to you that when you read the Bible, it really doesn't matter what it means to you? Not initially. That's not the issue. The issue is, what does it mean to God? What did God mean through that human author when he wrote, "Faith without works is a dead, non-existent faith?" Whenever you come to a passage of Scripture, ask yourself three questions: What does the passage say? Secondly, what does it mean? And only then can you say, what does it mean to me? The goal for any passage of Scripture is to understand what the author had in mind when he wrote those words.

Did you know there's only one accurate interpretation for any passage of Scripture? That shocks people in our pluralistic society. What do you mean there's only one interpretation? Peter said in 2 Peter 1:20, "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation." You don't get to decide what it means. You can try to discover what the writer meant when he wrote those words.

Say, for example, I was out of town and I called and left a voicemail for Amy saying, "I'll be home tomorrow; can you pick me up at the airport at 10 o'clock?" But I didn't specify am or pm. She would be tasked with trying to discover what I meant. Now, she could call Carolyn and ask Carolyn, "What do you think Robert meant?" Carolyn could give her opinion. She could call Ben and ask Ben what he thinks; he could give his opinion. But it really doesn't matter what they think. What matters is, what did I mean when I said those words? It's the same way when we interpret Scripture, like the book of James. We've got to find a way to crawl back 2,000 years into the mind of James and find out what he meant when he said, "Faith without works is dead." The goal of Scripture is the author's concept. We need to find out what the author had in mind.

Now, there are four steps to interpret Scripture. I call them the four Cs of interpretation. First of all, look at the context of a passage. The context is key to understanding the meaning. There is a general context and a specific context. When we look at this passage in James, the general context is this: James is not a doctrinal treatise. He is not trying to show us the way to God through salvation; he is trying to explain our walk with God after salvation. Remember, you can read through James, and there are only two mentions of Jesus Christ. There is no mention of the cross, no mention of substitutionary atonement, and no mention of the depravity of man. That's not James' purpose. He is not trying to tell us how to be saved, but how to live after we are saved.

The specific context is the one we need to look at right now. Because James, in this passage we're looking at, is not talking about living faith; he is talking about dead faith. He is not saying living faith is not sufficient to save you; he is saying dead faith that has no visible results in your life is not enough to save you. He has given you some characteristics of dead faith. First of all, he says in verse 14 that dead faith is fruitless. Look at verse 14: "What use is it, my brethren, if somebody says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?"

You know, I used to do marriage counseling. I don't do it anymore. It's not because it's not important; if you can find a good counselor like June Hunt or somebody to go to, you ought to do it. I don't do it because I'm not any good at it. I came to the conclusion one time that I wouldn't even go to myself for counseling. Why should I have anybody else do it? But in the days that I did used to do it, the aggrieved spouse would come to see me, and he or she would complain about their mate. I would invariably ask the question, "Well, are they a Christian?" And they would say, "Oh, yes, yes," and they would point to some childhood experience or feeling that they had. I would say, "Well, let's probe a little more. Do they ever read their Bible?" "No, never seen them open a Bible." "Do they go to church?" "They can't stand church; they think it's boring." "Has he ever won anybody to faith in Christ?" "Not that I ever heard him say."

Why do we think that somebody who doesn't read the Bible, pray, enjoy church, or share his faith is saved? It's not that doing those things makes you a Christian; it's that doing those things shows that you're a Christian. To have none of that fruit in your life is evidence of your spiritual deadness. Remember my famous apple tree? I've taken you to visit several times in the past. I told you about my apple tree that doesn't have apples on it. You might conclude that my tree is dead. My tree is not dead because it produces no apples; it produces no apples because it is dead. Big difference. And that's what James is saying. James says a faith without results is a dead faith.

Now, there are many illustrations he could have chosen to use. He uses this illustration in verses 15 to 17: "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warm, be filled,' and yet you don't give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead." James is imagining a brother or sister. Now, some people misinterpret this. They say, "Well, the job of the church is to feed all the hungry people." That's right; it says right here in James, it's a proof of your religion.

Look, the church is not a sanctified benevolent organization; it's not a sanctified social agency. The Great Commission is not to go and feed everybody. He uses the example of a brother or sister, a fellow Christian. Everybody is not my brother and sister; we are related by faith in Christ. The context of this is that there was a great famine going on in Jerusalem. James was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, and he was concerned about those Christians in Jerusalem who had nothing to eat. Paul took up a collection to take care of their needs. He said, "If you see a fellow Christian in the church who doesn't have enough to eat and you have the ability to help them, it is your duty to do that." That is one proof, one piece of fruit of your salvation. A non-existent faith, though, has no fruit. It is fruitless.

Secondly, it is powerless. It is powerless. Look at verse 18: "But somebody may well say, 'You have faith, I have my works. Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.'" He's imagining somebody who boasts that they have faith, but they have no works to go along with it. I was trying to think of a way to illustrate that to you, and sure enough, this week in the news, I got a great illustration. Did you see? China has said to the American people, "If you want to have a trade war with us, go right ahead. We're happy to have a war with you. In fact, we're happy to have any kind of war you want to have, and we will beat you because we have strength."

Now, just imagine that one of our leaders in America said, "Ha ha ha ha. Those Chinese think they're strong. We in America, we are strong, not because of our weapons, but because of our inner resolve. In fact, we are so strong as a nation, we're going to disarm; we're going to lay down all of our nuclear weapons. We're going to destroy them because America is strong by itself." What do you think China would do in response to that? They would laugh. They would say, "Oh, great, you show us your strength without nuclear weapons. We will show you our strength with nuclear weapons, and we'll see who's really strong." That's what James is saying. You can say you have faith without any works, but let's see who's really strong. It's the person who has faith and works. Fruitless faith is also powerless.

Thirdly, James says that a dead faith is orthodox; it is theologically sound. Look at verse 19. James says, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder." Why did he pick this particular object of faith out to use as an illustration? Remember, he was writing to a Jewish audience. Jewish Christians held the most holy concept of Judaism, which was the oneness of God. Deuteronomy 6:4, the great Shema, is Hebrew for "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God." That was the root, the basis of Judaism. James is saying, "You believe that God is one. Congratulations, by the way. The devil believes that; the demons believe that, and they shudder."

Literally, that word "shudder" means their hair stands on end. The devil is very orthodox in his beliefs; he's theologically sound. I was reading Dr. Criswell's words about this more than 50 years ago. He illustrated it this way: "Just imagine after I finished preaching that the devil came down to the front to present himself for membership in the First Baptist Church of Dallas. I would be shocked if such a thing occurred, and naturally, I'd want to ask him some questions before we accepted him into membership. I would say to him, 'Mr. Satan, do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?' 'Oh, oh, yes, I believe it,' says the devil. 'I believe he is the Christos, the Messiah. He fulfilled every prophecy concerning the Messiah. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God.' 'Well, Satan, do you believe Jesus was born of a virgin?' 'Oh, I certainly do. I was there when the angel made that announcement to Mary that she would conceive the Christ child.' 'Well, Satan, do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world?'"

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Oh, of course I believe it.

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I was there on that wonderful, tremendous Good Friday when the Son of God died. I watched it at 3pm when he gave his spirit back to God when he said, tetelestai paid in full. Yes, I believe Jesus died for the sins of the world. Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the Third day? Do I believe it? I was there on that first Easter Sunday morning when the stone was rolled away.

Were Satan to say those things, I might say, well, congregation, I move that we accept Satan as a member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. After all, he agrees with our doctrinal statement. But there's one question the pastor said I forgot to ask him. If I had only asked Satan, "Satan, do you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins? Are you trusting in him for your salvation?" Had I asked the devil that, he would have lowered his head and turned around.

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And walked out the door.

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Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't hear another word I say, remember a word I've ever said over these many years with you. Remember, you can believe all the right things about Jesus. You can believe that Jesus is the son of God. You can believe he died for the sins of the world. You can believe he rose again on the third day. You can believe all those things and go straight to hell when you die. It's not enough to believe the right things about Jesus. It's only when you believe that Jesus died for your sins.

In a moment of desperation, you said, "God, I know I'm a sinner. I know I deserve eternal punishment. I know I have no hope apart from Jesus Christ. But I am trusting in, leaning on, depending upon what Jesus did for me on the cross for my salvation." It is only then that you are born again and have the assurance of heaven forever and ever. That's why I say a dead faith can be very, very orthodox.

Look at the context. James is not talking about saving faith; he's talking about a dead faith. A dead faith that is fruitless, powerless, but orthodox. When you're trying to interpret scripture, look at the context. Secondly, look at the composition. By that, I mean the meaning of key words. What do the words mean? Obviously, the key word in this passage is "justified."

Look at verses 21 to 24: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of his works, faith was perfected, shown to be mature, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,' and he was called the friend of God." You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

When James talks about Abraham being justified, he points to Abraham's willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice as an example. We're going to look at that next time. He said that is the moment Abraham was justified.

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Maybe you have a son or daughter, perhaps a grandchild, who's begun to question the veracity of the Bible. They might have heard their college professor make false claims that the Bible contradicts itself. And I'll admit there's one passage that seems to present the biggest contradiction in Scripture. Paul says we're saved by faith alone, apart from works. But James appears to say the opposite, that we're justified by works, not by faith alone. So which is it?

Well, getting this right can spell the difference between life and death. In my brand new book, I'll show you there's no contradiction at all. We're made righteous by grace alone, through faith alone, but we are shown to be righteous by the spiritual fruit in our lives. Let me send you a copy of my book, *How to Know If You're Really Saved*. I'll be sure to send it to your home right away when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

Oh, and make no mistake, when you give to Pathway to Victory, I can assure you that it's making an impact. Clay, a grateful listener, wrote to me and said, "Pastor Jeffress, I was raised in the church but drifted away because I felt disconnected from what I was hearing on Sunday to the reality of my daily life. Then my mother introduced me to Pathway to Victory, and I have never stopped listening. Pathway to Victory gives me peace, comfort, and guidance."

You see, when you invest in Pathway to Victory or when you become a Pathway partner and give a generous gift every month, you're the one who's reaching men and women like Clay. So thanks for linking arms with us. We couldn't do it without you. Here's David to tell you more.

Speaker 1

When you support the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, you're invited to request a gift copy of *How to Know If You're Really Saved*. That's the brand new book by Dr. Robert Jeffress. To request your copy, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. When your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you the complete collection of DVD, video, and MP3 format audio discs for this study in James, *How to Know If You're Really Saved*. It comes with a personal and group study guide.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. You could also send your donation and request by mail. Write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again next time for the conclusion of this message, *The Biggest Contradiction in the Bible*. That's right here on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible.

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