The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: Faith needs works in order to remain vibrant as faith.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans says we're saved by what we believe, not what we do. But it's not an either or choice. It's a matter of balance and spiritual health.

Dr. Tony Evans: When faith is not married to works, your faith dies.

Guest (Male): This is The Alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.

The question is as old as the Bible itself. If we're saved by faith alone, what difference does it make what we do? Well, Dr. Evans tackles that issue today as he takes us to James chapter 2, verse 14. Let's join him.

Dr. Tony Evans: There are four things in this passage that we want to speak about. First of all, faith without works is useless for progress in the believer's life. What use is it my brethren, verse 14 says, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save or deliver him?

That one line in that one verse has caused more chaos in the Christian church almost than any other line in the Bible. When the great reformer, Martin Luther, read this passage, he wanted to tear the book of James out of the Bible. He called the book of James an epistle of straw. What upset him was he had read Paul. And Paul had said that a man is saved by faith apart from works. He had said in Romans 4, verses 4 and 5, to the one who works, the reward is no longer reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that does not work, but believes on the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

He had read Ephesians 2:8 and 9, by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no man should boast. That is he had read, the Bible clearly stating that a man is justified by faith apart from works. That when you add works to faith, you nullify faith, and therefore nullify grace, and therefore nullify salvation.

But then he read James 2:14. And James 2:14 clearly says, faith without works is dead. How do we harmonize what appears to be a blatant contradiction? We harmonize them with one simple word. What use is it, verse 14 says, my who? Brethren. That's your solution. You see, Paul was explaining how sinners become saints. James is explaining how saints become sanctified.

Paul is explaining how you go from earth to heaven. James is explaining how you get heaven back down to earth. Paul is explaining how to determine where you're going to spend eternity. James is explaining how you can experience eternity while you wait on getting there.

A man is saved for heaven by faith alone. But the way a Christian gets to experience heaven while waiting to go there, is by faith and works. There is no contradiction between James and Paul, they're speaking about two different groups. Some would say, but he uses the word saved at the end of verse 14. Can that faith save him?

So why aren't they talking about the same thing since they use the same word? In the New Testament, the word saved is used of three experiences, not one. The word saved is used of salvation from the penalty of sin, how we generally use it, justification. It's used of one day we will be saved from the very presence of sin, that's glorification. But it is also used of the sanctification process and being saved from the power of sin.

So before you can determine what the word saved means, you got to decide who's using it and how they are using it. In fact, James has already used the word saved in verse 21 of chapter 1. Look at what he says. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness, and all that remains of wickedness, in humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your soul. Who was that statement written to? Verse 19. And this you know, my beloved brethren. He's writing to Christians.

He's telling Christians you receive the implanted word, verse 21, which is able to deliver your soul. Deliver your soul from what? You're already a beloved brethren. You're already on your way to heaven. It is deliver your soul from the consequences of sin and from spiritual deterioration. Some of us are on our way to heaven who won't experience much of it till we get there. Others of us are on our way to heaven who will get a down payment of it while we're waiting to go there. God never intended for you to wait to heaven to get a little bit of heaven. He wants you to experience progressive heaven until you get the whole thing upon your arrival. And that requires faith and works, not just faith.

He illustrates his point in verse 15 of chapter 2. If a brother or sister is without clothing and need of daily food, one of you says to them, go in peace, be warm, be filled, and yet do not give him what is necessary for the body, what use is it? That man at that time didn't need a sermon, he needed a refrigerator. He didn't even need a prayer, he needed two pieces of bread, some ham, some cheese, mayonnaise, pickles, tomato and lettuce, and some cold to drink. That's what that man needed. To give him a prayer meeting becomes irrelevant.

What is his point? His point is to have right information without right action is a waste of everybody's time. When faith is not married to works, your faith dies. It must be energized in order to be potent. Just like the gas tank in your car needs gas in order for the car to go, just like your body needs calories in order for it to work. Faith needs works in order to remain vibrant as faith.

Or else your faith shrinks. Many of us have had shrinking faith, rather than growing faith because we've had single faith, not married faith. Faith must be married to works in order to to produce a baby of growth. That leads to his second point. Your faith and your works have everything to do with each other when it comes to usefulness. Many of us have a useless Christianity. Not because we don't believe in Jesus, but because works have not been connected to it in such a way that it is now become useful.

It doesn't get you out of trials, it doesn't get you out of addictions, it doesn't give you joy when things are tough, it doesn't give you victory over the circumstances because you're always living under the circumstances, you have no more patience, you have no more self-control, you still can't control your temper, you're going downhill instead of uphill. If things aren't going right, you aren't going right. Why? Because your Christianity, your faith is of no use to you, it has been unmarried, unconnected to your works. That's what he's saying. He can get deeper, because James brings a point number three. Faith with works produces historical benefit to the believer's life.

Now this is this is this is rich. Follow me here. Was not Abraham, verse 21, our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see, his faith was working with his works, and as a result of works, faith was perfected. As a result of works, faith was perfected. As a result of works, faith was perfected. Abraham was justified, verse 21, by what? By works. There are two justifications in the Bible, not one. There's no such thing as justification by faith and works. That does not exist.

But there are two justifications that do exist. Justification by faith. Paul talks about that one, when a man is saved for heaven. But James is the one discussing justification by faith, because he's not talking about heaven. He's talking about earth. He wants to talk about justification by works. Justification by faith is when God accepts you as his child. But justification by works is when God becomes intimate with you in time. Justification by works is when your works have been married to your faith in such a way that God is now free up to let you experience him on a deeper level in history in such a way that even other people will recognize something that happened to you.

It says, and he would be called a friend of God. Who called him a friend? Well, God called him a friend, but also men called him a friend. It was the human recognition that he had now gone to the next level of intimacy, but it required optimum obedience. It is through the justification by works that our experience with God becomes evident with others. Even Paul recognizes that there is another justification other than the one he talks about because he says in Romans 4:2, that men can be justified by works, but not before God. Because before God, you must be justified by faith apart from works. But before man, you're justified by works, married to faith.

You don't get to heaven by faith and works, you get to heaven by faith. But heaven comes down to earth by works that have been based on your faith. Notice what he says, and the scripture, verse 23, was fulfilled. Whoa, what scripture? The scripture that says that he believed God, it was reckoned for him for righteousness. Now, now watch this now. He talks about the fulfillment of scripture. There's a lot in the Bible that God wants us to experience. He got saved, he believed God. Then he had his first level of growth. You know the first level of growth? God told his 90 year old wife, you're going to have a baby. Okay?

Romans 4 says, and Abraham believed God even though his body was good as dead. So you don't have to understand how God's going to do what God's going to do. You don't have to be able to figure it out. All you got to do is do what God wants you to do. He didn't have to understand how God was going to do it. But he said, he believed God. So he grew to the next level. Do you believe God, I'm going to obey you to the last degree, even though what you ask me to do doesn't make sense, don't like it, don't want to do it, it's the last thing I want to do, but you're God, I'm your servant, and I want to go to the next level. I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to trust you enough to do it your way exactly. And then I'm going to wait for you to do your thing. Because when he does, you're going to be called a friend of God, because people are going to see you've gone to the next level.

Guest (Male): When Dr. Evans returns in a moment, he'll talk about a vital link we need to make in order to remain spiritually alive. First though, I want to tell you about a resource package designed to help you keep growing in your faith, especially when life puts your faith to the test. It includes Tony's complete two-volume 16-message series, James, Time to Grow Up. Where Dr. Evans explores what it means to move beyond simply knowing what we believe, to actually living it out. And as a special bonus, along with the audio series, we're also packaging Tony's 30-day devotional book, Trusting God in Turbulent Times. It's filled with scripture and daily encouragement to help you find strength in God's faithfulness through whatever season you're facing.

We'd like to send you this complete package as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to support The Alternative. Just visit TonyEvans.org to get the details, or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll have that information for you again after part two of today's message.

Dr. Tony Evans: And this.

Guest (Male): You know you have the gift of teaching, maybe even preaching. But you think, no, I could never serve that way. I'm no theologian. I don't know enough. Well, it's time to get equipped for your calling with the help of the Tony Evans Training Center. It's got online courses covering key concepts of the faith like prayer, evangelism, and spiritual warfare, and in-depth studies of books like James. The material is challenging, but Tony has recorded exclusive content to help you through it. And the online format lets you work at your own pace. And when questions come up, there's an online forum where you can get detailed answers. Whether you're preparing for ministry or just want to deepen your understanding of God's Word, the Tony Evans Training Center is the resource you need, a world of discovery anytime, anywhere.

You can learn more and access the Tony Evans Training Center directly at TonyEvansTraining.org. And now, let's get back to our message.

Dr. Tony Evans: So if you want earth changed, it takes faith and works. If you want heaven, it's faith alone. But if you want heaven on earth, it's faith and works. That is the application of obedience to the revelation of God in scripture and as he applies it to your daily life. Finally, it all comes down in this verse, this one verse explains the whole passage, verse 26, faith without works results in the demise of the believer's life. Faith without works results in the demise of the believer's life. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. That is useless. No life to it, dead faith, dead orthodoxy. Got information, but no no life.

Now, now follow this closely. James said, if you want to understand what I'm saying, go to a funeral. Okay? Just as the body without the spirit is dead. Now, let's say we have a body right down here, and we're having a funeral at our church. Okay? The body is dead. You know why the body is dead? There's only one reason that body is dead, because there's no spirit in it. John 19:30 says, when the spirit leaves, the body dies. You cannot have a, your body can't live unless your spirit is living in it. Once your spirit leaves your body, your body collapses, because the life principle of your body is not your body. The life principle of your body is your spirit. Okay? So when the spirit leaves, the life leaves, automatically.

Now, if the body is in the coffin, that means the body used to be alive, right? It used to live. You know why it's no longer living? Because the thing that keeps it living no longer is operating in it. When you accepted Jesus Christ, you became spiritually alive. But if you're spiritually dead now, five years later, if you find your spiritual get up and go has gotten up and gone. If you are now living a defeated life, instead of a victorious life, it is not that you never had life if you were truly saved. It is that the thing that keeps life working is no longer operating.

And the life animating principle for the faith of the believer is the biblical application of truth on a daily basis in his and her life, especially as trials are brought to bear, when God says, what are you going to do in applying this truth to your life? It's Ephesians 2:8 through 10, by grace are you saved through faith. That not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not according to works so that no man should boast. That's how you get to heaven. But then he says in verse 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has ordained beforehand that we should walk in them. That takes the salvation of 8 and 9, and makes it an earthly experience in verse 10. What he is saying is, if you want that body to get up out that coffin, you got to get the spirit that's gone back in it. And if you want your dead spiritual life to get up and go and get fire back in it, you got to get the thing that left it back in it. And that is an obedient Christian life that radically applies the principles of God's Word, even in the midst of trials to your situation.

Many of you are waiting for blessings that God is going to delay until he gets your undivided attention. Did you hear that? Been saying, how come God's not answering my prayer? Because go in peace is not enough. Going to the right church, having the right formula, and knowing the Bible verses in your head is nice, it's a start, but it's not enough. It is not enough for you to say, Lord, I'm going to radically adjust this area of my life so that I can experience you in history.

Here's a giant named Goliath. Here's a little teeny baby boy named David. Now, please help me. Somebody help me out. What killed Goliath? Was it the stone or was it his faith in God? How many say it was his faith in God? Okay? How many say it was the stone? Okay? Both are wrong. Neither the stone nor the faith in God killed Goliath. It was the stone and his faith in God that killed Goliath. It was he said to Goliath, how dare you insult the armies of the living God? His faith in God.

Let me give you another illustration. The widow of Zarephath. She was down to her last meal. Only had enough to bake bread for her and her son for one more meal. God said to her, woman, in your trial, when there is no way that you can survive another day because you're going to die of starvation in the family, here's what I want you to do. There's a preacher coming to town named Elijah. I want you to take your last meal and feed the preacher. Let me say that again. I want you to take your last meal and feed the preacher. Okay? The woman says, but I can't take my last meal. This is the last meal me and my baby can ever eat together, we're going to die. God says, trust me. It doesn't make sense. I know you can't figure it out, but take your last meal and feed the preacher.

So, Elijah comes, Elijah is starving. God tells Elijah, go to the widow at Zarephath, she will have some food for you. Elijah obeys God, goes to the widow at Zarephath. The widow at Zarephath says, God told me to do this. I don't understand this. This doesn't make sense. But here's my last meal for me and my baby boy, and I'm giving it to you, preacher, you eat our last meal. The only problem was the Bible says, when she began to make the last meal for the preacher, food just kept on coming and kept on coming and kept on coming and kept on coming and kept on coming. It wasn't enough for her to believe that God was going to make it. She had to actually make the food for the preacher before God made a way for her. But not only that, a little bit later her son died. But because she fed the preacher, gave the preacher a place to stay, Elijah came up, laid his body on a dead boy's body, and the dead boy came alive again. She got her son back.

Oh, Peter. Peter said, Lord, bid me come to you. I want to walk on water. God says, come. He couldn't stay on the boat and say, I believe that one day I can walk on water. He had to step out on that water. What is God asking you to step out on? What area of half-hearted obedience are you giving him? What do you know he wants you to do, but you haven't chose to do it because you think your way is better than his way? There is a way that seems right to man, the Bible says, but the end thereof is death. It is faith plus radical works that will produce you becoming a friend of God.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans, talking about the inseparable balance between what we believe and what we do. And if you've never made the decision to put your faith into action by giving your life to Christ, here's Dr. Evans with a word about what that means.

Dr. Tony Evans: You're not a Christian because you're religious, or because you go to church, or even because you believe in God. You're a Christian because you've accepted Jesus Christ as your personal sin bearer. Being religious, doing good works, that's nice, but it's not sufficient when God demands perfection. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So what God has said is, he placed your sin on the cross, on the Christ, and then judged Christ for your sin. If you will go to Christ, he will take Christ's righteousness, which is perfect, and he will credit it to your account. So you will stand before God as though you've never sinned, not because you're sinless, but because you've got a sinless credit on your account. If you will receive Jesus Christ right now, if you will invite him into your life, believing that he died for you and rose for you personally, he will credit your account with perfection because he's already credited your sin on the Jesus Christ. So go to Christ right now and get this free gift of salvation that he's offering to all who come to him for it.

Guest (Male): Find out more about what it means to be a real Christian. Visit TonyEvans.org and follow the link that says Jesus. Tony has a video there explaining the gospel, as well as some free resources to help get your new life started off right. Again, that's at TonyEvans.org. And while you're on the website, don't miss your chance to take advantage of that special resource package I mentioned earlier. You can request all 16 full-length messages at Tony's two-volume series, James, Time to Grow Up, along with his 30-day devotional book, Trusting God in Turbulent Times. They're a thank you gift when you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry. Together, these resources will help you understand what it means to grow in spiritual maturity and remain anchored in God when life gets difficult. Get the details at TonyEvans.org, or call us at 1-800-800-3222. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222, or online at TonyEvans.org. You know, the words we speak can bring healing, hope, and encouragement. But they can also be incredibly destructive. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans explores the importance of maintaining control of what we say. You won't want to miss it.