Faith Without Works Is Dead

Q: What does the Bible say about faith and works?

The Bible teaches that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). The Bible makes it clear in James 2:20 that faith, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. James uses the analogy of a person who claims to have faith but does not demonstrate it through his actions. For example, if someone sees another in need and simply offers words of comfort without any practical help, what good is that? True faith must manifest itself through actions that align with the teachings of Christ.

Q: How do we know our faith is genuine?

Genuine faith is evidenced by works that align with God's Word. Genuine faith is proven by the actions it produces. In James 2:18, James challenges believers to show their faith through their works. This is not just a mere profession of faith but an authentic belief that results in obedience to God’s commandments. For instance, Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrated his faith and was counted as righteousness. If our faith does not produce works, we must question its authenticity, as even the demons believe in God but do not act on it (James 2:19).

Q: Why is it important for Christians to have works?

Works are important as they are the evidence of true faith and obedience to God. It is essential for Christians to have works because they provide tangible evidence of our faith in Christ. James asserts that faith without works is dead (James 2:20), emphasizing that true belief naturally results in actions that glorify God. Works reflect our commitment to God's Word and demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel in our lives. Furthermore, they serve as a witness to others, showcasing the love and grace we have received through Christ and fulfilling the command to love our neighbors.

I'll tell you what I'd like to
do. I'd like to get this tape distributed, the tape of this
message that I'm about to bring. I'd like to have it circulated.
Let's run a special on it, okay? Free of charge to anybody who
will go in the tape room and get it and give it to somebody
else who's a member of this congregation, okay? So much not here tonight. I want everybody to hear this
message. So Ronnie will get it ready pretty shortly, if you
would, Ronnie. The title of this message is
Faith Without Works Is Dead. Faith Without Works Is Dead. Dead. And I want everybody to
hear this message. Now, in James chapter 2, verse
14, I'm going to read verse 14 through
20. What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith? He says he has faith. He says
he believes God. And he has not works, no works
to justify that faith, no works to back up that faith. Can that
faith save him? Can that kind of faith, can that
kind of faith save a man so? Well, if a brother or sister
be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto
him, now remember verse 14 says as a man say he has faith, words,
words. And this man is naked and destitute
of food and somebody says to him, depart in peace and be ye
warmed and filled. Notwithstanding you give him
not those things that are needful to the body, that is some clothes
to warm him and food to fill him, what does it profit? He can't be warmed by words.
He can't be clothed by words. Even so, in the same manner,
faith, if it hath not works, faith, if it's in word only,
is dead. It's dead, being by itself, having
no evidence, having no proof. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, I have works. Show me your faith. Justify your
faith. Convince me that you believe.
Show me your faith without works, and I'll show you my faith. I'll
justify my faith by my works. Thou believest there's one God,
thou doest well. The devil also believes there's
one God, and he trembles. But wilt thou know, O foolish
man, O vain man, that faith without works is dead. Was not Abraham our father justified
by works? Was his faith not justified by
works? That's what he's asking. When
he offered Isaac his son upon the altar, seest thou how faith
wrought with his works, faith which produced works, and by
works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled
which saith, Abraham believed God. How do we know Abraham believed
God? He proved he believed God. And
that faith, that kind of faith, was imputed to him for righteousness.
Not just any faith, but that faith which produced those works. And he was called the friend
of God. He was the friend of God. He
didn't say he was the friend of God. God called him the friend
of God. You see then how that by works
a man's faith is justified? And not by faith only, not by
word only. Likewise also was not Rahab the
harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and
sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit
is dead, dead. A body, and that word spirit,
look in your margin and see what that word spirit is. The body
without breath is dead. Breath is dead. And so faith without works is
dead. Now God has spoken to us. The scripture says by the prophets.
God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake to our
fathers. God spoke to our fathers by the
prophets. And he hath in these last days
spoken to us by his Son. And the words that God said to
our fathers through the prophets are in this book. And the words
which God has said to us or spoken to us by his Son are in this
book. This is the word of God. And
the importance of these words The importance of these words
is beyond expression. The importance of these words
which God has spoken to us by his prophets and by his sons
is beyond understanding. It's so vastly important. For every man, every person,
this preacher, every person out here is going to one day meet
these words again. These words spoken by the prophets
and spoken by the Son, we're going to meet them again, because
they're in the eternal word of God. And where we're going to
meet them is the judgment. Now listen, turn to the book
of John, I want you to hold your finger in James, we're coming
back there in a few moments, but turn to John 12. These words,
these words that I'm speaking tonight, these words which we're
reading tonight, We're going to meet them again. We're going
to meet these words in the judgment. And John 12, listen to the beginning
with verse 44. Well, let's start with verse
47. John 12, 47. And if any man hear my words,
hear my words, and believe not, believe not what? My words. I
judge him not. For I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, hath one that judgeth him." What will that be? The words that I've spoken. The words that I've spoken. The
same words will judge him in the last day. He heard the word. Or he could have heard the word.
Or he read the word. And I don't have to judge him.
I didn't come to condemn men or to judge men. I came that
they might have life. But what the man's going to meet
up with is my word again. The same words, Jim, that he
heard and wouldn't receive. The same words that he heard
and wouldn't obey. They're going to meet him again.
They're going to meet him at the judgment. And those words
are going to judge him. Verse 49, I've not spoken of
myself. But the Father which has sent
me, these are eternal words, eternal both ways. He gave me
a commandment what I should say and what I should speak, and
I know that his commandment, his word, is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as the Father saith unto me, so I speak. Now there in
that portion, our Master speaks of receiving his word, believing
his word, walking in his word, and refusing his word, and rejecting
his word. And I'm deeply, personally, and
I know many of you are, I'm so deeply interested in receiving
his word. Not just a doctrine, I'm interested
in receiving his word, and believing his word, and walking in his
word, aren't you? His word, the word of God Almighty. All right, this receiving the
Word of God, rejoicing in the Word of God, believing the Word
of God, involves three things. Three things. First of all, it
is receiving his Word as the Word of God. That's what it involves. I'm preaching or someone else
is preaching, whether we're reading the Bible ourselves or someone
else is reading the Bible, this thing of receiving the word of
God is first of all receiving it as his word. Now, let me read
you a scripture, and I want you to turn to it. First Thessalonians
2. It is receiving the word as it
is, the word of God. The Word of God. What I'm trying
to preach tonight and what we're reading is not my thoughts, it's
not my commandments, it's not my requirements, it's not my
expectations, it's God's Word. In 1 Thessalonians 2, 13, Paul
says, for this cause, for this cause, also thank we God without
ceasing, because when you receive the Word of God which you heard
of me, of us, You didn't receive it as the
word of men. It's not a question. I don't care for what Brother
Mahan preaches. I don't care for what Brother
Harding preaches. I don't care for what Brother
Coffey preaches. I don't care for what Brother Fortner preaches.
These are not our words. You don't receive it as the word
of men. But as it is in truth, it's the word of God. It's not
to be argued, it's not to be debated. It's the word of God.
And that word worketh effectually. Effectually worketh also in those
that believe. It's the powerful word of God.
It's the regenerating word of God. It's the word of God that
is able to make a man a new creature. That's how we receive it, as
the word of God. Thus saith the Lord. And let
this first be settled. This is first and foremost. We
don't preach ourselves. We preach the Word of God. We
preach Christ Jesus and him crucified. So the first thing of receiving
the Word and believing the Word is receiving it as it is in truth. It's God's Word. It's God's Word. All right. Secondly, and it's
receiving it by faith. We don't have any signs to show.
We don't have any proof to give. Turn to Hebrews 4. It's receiving
it by faith, by faith. Hebrews 4, 1 and 2. Listen to this. Hebrews 4, 1
and 2. Well, verse 19 of Hebrews 3.
See that last verse there of Hebrews 3? So we see they could
not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us. of entering into his rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel
preached, as well as unto them. But the word preached didn't
profit them." Now let me tell you something. That's a horrible
notion, isn't it? The word of God preached, the
word of God, and it doesn't profit you? It doesn't profit you? It
doesn't profit you? Wouldn't that be terrible? Well,
it was preached to Israel and it didn't profit them. Well,
why didn't it profit them? All right, read on. Why didn't
it profit them? The word of the gospel was preached to them,
but it didn't profit them because it wasn't mixed with faith. They
didn't believe. They didn't believe. It wasn't
mixed with faith in them that heard it. They didn't believe. And many people will say, what
we call Calvinist, grace people. Some grace people, they say,
well now, I'm with you so far. I believe that's the Word of
God. I believe that's the Word of God. I receive it as the Word of God.
I don't follow a man. We're quite proud of the fact
we don't follow men. In fact, some of us are so proud
we don't follow men, we won't even listen to a man. And that's
dangerous. Because we can't pass it to ourselves. You say, I know that's the Word
of God and I believe it. And that's as far as they go.
That's as far as they wish to go. They hear the Word of God,
they profess to believe it, they hear the doctrine, they claim
to hold it, they hear the Word of God, they even discuss it.
They defend it and they argue it. But there's a third thing
to receiving this Word of God. There's a third thing. There's
hearing it as the Word of God, not as the Word of men. Two,
there's believing it. But three, doing it. Now, look at James chapter 2. We were right there in James
chapter 2, and I've always told you, go back a little bit. Always
go back a little bit when you're reading something. Go back. So
we go back to chapter 1 and look at verse 22. Verse 22. But be ye doers of
the Word, and not hearers only. It's more than hearing, right
John? It's more than hearing. It's
more than hearing it as the Word of God. It's more than hearing
it with a ready ear. There's some doing involved.
Be ye doers of the Word of God and not hearers only, for those
who are hearers only are deceiving themselves. A man who hears the
Word of God and claims to believe the Word of God, but does not
obey the Word of God, is deceiving himself. He's deceiving himself. And verse 23 says, I'll show
you an example, James says, verse 23 of James 1. For if any be
a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he doesn't have evidence
of faith, and works of faith, and proof of faith, justifying
conduct of faith? Well, he says, if any be a hearer
of the word and not a doer, you know what he's like? He's like
a man beholding his natural face in a glass, in a mirror. And
he beholds himself and he goes his way and straightway he forgets
what manner of man he was. In other words, a man who reads
the word of God and does not obey the word of God and does
not do what the word of God says is like a man who looks into
the mirror and the mirror says to him, this is what the mirror's
reflection declares to him, your hair's messed up. Your teeth
need some work done on them. Your beard, your whiskers are
offensive, your face is dirty. And he looks into that mirror
and that mirror says that to him, isn't that right? That's
what that mirror says to him. And he hears what the mirror
says. The mirror speaks to him and the mirror, he knows it's
so, he knows what the mirror is saying is so, but he turns
and walks away and does nothing about it. He forgets what the
mirror says. He ignores what the mirror says.
Well, James says that's what a man's like, that hears the
Word of God and knows exactly what it's saying, and doesn't
do it. But, watch this, verse 25. Well,
perhaps the man might stand in front of the Word of God and
hear it and say, but I'm saved by grace. It doesn't matter whether
I'm faithful. It doesn't matter whether I'm
gracious. It doesn't matter whether I'm generous. It doesn't matter
whether I manifest any fruit of the Spirit. Those things do
not matter. I'm saved by grace. Whoa, wait
a minute. Hold it. You're not listening
to what Demeanor is saying. But, he said, verse 25, whoso
liveth into the perfect law of liberty, Now this, we ran into
that a while ago, didn't we? The law of liberty, the law of
liberty. What's this law of liberty? Whosoever
looks into the perfect law of liberty in Christ. We're not
under a legal law. We're under the royal law of
the King. Thou shalt love thy neighbors
thyself and God with all your heart. It's the law of love.
We've been delivered from the law. We've been delivered from
the curse of the law. We've been delivered from the
dominion of the law. We're looking into the law of liberty. And
that law of liberty says, Thou shalt love thy neighbors thyself.
That law of liberty says, Love one another as I've loved you.
That law of liberty says, Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you. You know what the law of liberty says? The law of liberty
says wives obey your husbands in the Lord and be not bitter
against them. The word of God, the law of liberty
says husbands love your wives as you love your own body. The
law of liberty says children obey your parents. The law of
liberty says parents be kind to your children and discipline
your children and don't be bitter against your children and don't
kill their spirit, but direct them in the things of the Lord.
The law of liberty says, abstain from every appearance of evil.
The law of liberty says, adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
The law of liberty says, walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. The law of liberty says, forsake
not the assembling of yourselves together. It says, ìLet your
light so shine before men that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father.î It says, ìLook not every man on
his own things, but the things of others.î It says, ìBe content
with what you have and avoid covetousness.î It says, ìYouíre
not your own, youíre bought with a price, therefore glorify God
in your bodies and in your souls.î Thatís the law of liberty, is
it not? Alright, read on verse 25. Now,
whoso looketh into this law, this is not the law, thou shalt
not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, this is not the Levitical
law, this is the law of liberty, this is the law of Christ, this
is the law of the redeemed life, and whosoever looks into this
law and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
like the man that looked into the glass, but he's a what? He's a doer. He's a doer. He's not just a hearer, he's
a doer. He's a doer of the work, and this man shall be blessed
in his doing. In his doing. My friends, we're saved by grace.
I've preached what we call salvation by grace now Soon be forty years. We're saved by sovereign grace.
We're saved by the grace of God, and the grace of God alone. Plus
nothing, minus nothing. There's no works or circumcision
or duties to be performed. We're saved by the grace of God.
For by grace are you saved, and we're saved by faith alone. Faith
alone, that faith in Christ, if you can believe, all things
are possible to them that believe. I know that, I'm persuaded of
that, I'm convinced of that beyond a shadow of a doubt. The wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God's eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. But all faith is not saving faith. All faith is not saving faith.
And this is what James is saying in our text, in James 2.14. Now
let's look at that text again, James 2.14. All faith is not
saving faith. What doth it profit, my brethren?
I'll read it again, James 2.14. What doth it profit, my brethren?
Though a man say, say he hath faith. I believe. We hear that constantly. I believe in the sovereignty
of God. I believe in the fall of man. I believe the Bible is
the Word of God. I believe that Christ is the
only Savior. I believe God quickens it. Men
say these things. They say these things. They say
they have faith. But if he has not works, He has no works, he has no labor
of love, he has no works of faith. Well, this is what James is asking.
Can this kind of faith save him? Can this faith that's in word
only, this faith that consists in a confession, can that kind
of faith save him? And then he gave that illustration
I mentioned to you. He said, here's a man that's
naked, a brother or sister that's naked, has no clothes, and it's
cold outside. and they're hungry and they have
no food, and one of you say to him, you say to him, be warmed. Words won't warm him. Be covered. Words won't cover him. Be filled. Words won't fill him. Even so
faith, and that's what he says, even so faith, verse 17, that's
in word only. That kind of faith will not pull
the naked sinner. That kind of faith cannot fill
a hungry sinner. It just can't do it. It's futile,
and it's false, and it's dead. That kind of faith. And these
words right here will rise up someday in judgment against people
who say, say, say their whole religious conviction and profession
is wrapped up in what they say. Because a man called me from
Florida last night. He gets our tapes. He lives in
Panama City, Florida. And he talked about what a blessing
that he had received from these tapes. He said he'd been listening
to them about two years. His sister lives in Dingus, West
Virginia, and she got him started listening to the tapes. And he
said, now, he said, I make copies of these tapes and I go out.
and give them to people, because I want them to hear these tapes.
I want them to hear this message. I want them to hear the gospel.
I want them to come to know the Lord that I know." Now, he said,
brother of mine, he said, don't misunderstand me. He said, I
don't go around wearing a sign. I'm a Christian. I don't wear
a badge. But he said, I just believe if a man's a Christian, that he will want others to know
his Lord, too. I said, yeah. Brother Barnard
said one time, if a man knows God, He doesn't have to shout
it from the housetop. It'll leak out on him before
too many years have passed by. And that's what James is saying
here. If faith does not have works, it's dead. Being alone. Being alone. It's dead, being alone. Verse
18. A person says he has faith. Now here he says, a young man
may say, thou hast faith. I have faith. A person says he
has faith. Isn't it legitimate and fair
to ask him to show you his faith? Prove you believe. Give me some
evidence that you believe. Justify your faith. If a man
says this thing, what he says here, show me your faith. Let
me see your faith. Let me see. You say you have
faith, let me see it. Well, Abraham showed his, that's the example
he gives down here. He showed he believed God. He
showed he believed God. He justified by his works what
he claimed with his mouth. He justified it. Abraham justified it. Abraham
proved his faith. The harlot Rahel, he says she
proved her faith. She justified her faith. She
proved her faith. Proved it by what she did. And then someone may come back
in verse 19 and say, well, I believe in one God. I believe in God's
sovereignty. I believe God, the one God, one
God. I believe in one God. I believe
God's sovereignty. I believe in one God. Father,
Son, Holy Spirit, I believe in one God. A God of grace and mercy,
I believe in one God. God who died on Calvary, I believe
these things. Well, he says, my friend, the
devil believes that. The devil believes all that.
Isn't that true? I'm not stretching that thing.
The devil believes every article of faith that you believe. He
doesn't obey it, but he believes it. He doesn't love it, but he
believes it. He doesn't walk in it, but he
believes it. He doesn't glorify God, but he believes it. See, James is saying this. I'm not enforcing this message
with my own words. I'm enforcing it here with the
Word. When this man says, show me your faith, he says, well,
I believe in one God. He says the devil believes that
and trembles. And then he says in verse 20,
but wilt thou know, O vain man, O foolish man, that faith without
works, without proof, without evidence, without agreeable conduct
is dead. That faith is dead, that dry,
dead, cold, doctrinal faith is dead. It's like a body without
breath, it's dead, and it'll profit nothing. For example, let me give you
some things that I've run into through the years. Here's a preacher that Now, we
said this thing of receiving the Word is wrapped up in three
things. It's hearing it as the Word of
God, right? Hearing it as the Word of God.
Not as the Word of men, but as the Word of God. Secondly, it's
believing it. Believing it. But thirdly, it's believing it
with a faith that does what it says. That's committed to its
commandments. That's committed to its requirements. That's the man that believes.
All right, here's a preacher, and I've known many like this,
who hears the gospel. He may read it in one of the
old Puritans, he may hear some sovereign grace preacher preach
it, he may hear it in a seminary class, but he hears the true
gospel of grace. He hears it. And he believes
it. And he believes these things
are, this is according to the Bible. But he doesn't preach it. He
refuses to preach it, like the preacher I mentioned just last
Sunday night, who the couple wrote to me and said their pastor
in the study or in private conversations says, I believe these things,
but when he gets in the pulpit, he won't preach it. He's afraid
of the offense. He's afraid of the cost. He's
afraid of the battle. Well, I would say to him, faith
without works is dead. Doesn't that apply there? Faith without works is daily. That's not saving faith. He really doesn't believe it.
That's the wrong kind of faith, and that kind of faith won't
save. And then, secondly, here's a person running the lot like
this. Here's a person who hears the
Word of God, person or persons. They hear the Word. They hear
the Word of God. They even have taught the Word
of God. They even have preached the Word of God. And they say it is the Word of
God. And they say they believe it. But they do not worship God. When the church meets together,
they find other things to do. They don't worship God on the
large day. They don't worship God on the special services. They come to worship God if it's
convenient. They don't worship God on the
large day. They don't pen after the Word
of God. They don't identify themselves
with the people of God. They don't identify themselves
with those who preach the Word of God. They don't support them
and pray for them. That's dead faith. That's dead
faith. That's hearing and believing
and not doing. Because the Word of God clearly
says, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the
matter of some is. I was glad when they said unto
me, let's go into the house of the Lord. I'd rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
As the deer panteth for the water brooks, my soul panteth for thee,
O God. Thy word have I hid in my heart,
that I might not sin against thee. Teach me thy word. Desire
the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." And
people say, I believe all those things, but they don't desire
it. They don't pan after it. They're not identified with it.
They're out yonder somewhere. You know, through the years,
I've found people do what they want to do. They're never late
for work. They won't take a day off at
all, especially when there's overtime coming. They can make
all the ball games. They can make all the parties. You can throw a potluck supper
here and invite everybody and they'll all come to that. That
always did tear me up. Come in here on Sunday and stand
up and preach and never see a person who go back there when they're
feeding and see him. That's dead, dead, dead works,
dead faith. And then here's a man that says
he hears the gospel, claims to believe it, even preach it. And then he can contemplate or
consider or even carry out and walk off and leave a wife and
children. and still claim to believe this
gospel? That's dead faith. That's not saving faith. I had
a young fellow do that. He wrote to me. We were awfully
close friends, or just awfully close for years. And I wrote
and told him this was contrary to God's Word. And the thing
for him to do is stay with his family and build his home. He
promised when he stood before that preacher I promise to love
and cherish and honor till death alone shall part me." That's
a vow before God, isn't it? And a man that can walk off from
that, who can bring little children into the world and walk off,
and he claims he tells me that he loves God, that he loves the
Word of God, that he believes in the glory of God, he's got
faith, but it's dead as a hammer. That's true. Dead as a hammer. Not so. And this young man wrote
me and says, how come you won't write to me? How come we're not
having any fellowship? I said, I got nothing to say
to you. I've said all I got to say to you. And the doors closed. Because I don't think he has
faith. I don't think he has faith. Do
you? Is that saving faith? And people say this to me, they
say they've heard the gospel. And this is what I'm saying,
my friend, is this country is full of what we call grace-believers,
but not a whole lot of grace-doers. And a man who's not a grace-doer
is not a grace-believer. And I have people tell me they've
heard the gospel of grace and believe it, but they don't give
to support it, they don't support these missionaries. And a lot
of them live in abundant fashion. And they're getting more abundant
all the time. And everything God sends to them, they can spend
on themselves. But they give no help to the
missionaries. They say they love those faithful
missionaries. Baloney! And they believe in those that
put forth an effort to preach the gospel. Baloney! I say this,
if you love the gospel and you love those that preach it, especially
these faithful missionaries, Show me your faith. Show me your faith. I want to
see it. And it's not wrong to ask for
it either. It's not wrong to ask for you to show me. Justify
your faith. Prove you believe God. Old Abraham
had one precious treasure, more than all the treasures he had,
and his name was Isaac. And he took him up on a mountain
and laid him on an altar, I believe he believes God. You've convinced
me, boy. You've convinced me that you
believe God. You've convinced me. God had something to say about
him convincing somebody, didn't he? And then I run into people
who hear the gospel and they say, I believe it. I'm a Calvinist. I'm a grace person. But they're
not very gracious, just not very gracious. They're unkind, they're unloving,
they're unforgiving. They manifest an arrogant, divisive
spirit. They're not humble. They're not endeavoring to keep
the unity of the Spirit for the glory of God. They keep the pastor
tore up, and the church tore up, and other people torn up.
They bring tears at night to the eyes of people who love them.
And they do it. Just keep doing it. Just keep
doing it. I'm going to have my way no matter
who it hurts. That's dead faith. That's dead
faith. They won't say, No, and I hope I haven't preached
the gospel in such a way as to give anybody the idea that it
would. I hope I haven't. I may have, but I sure hope not. I sure hope not. I believe true
grace is gracious. I believe true mercy is merciful.
I believe true love is loving. I believe true faith is faithful.
I believe true humility is contrite, a broken and a contrite spirit.
I do. I believe true commitment is
committed. Are you committed? Are we committed? Oh, I know that we're going to
have trials, my soul, we've had a bunch of them and we're going
to have some more. We have trials and struggles, personal struggles,
family struggles, things that hurt, difficulties, misunderstandings,
failures, I know that all along the road. This ain't no, one
day I never promised you a rose garden. There's no rose garden. I know that. There's no flower-strong
pathway. I know that. The road of faith
sometimes is rough to walk. If your feet aren't shod with
the gospel and the grace of God, you'll bleed to death. I know
that. But I'm telling you, I'm saying
the bent of the will. I look around here, I'm not going
to call any names, but I tell you, Fanny Gill is the oldest
one here. Yes, she is. She's the oldest
charter member of this church. Isn't that right, Fanny? Oldest
charter member. But I look around here and I
see some folks that have stuck, some folks that have demonstrated
the grace of God, some folks that have been faked. some folks
that have given, some folks that have labored, some folks that
have stood by the fort. And I'll tell you that, and some
of them can't get up here and talk much, some of them can't
get up here and pray in public, some of them couldn't sing a
solo if you was going to shoot them in the morning. But I'll tell you something,
Being there is awful important. And your warmth, and your fellowship,
and your encouragement, and your gifts, and putting... You know there's an old statement,
put your money where your mouth is. Well, that's what this is
saying right here. Put your testimony where your
words are indeed. And that's the kind of faith
that's set. What I'm saying, this whole thing is the bent
of the will. It's the tenor of the life. A
true believer, the tenor of his life and the bent of his will
is to glorify Jesus Christ and to finish his course in faith,
whatever the cost. God can count on me, and God's
people can count on me, and my wife can count on me, and my
children can count on me. I'm not perfect. Paul said, I
hadn't arrived. I don't know everything. I don't
know very much. But true faith, see what I'm
saying, true faith hears, true faith believes, and true faith,
as God gives him the grace, obeys. And it works, and it builds relationships,
and it glorifies God, and it rejoices in Christ, and it continues. It continues down that road of
faith. All the ship may go through the storm, and it may go over
the rough places, and all these things, but I tell you this, that faith will continue. That
faith will continue and stand up and be counted. And then it
has, you see that faith has a A commitment and an objective. When I come to the end of the
way, end of life, I want to die in faith. I want to die in faith. And I'd like to hear him say,
well done. Thou good and what? Faithful
servant. You've been faithful over a few
things. Lord, you didn't give me a lot to do. That's all right.
You've been faithful over a few things. I make you ruler over
many. Enter thou, blessed one, into
the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the
world. Paul said, I fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. I've
finished my course. It's laid up for me a crown of
righteousness. Do you understand what I've been trying to say? It's not words. not professions,
alone. It's a faith that works, a faith
that's faithful, and that's the faith that's safe. And a man
can have some confidence in that kind of faith.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

What does the Bible say about faith and works?

How do we know our faith is genuine?

Why is it important for Christians to have works?

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About Henry Mahan

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Faith Without Works Is Dead

What does the Bible say about faith and works?

How do we know our faith is genuine?

Why is it important for Christians to have works?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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