Scripture Matters Podcast - Episode 7 (Chapter 6 "Help Our Unbelief")

A father watches his son suffer, runs out of options, and finally prays the words so many of us whisper when faith feels thin: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” That single sentence opens a doorway into Christian assurance, because it forces the real question: does salvation depend on how strong my faith feels today, or on how strong Jesus is?

We walk through chapter six of Jack Wilkie’s You Are Saved: A Christian’s Assurance and slow down on what the New Testament actually means by faith. Using Romans 3, Ephesians 2:8–9, and the contrast between law and grace, we talk about why turning faith into a performance standard quietly steals peace. Wilkie’s college tuition illustration makes it simple: faith isn’t a scholarship you earn and it isn’t a down payment you contribute. Faith is receiving the gift God has already paid for in Christ.

Then we tackle the passage that trips up a lot of thoughtful readers: James 2. James says “not by faith only,” Paul says “apart from works of the law” so are they contradicting each other? We compare their audiences, trace the example of Abraham, and explain why genuine faith produces obedience without turning obedience into meritorious works. We also define “works” carefully, including why baptism is described as God’s working in Colossians 2:12.

If you’ve ever wondered whether imperfect faith can still reach a perfect Savior, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share, and leave a review, and send us your questions for our upcoming interview with author Jack Wilkie.

Transcript

Mark 9 And An Honest Prayer

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Picture a father standing in a crowd holding his broken son. The boy cannot speak. His body convulses again and again. The spirit has thrown him into the fire, he's thrown him into the water, trying nothing more than to destroy the boy. The father has tried everything, every prayer, every hope, every possibility. And now he stands before Jesus.

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But this moment is different because the father is not just fighting for the son, the father is fighting something very much inside of his own heart. He's fighting the doubt of if.

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So Jesus looks at him and says, If you can believe, all things are possible for one who believes. And suddenly the father blurts out words that echo throughout the centuries.

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Words that every Christian has felt somehow in their point in their life.

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And with tears in his eyes, the father cries out, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

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And maybe that's the most honest prayer anyone has ever prayed. Because every believer knows what the tension feels like. We believe, but folks, sometimes we struggle.

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And that struggle raises some very difficult questions. How strong does faith have to be? And what happens when doubt begins to creep in? And listen, can someone truly have assurance of their salvation if they are weak and sometimes feel weak?

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Yes, and today we're opening chapter six of Jack Wilkie's book, You're Saved, A Christian's Assurance. And the title of this chapter might describe the experience of every single Christian who has ever wrestled with faith.

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Yeah, the title Help Our Unbelief.

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Let's talk about

Welcome And How To Support

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it.

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That's right. You are listening to and viewing Scripture Matters. This is Scripture Matters, a podcast produced and published in cooperation with the Waters Road Church of Christ. If you live in the Houston area and need a church home, Waters Road is the place where you belong. If you need more information about Waters Road, check out their website at www.brc.org. Our thanks each week goes out to Richard 2 for the behind-the-scenes help in producing each episode, as well as to our wives and families for supporting us in this effort. And now let's get back to another episode of Scripture Matters. All right, we welcome you once again to another episode of Scripture Matters. I'm Jonathan Sanford, pulpit minister for the Waters Road Church of Christ in Pasadena, Texas.

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And I'm Cliff Thompson, one of the elders and the teacher at the Waters Road Church of Cross, also in Pasadena, Texas.

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And we are delighted to have you join us here for our seventh episode. Can you believe it, Cliff? Our seventh episode of Scripture Matters. And I'll tell you so far, it's been a fascinating journey. We really built this podcast from the ground up. We didn't know that much about it, just getting started, and we still don't know all that much about it. But man, it has been a fun journey thus far.

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And that's right. If anything, what I the whole goal with this podcast has been to give you, the listener and the viewer, something throughout the week to think upon. And then maybe we pray with the increasing of our faith and building your confidence in Jesus, how this podcast might help you. And wow, Jonathan, we've been so blessed. Folks, thank you, thank you, thank you for your kind feedback that we've received from all of you.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah, I we just can't thank you enough for that. And you can really and truly continue to help us here on Scripture Matters. Uh, you can help us the most here on Scripture Matters by each week like, sharing, and subscribing. Again, liking, sharing, and subscribing. The triple threat for us here on Scripture Matters. And if you haven't tapped that like button, take a moment right now and hit the like button. Let uh the platform that you are viewing or listening to Scripture Matters know that you're enjoying what we're bringing to you here. And that's important for a lot of reasons, especially with the algorithms that we find on YouTube, Facebook, and all the various podcast platforms.

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And outside of sharing this episode, folks, the biggest way you can help us, especially with the algorithms that was just talked about, is by leaving a comment. When you leave a comment, that signals to either YouTube or it also signals to Facebook or any other of our podcast platform that the content that we are giving to you, we are engaging with you, the listener. So please help us this week with this effort.

Weak Faith And Real Assurance

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Yeah, and today, folks, we're working through chapter six, says Cliff mentioned of Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, a Christian's Assurance. And as we mentioned in our opening here just a few moments ago, the title for chapter six is Help Our Unbelief. And Cliff, that phrase comes directly from Mark chapter nine, uh, when the father of that suffering boy cried out to our Lord, Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief. And I think, you know, if we're honest with one another here today, that verse, that phrase captures a lot of what Christians quietly wrestle with.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yeah, it really does, Jonathan, because I believe it's safe to say that if you are a Christian, then you believe in Jesus, you believe in the gospel, you believe in the Bible, but at the same time, if you're really honest with yourself, as Jonathan just mentioned, there are moments when doubts creep in, or when our faith doesn't feel as strong as what we think it should.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

No, I think you're exactly right, Cliff, when you say that. And when that happens, it leads a lot of people out there to begin to ponder, to wonder in their mind, is my faith uh strong enough? How many? I've thought about that in my mind how many times I've said that over the years. Is my faith strong enough? Or maybe even, what if my faith is too weak? And that's really, if we want to be simple about it, that's where Wilkie begins this chapter.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Yes, and you know, Wilkie points out that faith might be one of the most important words in the entire New Testament, but it is just like we said concerning the word grace that we discussed last week, Jonathan. Faith is also one of those words that is very much misunderstood.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Yeah, and historically, that misunderstanding, Cliff, has caused an awful lot of division. Wilkie reminds us that faith was right at the very center of the debates and in the Protestant Reformation movement. Questions about faith and grace and works, they created enormous disagreements between these various religious bodies.

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And Jonathan, even today, people still struggle to understand how those things kind of fit together. What role does faith actually play in salvation? What role does work play in salvation? And how do we keep those two things in the proper space?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

No, right, because if we misunderstand faith, then we're very likely to misunderstand assurance. And that's really the concern that Jack Wilkie raises early in this chapter. He says that when confusion about faith begins to set in, assurance is often its first casualty.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

And that's really important observation, Jonathan, because when someone starts believing that their salvation depends on how perfect they perform, it places an enormous amount of burden upon their own shoulders.

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Yeah, I think

Faith Misunderstood Through Church History

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that's true. And Wilkie, what he does is he offers this brilliant illustration that helps clarify this for all of us as readers. He asks us to imagine three different ways, again, three different ways that a person might go about paying for their college education. And I think I know a little bit about paying for college tuitions at this point. I've got five children, two in college, one's a senior about to be in college. Uh, putting so far two daughters through college, and now they're getting ready to go off into college. Uh, there are some options. Uh, let's talk about them. What are they, Cliff?

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Well, the very first option is that you pay for it yourself. I mean, you go and you get student loans and you spend what, maybe years, decades trying to pay off that debt.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Yeah. As funny as that sounds, I know that all too well. Uh, the second option would be uh a wonderful thing called a scholarship. And praise the Lord for scholarships when it comes to college tuition. In that case, the school covers the tuition because of your performance. You did well enough academically or maybe athletically, or maybe in some fine art that this college said, hey, we want them to be here, and this particular skill they have is worth this much towards their tuition. And so you get that uh scholarship to help pay the cost.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

And that's one and two, but the third one now, huh? That's when someone else kind of steps in there and they pay for it completely. You know, that could be a parent, maybe a family member, or just maybe someone that loves you enough to cover the call for you.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah, and Jack Wilkie, he uses this illustration to explain two very different systems that the Bible talks about when it comes to that big word justification.

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Yeah. Scripture contrasts a system of law where righteousness

College Tuition And Justification

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is that has to be earned and earned by works, and a system of grace where salvation is received through faith.

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Yeah, and the apostle Paul he makes this distinction between the two very, very clearly. If you look in your Bibles and in Romans chapter 3 and verse 20, very clearly it states, by the works of the law, no flesh, again, no flesh will be justified in his sight.

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Which means no one can ever do enough to erase all of their sin debt.

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But under the system of grace, okay, salvation is not something that we earn. Instead, it is something that God offers to us through his son Jesus Christ.

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And that's why Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verses 8 and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourself, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

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And that's really where the discussion of faith becomes ever so important. Because if salvation comes by grace through faith, as you just read, then folks, we need to clearly understand what the Bible actually means when it talks about faith.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Oh, and Jonathan, that is so very important because many people, many people will either oversimplify faith or they'll completely misdefine it entirely.

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Yeah, that's something we've heard so far throughout Jack Wilkie's book. And that misunderstanding has led to two very common mistakes when people talk about faith.

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Yeah. On the one side, some people reduce faith to nothing more than a mental agreement, meaning they just believe certain facts about Jesus.

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And then on the other side, some people become so overly concerned about obedience that they begin to really believe that their salvation ultimately depends on how well they perform.

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And Wilkie argues that both of these approaches, it really misses the real biblical picture.

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So that raises the next very big question that we need to tackle here. And we think about it, if faith is not merely mental ascent and it's not a system of which we can earn our salvation through works, then what exactly is biblical

Law Versus Grace In Salvation

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faith?

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You know, this is something we need everyone out there to really pay close attention to in today's episode, folks. We desperately don't want there to be any misunderstanding of what Jonathan and I are putting forward today from God's word.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

No, you're you're you're so right, Cliff. And that's something you and I have talked about off the air uh today. Uh and listen, as we continue here, we're moving into segment two, and as we continue working through chapter six uh uh of Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, A Christian's Assurance. Jack Wilkie now begins to explain something that is absolutely critical to understanding faith correctly. And that is the difference here between two systems of justification that the Bible describes.

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That's right, Jonathan. And Wilkie points out that throughout history, people have often misunderstood how these two systems work. When people begin talking about faith, grace, and works, they often start thinking that there must be some kind of middle system where all of these three systems are kind of blended together.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

Exactly. And that's where a lot, if we're being honest, that's where a lot of the confusion really stems from. Because people start imagining salvation as some kind of combination plan between grace when it gets you started, faith gets you part of the way there, and then your work somehow finishes the job.

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But Wilkie makes the point that the Bible actually doesn't present three systems, folks, it presents two.

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That's right. And the first system, let's make sure everybody hears this. The first system is what we might call a system of law. And under a system of law, righteousness would have to be earned, okay? A person would have to, and remember this, they would have to perfectly keep the law of God in order to be justified.

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And the problem with that system is something the apostle Paul makes very, very clear, folks. In Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, it says, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

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That's exactly right. And because you think about it, once sin enters the picture, then law can no longer justify us. Instead, the reality becomes uh also very clear. Law exposes the problem. And that's why Paul also says in Romans chapter 3 and verse 20 by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight.

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Which brings us to the second system the Bible describes. Instead of justification coming through law, it comes through grace.

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And really and truly, good folks out there, that's where faith comes in. Grace is the means by which God provides salvation. But remember, faith is the means by which we receive it.

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And Wilkie's illustration about paying for college really helps clarify that idea. He asks us to imagine someone who wants to attend college but doesn't have the money to pay for the entire burden of that cost.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Yeah, and the first possibility is, as we said, that the student just pays for it themselves. And again, that means those student loans, the debt that naturally follows, and the years of repayment. And it almost feels like you just can't uh get out from under that debt. I know a lot of people out there face that. That's similar, very similar to a system of law, because the student bears the entire burden of paying all the costs.

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And as we mentioned before, the second option would be a scholarship. Now, in that case, the school helps cover the cost because the student performed well enough either academically or possibly athletically, or maybe even both.

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And that's where Jack Wilkie says some people begin to misunderstand salvation. They begin to imagine faith like a scholarship where God saves us because, hey, your faith is so impressive that it becomes impressive enough.

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But folks, that's not how scripture describes it at all. No. Faith is not performance-based, it's not a performance-based system that earns salvation.

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No, that's very true. And that leads us now to the third scenario of Wilkie's illustration. Again, imagine somebody else stepping in and paying the entire cost of your tuition. The student didn't earn it in any fashion. The student didn't perform for it. Someone simply uh loved them enough to pay the entire price.

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And that picture is much closer to what the Bible describes when he talks about grace. Salvation is something Cross has already paid for.

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And let us make this as plain as possible to everybody watching today's episode. Faith is not. Faith is not the down payment. Faith is the acceptance of the gift.

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And that distinction is incredibly important, folks. When people begin believing that faith must be strong enough to earn salvation, they begin turning faith into another one of those works, righteousness.

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That's right. And that leads us directly to the kind of doubt that Wilkie addresses in this chapter. Because again, folks, if salvation is really dependent on how well I perform, even how well I believe, then I'm always going to wonder: did I really do enough?

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That's exactly right, Jonathan. And understanding faith properly is essential for assurance. Faith is not the work that earns salvation. Folks, faith is the trust that receives what Christ has already accomplished.

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That's

James 2 And Paul Compared

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right. And as we begin now to move into our segment three, as soon as we start talking about salvation being uh by grace and through faith, there, man, there's this passage that immediately comes to many people's minds. And that passage is James chapter two.

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Folks, if you have your Bibles, let me encourage you. Let's turn there just for a few seconds. James chapter two, and drop down to verse 24, and let's go ahead and let's read this together. The Bible says, You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. And Folks, at first glance, that verse sounds like it completely contradicts what the apostle Paul says and places to the Romans as well as to the Galatians.

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That's very true. Because Paul says things like Romans 3 28, where he writes, Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. So one writer, remember this, one writer says justified by faith apart from works, and another says, justified by works and not by faith only. For many people, though, Cliff, that sounds like a contradiction.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Yeah, but Wookiee points out something very important here, Jonathan, and it's a very important that we understand this. Folks, Paul and James are not arguing with each other.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

No, they're not. And that's that's such a that's such a key point because Paul is addressing people, Cliff, who believed that somehow they could earn righteousness through works of the law. Yeah, yes, yes. In other words, they believed that by keeping the law, uh, and we're talking about the law of Moses here, by keeping that law perfectly, that they could justify themselves before God.

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Yeah, yeah. And Paul's response to that idea is very clear, folks. No one can be justified by keeping the law perfectly. Why? Well, because as Paul said in Romans 3.23, that we have all sinned. That's why justification must come through grace that's received through faith.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

But the key here, Cliff, is that James is addressing a completely different problem. James here is speaking to people who claimed to have faith, but whose lives showed no evidence of obedience whatsoever.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Exactly, Jonathan. James is confronting what we might call empty faith. Now, what do I mean by empty faith? Folks, think of it like this: it's a kind of faith that exists only as words, but never produces any action.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah, Cliff, and I think what you're describing really and truly is just mere mental assent. Uh in other words, I'm just accepting the facts, right? I there's not any connection to it. And that's why James says in in James 2, 17, and listen to this, he says, thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James here is not saying works earn salvation. No, he's saying genuine faith produces obedience.

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And Wilkie explains that one of the best ways to see it by looking at the example that both writers use. Both Paul as well as James point to the exact same person he points to Abraham.

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And I love this cliff here because Paul talks about Abraham in Romans chapter 4, and you and I know this all too well. Romans chapter 4, Paul says that Abraham was justified by faith when he believed God's promise.

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But James points to a later moment in Abraham's life when Abraham was willing to offer Isaac on the altar. He says that Abraham's willingness to do so was the fulfillment of his belief, which was reckoned as righteousness.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Exactly. And James says Abraham's faith was demonstrated by his obedience. In other words, Abraham's uh actions, they showed that his faith was authentic, that it was real. And I think the the realization here, folks, is that you have these two inspired men, inspired by God's Holy Spirit. They were not speaking whatsoever in a contradictory manner.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

No, no, they were not. And that's why James says that faith was working together with his works, and but and by works, faith was made perfect.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

So Paul uh explains how faith saves while James explains what real faith looks like.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

Exactly, Jonathan. Listen, folks, and let me parse these two things out for us. Paul says we are not saved by works of law. That's one. And two, James says real faith does not remain alone.

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And so when you take these two ideas and you put them in the pot and you stir them together, when you understand them together, they paint a very clear, a beautiful picture here. Again, listen to us, folks. Faith does not earn salvation, but genuine faith transforms lives of the believer.

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And that's why the point Wilkie wants readers to see is that faith is not merely agreeing with the facts about Jesus. No, faith is trusting Christ in a way that changes how we live. And in doing so, it produces obedience.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

I think, honestly, Cliff, my favorite part of this whole chapter uh is the end of this section where Jack Wilkie uses a reference that I grew up hearing as a kid: the cart and the horse, and the putting of the proverbial cart before the horse. Uh, if we as Christians say that we are justified by our works of obedience, then I would say we are guilty of putting our cart before our horse.

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But he also says if we believe that faith is like what you've said, Jonathan, just mental essence, and that we don't have to do any work of obedience in all reality, Jonathan, we actually have a horse without a cart at all.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

Yeah, and to truly have the horse uh ahead of the cart, like it should be. Uh, Jack Wilkie plainly says that faith must come first, and then it is very closely followed by works of obedience, which, if you're thinking about it, folks, it is just the very pattern that is laid out by the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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That's right, folks. Think about it for a second. We hear the gospel and we believe it. Then by faith we repent, we confess, and we're buried with Christ in baptism. What is that? That is obedience by faith.

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And that brings us now to segment four.

Belief Versus Trust That Obeys

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And really the question here is what real faith looks like. And as we move forward here in the chapter, Wilkie presses, I think, a very important distinction that many people may overlook. And that's the difference between simply believing something is true and actually placing your trust in it, Cliff.

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That distinction matters because the Bible makes it clear, folks, that belief by itself is not always the same thing as saving faith.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

That's exactly right. And I love the way that James uh gives a very striking example that. Uh, folks, if you look in your Bibles in James chapter 2 and verse 19, uh, James writes this: He says, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Folks, that verse really drives home the point, Jonathan, that I think Wilkie's making here because demons absolutely believe that God exists. They know who Jesus is and they recognize his authority. Just look at the story of the of the uh that is in Luke chapter 8 of the garrison man. But that belief does not produce obedience, and it certainly does not produce submission.

SPEAKER_00 30:56

No, I think you're right. And Cliff, their belief is just simply an acknowledgement of reality. Yes. Okay. But biblical faith is different. Biblical faith goes much further than that. And biblical faith ultimately involves trusting God in such a way that it really begins to shape our lives.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

And Wilkie explains that the difference between belief and trust can be illustrated very simply. A person might say they believe a chair will hold them up. But the real test of that belief comes when they actually sit down in that very same chair.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Yeah, that's that's right, Cliff. When somebody sits down in that chair, they are no longer simply agreeing with the idea that the chair might hold them. No, they are then placing their whole weight on it.

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And that helps way to think about our faith. Faith is not just being certain facts about Jesus, and there is so many facts about him to believe. Faith is trusting him enough to place the weight of your life in his hands.

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And listen, when somebody is willing to do that, then I promise you their life is going to begin to reflect that trust. Not because they're trying to earn their salvation, but because naturally that trust is going to lead them to obedience.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

That's right, Jonathan, because when you trust someone, what happens? You follow them. You listen to them, you rely on them. And that's exactly what we see in the New Testament when people respond to Jesus in faith.

SPEAKER_00 32:49

Yeah, I love this. The fact is, their belief moves them to act immediately. Yes. They repent, they follow, they obey the gospel, and those actions are not attempts to earn their salvation in any fact or form. No, they are the natural response of someone who is truly trusting in the Lord.

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And that's where Wilkie explains really helps people who struggle with assurance, Jonathan, because sometimes Christians worry that their faith must be perfect in order for God to accept them.

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But here's the deal, folks: the power of faith is not found in the strength of the believer. The power of faith is found in the object of faith.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Exactly, Jonathan. A person can have very small faith in a very strong Savior, and that will still be saving them. Because the saving power, folks, is not in the believer. Who's it in? It's in Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

You know, folks, as we come now to section five and begin to wind down another episode of Scripture Matters.

Works Clarified And Baptism Explained

SPEAKER_00 34:07

Before we close out today's episode, Cliff and I thought it would be very essential, really, to talk about something that is important. And that's where Wilkie talks about in this chapter defining our terms. If you've read this chapter, you've seen this heading. And I believe it's around page 55, if I remember correctly, that Wilkie says, and I quote, many times works are oversimplified as any physical action a Christian take.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

Which is why, Jonathan, you and I hear a lot of people say, well, baptism is a work. And since works will never save us, then baptism is not essential.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard baptism is a work, if I had a dollar for every time, Cliff, I'd be a very rich man.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

But this is based on what Wilkie says, an oversimplification of the definition of works.

SPEAKER_00 35:15

And Cliff, here's the thing. Sometimes I hear even our very own brothers and sisters in Christ, they'll refer to baptism as a work. And yes, they will say faith without works is dead. Um, but Wilkie, he's 100% correct. And I've studied this quite a bit since reading this. He says both camps are wrong. Yes, and he's right about that. Because if baptism was truly a work based on this oversimplified definition, then so is faith, then so is confession, and such would be repentance.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

Yeah, that would make any response on our part to the gospel a work-based salvation. But as Wilkie plainly states, this word works has to have a meaning that goes beyond this oversimplified definition here.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Yeah, there's this word, this phrase that I learned a long time ago called meritorious works. And they these meritorious works are attempts for us to earn God's favor. Those meritorious works really profit us absolutely nothing. But works of God, let me say it again, works of God, for example, believing. You may not realize this, folks, but in John chapter 6 and verse 29, they asked Jesus, what are the works that we should do? And listen to what Jesus said. He says, This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent. That's John 6, 29.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

Yeah, Jonathan. Works of God are always denoted in scripture as works that are required and approved by God, which makes them far different than works of merit that cannot save.

SPEAKER_00 37:17

And when you talk about baptism, you take this and you you look at at baptism. Colossians 2 12 says very, very plainly that we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him through faith in listen to this the working of God. Not the working of man. Baptism is a working of God.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

You know, it's sad, Jonathan, as Wilkie has pointed out in this chapter, that man's misunderstanding of faith and works has caused many to be opposed to something that really and truthfully is so beautifully described in scripture as the most powerful working of God.

SPEAKER_00 38:04

And it's sad to think that Satan has taken something so beautiful and put such a slant on it that has caused many people uh to deny that very working of God that is so beautifully spoken about in Scripture.

Imperfect Faith Reaches A Perfect Savior

SPEAKER_00 38:22

Well, folks, uh, that brings us to the end here of chapter six of Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, A Christian's Assurance. Again, this chapter, help our unbelief. But Cliff, before we wrap up today's episode, let me just pause for a moment and ask you really and truly one final question. When you hear that prayer again, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Really and truly, Cliff, what stands out to you the most now that we've finished?

SPEAKER_01 39:00

Jonathan, I think what stands out to me is the honesty of it.

SPEAKER_00 39:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:07

The Father He didn't pretend that his faith was perfect. He didn't hide the fact that he was struggling. What did he do? He brought that struggle directly to Jesus. And I really think that is an important reminder for every Christian watching or listening to Jonathan and I today. Folks, listen carefully. Faith doesn't mean we never wrestle with doubt. Faith means that we continue to bring those struggles that we're gonna have to the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 39:47

Yeah, that's so beautifully put, Cliff. And what makes to me, anyway, that moment in Mark chapter 9 so encouraging is what Jesus does next. Think about this, folks. He doesn't turn the man away. He didn't say, Hey, you need to come back when you you've got your faith in better shape. When your faith is stronger, then you come back. Jesus didn't say that. Jesus responds to him, he heals the boy, and in doing so, he shows that even imperfect faith can still reach a perfect savior.

SPEAKER_01 40:29

And that's really where assurance begins. Not in the strength of our own faith, but in the strength of the one we can trust.

SPEAKER_00 40:41

Yeah, Cliff, uh, you know, I was thinking about this as we talk about it. If if I had to have a perfect faith and perfect obedience to reach a perfect savior, I I would be just a hundred percent without hope right now. Yes. Um, but let me just say this to everybody out there. Maybe this is the first time that you've come across uh our podcast here, Scripture Matters, and the first time you've heard about this book by Jack Wilkie. If you've ever found yourself praying the same prayer that this man prayed, Lord, I believe, but Lord, I need you to help me with my unbelief. Please take comfort, folks, in knowing that you first and foremost, you're not alone. You're not alone. And believers have been praying that same prayer for centuries. And and the same, the very same savior, think about this: the very same savior that heard that father in Mark chapter nine is the very same savior that hears people today.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

Well, Jonathan, it's been another beautiful journey through another wonderful and amazing chapter of Jack Wilkie's book. You're saved. But before we go, Jonathan, I understand we have a special announcement for our viewers and our listeners.

Send Questions For Jack Wilkie

SPEAKER_00 42:03

Yeah, Cliff, this is something we've been talking about for a while. And folks, you've been such a great encouragement to Cliff and I from day one uh of this journey. You have been there beside us and you have walked beside us as we've tried to make this the best uh podcast we could possibly make it. And it's been such a blessing having Richard II come on board with us and help us with producing and putting this out there every week. Um, but early in our existence, um, we started talking about something that was special to you and I. And that was there's a man that no one out here has ever met, to my knowledge, uh, on this podcast. The people that you and I know pretty well, uh, have not had the opportunity to meet Jack Wilkie, but you and I thought, man, what a great opportunity it would be to have a set-down episode at the midpoint of this journey to talk with Jack about, you know, what went into his thoughts and producing this book and especially what we're seeing uh in the book up to this point, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 43:14

And folks, that's where you as viewers really come into play with what that we're asking you to do, because we want you to write us and share any question that you might have for the author. You know, you have down below, you have both my email address as well as Jonathan's email address. Folks, feel free to write either one of us and share your questions as we have a special interview next week with the author and the evangelist Jack Wilkie.

SPEAKER_00 43:50

All right, it's been a wonderful time today, and I'm just so thankful to get to hang out with my brother in Christ, Cliff Thompson. This has Billy really been a refreshing uh Part of my week. Uh as Cliff and I were talking earlier today, I said I'm looking forward to this because uh it is a very uplifting part of my week. Um but man, I just want to thank all of you again for joining us here on Scripture Matters. And as we said last week, listen, if this conversation encouraged you in any way or fashion, be sure to like, share, and subscribe so others can join us in this discussion as well. And as we always say, don't forget, you can find a new episode of Scripture Matters every Friday airing at 3.30 p.m. here on YouTube, Facebook, and all the major podcast platforms. So on behalf of myself, Jonathan Sanford, my good brother in Christ, Cliff Thompson, our director, uh extraordinary Richard, too, on behalf of all of us here at Scripture Matters, thank you for joining us. Thanks for spending part of your day with us on the Scripture Matters Podcast. We'll be back with a new conversation every Friday at 3 30 p.m. on YouTube, Facebook, and all major podcast platforms. Until then, may the word guide you and your week. And as always, remember Scripture Matters.