James 2:14–3:18

FAITH AND WORKS

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?^{m 17}In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.^{n 19}You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.^o

²⁰Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,^{p 23}and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,^Aq and he was called God’s friend.^{r 24}You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?^{s 26}For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

CONTROLLING THE TONGUE

3Not many should become teachers, my brothers,^B because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.^{t 2}For we all stumble in many ways.^u If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.^{v 3}Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us,^w we direct their whole bodies. ⁴And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.^x Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. ⁶And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed^C among our members. It stains the whole body,^y sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, ⁸but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^{z 9}With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness.^{aa 10}Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. ¹¹Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ¹²Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

¹³Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.^{ab 14}But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.^{ac 15}Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^{ad 16}For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.^{a 18}And the fruit of righteousness^b is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.