James 2:14–26

¹⁴What is the profit, my brethren, if faith, any one may speak of having, and works he may not have? is that faith able to save him? ¹⁵and if a brother or sister may be naked, and may be destitute of the daily food, ¹⁶and any one of you may say to them, ‘Depart ye in peace, be warmed, and be filled,’ and may not give to them the things needful for the body, what is the profit? ¹⁷so also the faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself. ¹⁸But say may some one, Thou hast faith, and I have works, shew me thy faith out of thy works, and I will shew thee out of my works my faith: ¹⁹thou—thou dost believe that God is one; thou dost well, and the demons believe, and they shudder! ²⁰And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead? ²¹Abraham our father—was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar? ²²dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected? ²³and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, ‘And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him—to righteousness;’ and, ‘Friend of God’ he was called. ²⁴Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only; ²⁵and in like manner also Rahab the harlot—was she not out of works declared righteous, having received the messengers, and by another way having sent forth? ²⁶for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.

Chapter 3