James 2:14-25
Faith and
Deeds
14What
good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have
faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15Suppose a brother
or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16If one of you
says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and
well fed," but does nothing about his physical
needs, what good is it?
17In the same way, faith by itself, if it
is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But
someone will say, "You have faith; I have
deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I
will show you my faith by what I do.
19You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the
demons believe that—and shudder.
20You
foolish man, do you want evidence that faith
without deeds is useless?
21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered
righteous for what he did when he offered his
son Isaac on the altar?
22You see that his faith and his actions
were working together, and his faith was made
complete by what he did.
23And the scripture was fulfilled that
says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited
to him as righteousness," and he was called God's
friend. 24You see
that a person is justified by what he does and
not by faith alone.
25In
the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute
considered righteous for what she did when she
gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a
different direction? 26As
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without deeds is dead. |