Christian Standard Bible
James 2:18
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.
James 2:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
- New International Version (NIV)But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Context of James 2:18
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? 17In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. But 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. 19You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe — and they shudder. 20Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
Read all of James 2James 2:18 word by word
Ἀλλ᾽ ἐρεῖ τις· σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις, κἀγὼ ἔργα ἔχω· δεῖξόν μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστινRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Yeaἀλλάalla · butG235
- a manτιςtis · oneG5100
- may sayἐρῶereō · to sayG2046
- Thouσύsu · youG4771
- hastἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
- and Iκἀγώkagō kamoi kame · and IG2504
- worksἔργονergon · workG2041
- shewδεικνύωdeiknuō · to showG1166
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- faithὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- withoutἐκek ex · out fromG1537
Cross-references for James 2:18
- James 2:14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?
- Romans 14:23But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.
- 1 Corinthians 13:2If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
- Galatians 5:6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
- Hebrews 11:6Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
- James 2:22You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,
- James 3:13Who 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.
- Matthew 7:17In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.
- Romans 8:1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
- 2 Corinthians 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
- 2 Corinthians 7:1So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 1 Timothy 1:5Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
Commentaries on James 2:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Show me thy faith without thy works - Your pretending to have faith, while you have no works of charity or mercy, is utterly vain: for as faith, which is a principle in the mind, cannot be discerned but by the effects, that is, good works; he who has no good works has, presumptively, no faith. I will show thee my faith by my works - My works of charity and mercy will show that I have faith; and that it is the living tree, whose root is love to God and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Yea, a man may say - The word which is rendered “yea” ( ̓̀ alla) would be better rendered by “but.” The apostle designs to introduce an objection, not to make an affirmation. The sense is, “some one might say,” or, “to this it might be urged in reply.” That is, it might perhaps be said that religion is not always manifested in the same way, or we should not suppose that, because it is not always exhibited in the same form, it does not exist. One man may…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-26Verses 14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-19James shows that believing something is true without acting on it is pointless. But someone will say: James offers another diatribe (see study note on 1:13). He introduces a possible argument someone might make. The imaginary person argues that different Christians might have different gifts—one person might have the gift of faith while another has the gift of works (see 1 Corinthians 12:7–9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. "But some one will say": so the Greek. This verse continues the argument from Jas 2:14, 16. One may say he has faith though he have not works. Suppose one were to say to a naked brother, "Be warmed," without giving him needful clothing. "But someone (entertaining views of the need of faith having works joined to it) will say (in opposition to the 'say' of the professor)." show me thy faith without thy works--if thou canst; but thou canst not SHOW…Read the comment
Topics related to James 2:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on James 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries