James 2:22

James 2:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
• New International Version (NIV)You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Context of James 2:22

20You fool! If someone's faith does not lead them to do good things, it is not worth anything. You should know that! 21Think about our ancestor Abraham. He offered his son Isaac on the altar as a gift to God. Because he did that good thing, God accepted him as right with himself. Abraham believed in God, and he did what God asked him to do. So you can see that both of these were necessary. When he did this good thing, he showed that he believed in God completely. 23The Bible tells us what happened. It says, ‘Abraham believed God. As a result, God accepted Abraham as right with him.’ God also called Abraham his friend. 24So you see how God accepts someone as right with himself. That person must not only believe in God. He must also do good things to show that he has faith.

James 2:22 word by word

βλέπεις ὅτι ἡ πίστις συνήργει τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Seest thouβλέπωblepō · to seeG991
• howὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• faithὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• wrought withσυνεργέωsunergeō · to work withG4903
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• worksἔργονergon · workG2041
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• wasτελειόωteleioō · to perfectG5048

Cross-references for James 2:22

• James 2:18Someone may say, ‘You believe in God, but I do good things to help people.’ Then I would say, ‘You cannot show me that you believe in God if you do not do good things. I do good things, and that shows that I really believe in God.’
• Galatians 5:6We belong to Christ Jesus. So it does not matter whether anyone has circumcised us or not. The only thing that matters is that we believe in Christ. As a result we will love others in the way that we live.
• Hebrews 11:17Here is another example of Abraham's faith. God wanted to see whether Abraham really trusted him. Because Abraham believed God, he offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. God had promised Abraham that he would have many grandchildren. But Abraham was still ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice.
• 1 John 2:5But anyone who obeys God's message shows that he really loves God completely. So this is how we know that we belong to God.
• 1 John 4:17That is how we are able to love other people completely. Then, we will not be afraid on the day when God will judge all people. We can be sure that God will not punish us. We know this because we have lived in this world in the way that Jesus lived.

Commentaries on James 2:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Seest thou how faith wrought - Here is a proof that faith cannot exist without being active in works of righteousness. His faith in God would have been of no avail to him, had it not been manifested by works; for by works - by his obedience to the commands of God, his faith was made perfect - it dictated obedience, he obeyed; and thus faith , had its consummation. Even true faith will soon die, if its possessor do not live in the spirit of obedience.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Seest thou - Margin, “Thou seest.” Either rendering is correct, and the sense is the same. The apostle means to say that this was so plain that they could not but see it. How faith wrought with his works - ́ sunērgeiCooperated with. The meaning of the word is, “to work together with anyone; to co operate,” 1 Corinthians 16:16; 2 Corinthians 6:1; then to aid, or help, Mark 16:20; to contribute to the production of any result, where two or more persons or…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. 22This verse explains 2:21 so that people will not understand it. Abraham was not justified (made right with God) by his actions alone. Instead, his faith and actions worked together to show his complete commitment to God (see Genesis 12:1–4; 18:1–27).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2222. Or, "thou seest." how--rather, "that." In the two clauses which follow, emphasize "faith" in the former, and "works" in the latter, to see the sense [Bengel]. faith wrought with his works--for it was by faith he offered his son. Literally, "was working (at the time) with his works." by works was faith made perfect--not was vivified, but attained its fully consummated development, and is shown to be real. So "my strength is made perfect in weakness,"…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:22

• Abraham
• Faith
• Hypocrisy
• Justification
• Religion
• Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify
• Offend
• Respect
• Rich
• Sister
• Works, Good
• Faith

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