James 2:18

2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” ¹  Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by ²  my works.

James 2:26

2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James 1:22-25

1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone ³  who gazes at his own face ⁴  in a mirror. 1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets ⁵  what sort of person he was. 1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, ⁶  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he ⁷  will be blessed in what he does. ⁸ 

Matthew 5:20

5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law ⁹  and the Pharisees, ¹⁰  you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21-23

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹¹  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do ¹²  many powerful deeds?’ 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ ¹³ 

Matthew 7:26-27

7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” ¹⁴ 

Luke 6:49

6:49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice ¹⁵  is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When ¹⁶  the river burst against that house, ¹⁷  it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” ¹⁸ 

Acts 8:13

8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to ¹⁹  Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. ²⁰ 

Acts 8:21

8:21 You have no share or part ²¹  in this matter ²²  because your heart is not right before God!

Acts 15:9

15:9 and he made no distinction ²³  between them and us, cleansing ²⁴  their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:1

The Jerusalem Council

15:1 Now some men came down from Judea ²⁵  and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised ²⁶  according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ²⁷  brothers and sisters ²⁸  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ²⁹  from God our Father! ³⁰ 

Colossians 1:22

1:22 but now he has reconciled you ³¹  by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –

Galatians 5:6

5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love. ³² 

Galatians 5:13

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ³³  only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ³⁴  but through love serve one another. ³⁵ 

Galatians 5:1

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ³⁶  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ³⁷  of slavery.

Galatians 1:3

1:3 Grace and peace to you ³⁸  from God the Father and our ³⁹  Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴⁰  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)

Galatians 1:5

1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ⁴¹  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ⁴²  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.

Hebrews 11:7-8

11:7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard ⁴³  constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.

Hebrews 11:17

11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, ⁴⁴  yet he was ready to offer up ⁴⁵  his only son.

Hebrews 11:2

11:2 For by it the people of old ⁴⁶  received God’s commendation. ⁴⁷ 

Hebrews 1:5

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God ⁴⁸  ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? ⁴⁹  And in another place ⁵⁰  he says, ⁵¹  “I will be his father and he will be my son.” ⁵² 

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ⁵³  in various portions ⁵⁴  and in various ways ⁵⁵  to our ancestors ⁵⁶  through the prophets,

Hebrews 5:4-5

5:4 And no one assumes this honor ⁵⁷  on his own initiative, ⁵⁸  but only when called to it by God, ⁵⁹  as in fact Aaron was. 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, ⁶⁰  who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,” ⁶¹ 

[2:18]  ¹ tn There is considerable doubt about where the words of the “someone” end and where James’ reply begins. Some see the quotation running to the end of v. 18; others to the end of v. 19. But most punctuate as shown above. The “someone” is then an objector, and the sense of his words is something like, “Some have faith; others have works; don’t expect everyone to have both.” James’ reply is that faith cannot exist or be seen without works.

[2:18]  ² tn Or “from.”

[1:23]  ³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[1:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”

[1:24]  ⁵ tn Grk “and he has gone out and immediately has forgotten.”

[1:25]  ⁶ tn Grk “continues.”

[1:25]  ⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:25]  ⁸ tn Grk “in his doing.”

[5:20]  ⁹ tn Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[5:20]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[7:21]  ¹¹ sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[7:22]  ¹² tn Grk “and in your name do.” This phrase was not repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:23]  ¹³ tn Grk “workers of lawlessness.”

[7:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and great was its fall.”

[6:49]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “does not do [them].”

[6:49]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “against which”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause was converted to a temporal clause in the translation and a new sentence started here.

[6:49]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “it”; the referent (that house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:49]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and its crash was great.”

[8:13]  ¹⁹ tn Or “he kept close company with.”

[8:13]  ²⁰ sn He was amazed. Now Simon, the one who amazed others, is himself amazed, showing the superiority of Philip’s connection to God. Christ is better than anything the culture has to offer.

[8:21]  ²¹ tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.

[8:21]  ²² tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.

[15:9]  ²³ tn BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 1.b lists this passage under the meaning “to conclude that there is a difference, make a distinction, differentiate.”

[15:9]  ²⁴ tn Or “purifying.”

[15:1]  ²⁵ sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.

[15:1]  ²⁶ tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως περιπατῆτε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sew" peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.

[1:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ²⁸ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ²⁹ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ³⁰ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:22]  ³¹ tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokathllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokathllaghte) in (Ì⁴⁶) B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokathllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagente") in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D² Ψ 048 075 [0278] 1739 1881 Ï lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (Juma", “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parasthsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the other readings. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, handling the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.

[5:6]  ³² tn Grk “but faith working through love.”

[5:13]  ³³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[5:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “as an opportunity for the flesh”; BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”

[5:13]  ³⁵ tn It is possible that the verb δουλεύετε (douleuete) should be translated “serve one another in a humble manner” here, referring to the way in which slaves serve their masters (see L&N 35.27).

[5:1]  ³⁶ tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ³⁷ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[1:3]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:3]  ³⁹ tc ‡ The unusual order καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν (kai kuriou Jhmwn), which produces the reading “our Lord Jesus Christ” instead of “God our Father,” is read by Ì^46,51vid B D F G H 1739 1881 Ï sy sa, while the more normal ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου (Jhmwn kai kuriou) is found in א A P Ψ 33 81 326 365 2464 pc. Thus, the reading adopted in the translation is more widespread geographically and is found in the two earliest witnesses, along with several good representatives of the Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine texttypes. Internally, there would be a strong motivation for scribes to change the order: “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” is Paul’s normal greeting; here alone is the pronoun attached to “Jesus Christ” (except in the pastorals, though the greeting in these letters is nevertheless unlike the rest of the corpus Paulinum). Intrinsically, the chosen reading is superior as well: Scribes would be prone to emulate Paul’s regular style, while in an early letter such as this one his regular style was yet to be established (for a similar situation, cf. the text-critical discussion at 1 Thess 1:1). Hence, there is a strong probability that the reading in the translation is authentic. Although B. M. Metzger argues that “the apostle’s stereotyped formula was altered by copyists who, apparently in the interest of Christian piety, transferred the possessive pronoun so it would be more closely associated with ‘Lord Jesus Christ’” (TCGNT 520), one might expect to see the same alterations in other Pauline letters. That this is not the case argues for “our Lord Jesus Christ” as the authentic reading here.

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[3:8]  ⁴¹ sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[3:8]  ⁴² tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[11:7]  ⁴³ tn Cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὐλαβέομαι 2, “out of reverent regard (for God’s command).”

[11:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.

[11:17]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.

[11:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “the elders,” “the ancients.”

[11:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “were attested,” “received commendation”; and Heb 11:4-6 shows this to be from God.

[1:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “I have begotten you.”

[1:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage.

[1:5]  ⁵¹ tn The words “he says” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to make a complete English sentence. In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but English does not normally employ such long and complex sentences.

[1:5]  ⁵² tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”

[1:1]  ⁵³ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁵⁵ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[5:4]  ⁵⁷ sn Honor refers here to the honor of the high priesthood.

[5:4]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “by himself, on his own.”

[5:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “being called by God.”

[5:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:5]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “I have begotten you”; see Heb 1:5.