James 2:14-17

Faith and Works Together

2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, ¹  if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith ²  save him? ³  2:15 If a brother or sister ⁴  is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, ⁵  what good is it? 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself.

[2:14]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:14]  ² tn Grk “the faith,” referring to the kind of faith just described: faith without works. The article here is anaphoric, referring to the previous mention of the noun πίστις (pisti") in the verse. See ExSyn 219.

[2:14]  ³ sn The form of the question in Greek expects a negative answer.

[2:15]  ⁴ tn It is important to note that the words ἀδελφός (adelfos) and ἀδελφή (adelfh) both occur in the Greek text at this point, confirming that the author intended to refer to both men and women. See the note on “someone” in 2:2.

[2:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”