James 2:24

Amplified Bible

You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith].

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

King James Version (1611)
Ye see then, how that by workes a man is iustified, and not by faith only.

King James Version
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

English Standard Version
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

New American Standard Bible
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

New Century Version
So you see that people are made right with God by what they do, not by faith only.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Berean Standard Bible
As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.

Contemporary English Version
You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe.

Complete Jewish Bible
You see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith alone.

Darby Translation
Ye see that a man is justified on the principle of works, and not on the principle of faith only.

Easy-to-Read Version
So you see that people are made right with God by what they do. They cannot be made right by faith alone.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye see then howe that of workes a man is iustified, and not of faith onely.

George Lamsa Translation
You see then, how a man by works becomes righteous, and not by faith only.

Good News Translation
You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone.

Lexham English Bible
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Literal Translation
You see, then, that a man is justified out of works, and not out of faith only.

American Standard Version
Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

Bible in Basic English
You see that a man's righteousness is judged by his works and not by his faith only.

Hebrew Names Version
You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

International Standard Version
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Etheridge Translation
Thou seest that by works man is justified, and not by faith alone.

Murdock Translation
Thou seest, that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye see then, howe that of deedes a man is iustified, and not of fayth only.

English Revised Version
Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

World English Bible
You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Ye see then, that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Weymouth's New Testament
You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ye seen that a man is iustified of werkis, and not of feith oneli.

Update Bible Version
You see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye see then that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

New English Translation
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

New King James Version
You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

New Living Translation
So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

New Life Bible
A man becomes right with God by what he does and not by faith only.

New Revised Standard
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye see that - by works, a man is declared righteous, and not by faith alone.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?

Revised Standard Version
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ye se then how that of dedes a man is iustified and not of fayth only.

Young's Literal Translation
Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ye se then how that of dedes a man is iustified, and not of faith only

Mace New Testament (1729)
you see then, that a man is accounted just for his actions, and not for his bare faith.

Simplified Cowboy Version
A cowboy is made right with God by putting his faith to work, not just by talkin' about it.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] ¹⁵If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves," but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? ¹⁷So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective]. ¹⁸But someone may say, "You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do]." ¹⁹You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]! ²⁰But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless? ²¹Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? ²²You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. ²³And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND THIS [faith] WAS CREDITED TO HIM [by God] AS RIGHTEOUSNESS and AS CONFORMITY TO HIS WILL," and he was called the friend of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

James 2:15-18, James 2:21, James 2:22, Psalms 60:12

Reciprocal: Luke 10:29 - willing John 14:21 - that hath

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants).

Genesis 2:2
And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Genesis 2:3
So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done.

Genesis 2:4
This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is, days of creation] that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—

Genesis 2:6
but a mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground—

Genesis 2:7
then the LORD God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

Genesis 2:9
And [in that garden] the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.

Genesis 2:10
Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [branching] rivers.

Genesis 2:11
The first [river] is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12
The gold of that land is good; bdellium (a fragrant, valuable resin) and the onyx stone are found there.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,.... Not as causes procuring his justification, but as effects declaring it; for the best works are imperfect, and cannot be a righteousness justifying in the sight of God, and are unprofitable in this respect; for when they are performed in the best manner, they are no other than what it is a man's duty to perform, and therefore cannot justify from sin he has committed: and besides, justification in this sense would frustrate the grace of God, make void the death of Christ, and encourage boasting in men. Good works do not go before justification as causes or conditions, but follow it as fruits and effects:

and not by faith only: or as without works, or a mere historical faith, which being without works is dead, of which the apostle is speaking; and therefore can bear no testimony to a man's justification; hence it appears, that the Apostle James does not contradict the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:28 since they speak not of the same sort of faith; the one speaks of a mere profession of faith, a dead and lifeless one; the other of a true faith, which has Christ, and his righteousness, for its object, and works by love, and produces peace, joy, and comfort in the soul. Moreover, the Apostle Paul speaks of justification before God; and James speaks of it as it is known by its fruits unto men; the one speaks of a justification of their persons, in the sight of God; the other of the justification and approbation of their cause, their conduct, and their faith before men, and the vindication of them from all charges and calumnies of hypocrisy, and the like; the one speaks of good works as causes, which he denies to have any place as such in justification; and the other speaks of them as effects flowing from faith, and showing the truth of it, and so of justification by it; the one had to do with legalists and self-justiciaries, who sought righteousness not by faith, but by the works of the law, whom he opposed; and the other had to do with libertines, who cried up faith and knowledge, but had no regard to a religious life and conversation; and these things considered will tend to reconcile the two apostles about this business, but as effects declaring it; for the best works are imperfect, and cannot be a righteousness justifying in the sight of God, and are unprofitable in this respect; for when they are performed in the best manner, they are no other than what it is a man's duty to perform, and therefore cannot justify from sin he has committed: and besides, justification in this sense would frustrate the grace of God, make void the death of Christ, and encourage boasting in men. Good works do not go before justification as causes or conditions, but follow it as fruits and effects:

and not by faith only: or as without works, or a mere historical faith, which being without works is dead, of which the apostle is speaking; and therefore can bear no testimony to a man's justification; hence it appears, that the Apostle James does not contradict the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:28 since they speak not of the same sort of faith; the one speaks of a mere profession of faith, a dead and lifeless one; the other of a true faith, which has Christ, and his righteousness, for its object, and works by love, and produces peace, joy, and comfort in the soul. Moreover, the Apostle Paul speaks of justification before God; and James speaks of it as it is known by its fruits unto men; the one speaks of a justification of their persons, in the sight of God; the other of the justification and approbation of their cause, their conduct, and their faith before men, and the vindication of them from all charges and calumnies of hypocrisy, and the like; the one speaks of good works as causes, which he denies to have any place as such in justification; and the other speaks of them as effects flowing from faith, and showing the truth of it, and so of justification by it; the one had to do with legalists and self-justiciaries, who sought righteousness not by faith, but by the works of the law, whom he opposed; and the other had to do with libertines, who cried up faith and knowledge, but had no regard to a religious life and conversation; and these things considered will tend to reconcile the two apostles about this business.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye see then - From the course of reasoning pursued, and the example referred to.

How that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only - Not by a cold, abstract, inoperative faith. It must be by a faith that shall produce good works, and whose existence will be shown to men by good works. As justification takes place in the sight of God, it is by faith, for he sees that the faith is genuine, and that it will produce good works if the individual who exercises faith shall live; and he justifies men in view of that faith, and of no other. If he sees that the faith is merely speculative; that it is cold and dead, and would not produce good works, the man is not justified in his sight. As a matter of fact, therefore, it is only the faith that produces good works that justifies; and good works, therefore, as the proper expression of the nature of faith, foreseen by God as the certain result of faith, and actually performed as seen by men, are necessary in order to justification. In other words, no man will be justified who has not a faith which will produce good works, and which is of an operative and practical character. The ground of justification in the case is faith, and that only; the evidence of it, the carrying it out, the proof of the existence of the faith, is good works; and thus men are justified and saved not by mere abstract and cold faith, but by a faith necessarily connected with good works, and where good works perform an important part. James, therefore, does not contradict Paul, but he contradicts a false explanation of Paul’s doctrine. He does not deny that a man is justified in the sight of God by faith, for the very passage which he quotes shows that he believes that; but he does deny that a man is justified by a faith which would not produce good works, and which is not expressed by good works; and thus he maintains, as Paul always did, that nothing else than a holy life can show that a man is a true Christian, and is accepted of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 24. Ye see then how — It is evident from this example that Abraham's faith was not merely believing that there is a God; but a principle that led him to credit God's promises relative to the future Redeemer, and to implore God's mercy: this he received, and was justified by faith. His faith now began to work by love, and therefore he was found ever obedient to the will of his Maker. He brought forth the fruits of righteousness; and his works justified-proved the genuineness of his faith; and he continued to enjoy the Divine approbation, which he could not have done had he not been thus obedient; for the Spirit of God would have been grieved, and his principle of faith would have perished. Obedience to God is essentially requisite to maintain faith. Faith lives, under God, by works; and works have their being and excellence from faith. Neither can subsist without the other, and this is the point which St. James labours to prove, in order to convince the Antinomians of his time that their faith was a delusion, and that the hopes built on it must needs perish.