the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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King James Version
James 2:21
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Our father Abraham was made right with God by what he did. He offered his son Isaac to God on the altar.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
Was not Abraha oure father iustified thorow workes when he offered Isaac his sonne vpo the aultre?
Wasn't Avraham, our father, justified by works, in that he offered up Yitzchak his son on the altar?
Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
Abraham, our ancestor, was made right with God by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.
Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
Wasn't Abraham, our father, justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar?
Whether Abraham, oure fadir, was not iustified of werkis, offringe Ysaac, his sone, on the auter?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him.
Was 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]?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not the righteousness of Abraham our father judged by his works, when he made an offering of Isaac his son on the altar?
Wasn't Avraham avinu declared righteous because of actions when he offered up his son Yitz'chak on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Our ancestor Abraham was justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn't he?Genesis 22:9,12;">[xr]
Our father Abraham, was he not by works justified, when he offered Ishok his son on the altar?
Abraham our father, was not he justified by works, in offering his son Isaac upon the altar?
Was not Abraham our father iustified by works, when hee had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the altar?
Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
Was not our early father Abraham right with God by what he did? He obeyed God and put his son Isaac on the altar to die.
Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes, when he offred Isaac his sonne vpon the altar?
Was not our father Abraham justified by works, when he raised Isaac his son upon the altar?
Abraham our father, was it not, by works, he was declared righteous - when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes, when he had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the aulter?
How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.
Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
Was not our father Abraham justified by works offering up his son Isaac on the altar? Gen. 22:9
Abraham our father -- was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Was not Abraham oure father iustified thorow workes when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the aulter?
was not our father Abraham treated as just, in consequence of his actions, when he had attempted to sacrifice his son upon the altar?
Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
Wasn't the great cowboy Abraham right in God's eyes because he came within an instant of sacrificing his boy Isaac?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Abraham: Joshua 24:3, Isaiah 51:2, Matthew 3:9, Luke 1:73, Luke 16:24, Luke 16:30, John 8:39, John 8:53, Acts 7:2, Romans 4:1, Romans 4:12, Romans 4:16
justified: James 2:18, James 2:24, Psalms 143:2, Matthew 12:37, Matthew 25:31-40, Romans 3:20
when: Genesis 22:9-12, Genesis 22:16-18
Reciprocal: Genesis 22:10 - General Genesis 22:12 - now Genesis 26:5 - General Nehemiah 9:8 - foundest Song of Solomon 1:8 - go Ezekiel 18:22 - in his Matthew 1:24 - did Luke 16:15 - Ye Luke 18:14 - justified Romans 2:13 - justified 1 Corinthians 6:11 - but ye are justified Hebrews 11:17 - faith
Cross-References
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.
In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Was not Abraham our father justified by works,.... Not as the causes of his justification, that is denied, Romans 4:2 but as effects of it, showing the truth of his faith, and the reality of his justification: he had both faith and works, and the former were known by the latter; and even the faith which he had expressed years ago was manifested, demonstrated, and confirmed to be true and genuine, by the instance of his obedience to God, here produced; by which it appeared he was a true believer, a justified person, approved of God, and loved by him. Now if this was the case of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, yea, the father of the faithful, of all that believe, he is, and must be a vain man, that talks of faith without works; and his faith must be a dead one, and he be very unlike the father of them that believe: the good work instanced in is the offering up of Isaac;
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar: for when he was bid to take his son, his only and beloved son, Isaac, and offer him up on one of the mountains, that should be shown him, he made haste to do it; he provided everything for it; he split the wood, and carried it with him, and fire in his hand; he built an altar, laid the wood on it, bound his son, laid the wood on the altar, and his son on the wood, and stretched out his hand, with his knife in it, to slay him; so that it was all one, with respect to his intention and will, as if he had actually offered him, and was a full trial and proof of his obedience to God. This was not the only act of obedience, or good work, which he performed; but this being a very eminent one, the apostle instances in it, as a very considerable evidence of his faith in God, and love to him; and which showed him to be a justified person, as he was long before he performed this action, even before Isaac was born; see Genesis 15:6 and therefore it can never be the apostle's meaning, that he was justified before God by this, or any other good work or works, as cause or causes of it; but only that he was declared to be so; or, in other words, that his faith was attended with good works, and evidenced by them.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Was not Abraham our father - Our progenitor, our ancestor; using the word âfather,â as frequently occurs in the Bible, to denote a remote ancestor. Compare the notes at Matthew 1:1. A reference to his case would have great weight with those who were Jews by birth, and probably most of those to whom this Epistle was addressed were of this character. See the Introduction.
Justified by works - That is, in the sense in which James is maintaining that a man professing religion is to be justified by his works. He does not affirm that the ground of acceptance with God is that we keep the law, or are perfect; or that our good works make an atonement for our sins, and that it is on their account that we are pardoned; nor does he deny that it is necessary that a man should believe in order to be saved. In this sense he does not deny that men are justified by faith; and thus he does not contradict the doctrine of the apostle Paul. But he does teach that where there are no good works, or where there is not a holy life, there is no true religion; that that faith which is not productive of good works is of no value; that if a man has that faith only, it would be impossible that he could be regarded as justified, or could be saved and that consequently, in that large sense, a man is justified by his works that is, they are the evidence that he is a justified man, or is regarded and treated as righteous by his Maker. The point on which the apostle has his eye is the nature of saving faith; and his design is to show that a mere faith which would produce no more effect than that of the demons did, could not save.
In this he states no doctrine which contradicts that of Paul. The evidence to which he appeals in regard to faith, is good works and a holy life; and where that exists it shows that the faith is genuine. The case of Abraham is one directly in point. He showed that he had that kind of faith which was not dead. He gave the most affecting evidence that his faith was of such a kind as to lead him to implicit obedience, and to painful sacrifices. Such an act as that referred to - the act of offering up his son - demonstrated, if anything could, that his faith was genuine, and that his religion was deep and pure. In the sight of heaven and earth it would justify him as a righteous man, or would prove that he was a righteous man. In regard to the strength of his faith, and the nature of his obedience in this sacrifice, see the notes at Hebrews 11:19. That the apostle here cannot refer to the act of justification as the term is commonly understood, referring by that to the moment when he was accepted of God as a righteous man, is clear from the fact that in a passage of the Scriptures which he himself quotes, that is declared to be consequent on his believing: âAbraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.â
The act here referred to occurred long subsequent to that, and was thus a fulfillment or confirmation of the declaration of Scripture, which says that âhe believed God.â It showed that his faith was not merely speculative, but was an active principle, leading to holy living. See the notes at James 2:23. This demonstrates that what the apostle refers to here is the evidence by which it is shown that a manâs faith is genuine, and that he does not refer to the question whether the act of justification, where a sinner is converted, is solely in consequence of believing. Thus the case proves what James purposes to prove, that the faith which justifies is only that which leads to good works.
When he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar - This was long after he believed, and was an act which, if any could, would show that his faith was genuine and sincere. On the meaning of this passage, see the notes at Hebrews 11:17.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. Was not Abraham our father — Did not the conduct of Abraham, in offering up his son Isaac on the altar, sufficiently prove that he believed in God, and that it was his faith in him that led him to this extraordinary act of obedience?
