the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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James 2:18
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But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
Now some folks will mouth-off and say that if they have faith, they don't have to do anything. But I say that a saddle ain't nothin' but a decoration if it ain't on a horse and being used. Same goes for faith and works.
But a man may say, You have faith and I have works; let me see your faith without your works, and I will make my faith clear to you by my works.
But some one will say, *Thou* hast faith and *I* have works. Shew me thy faith without works, and *I* from my works will shew thee my faith.
Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
But one will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I haue workes: shew mee thy faith without thy workes, and I will shew thee my faith by my workes.
But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith out of my works.
Ye & a man might saye: Thou hast faith, and I haue dedes: Shewe me thy faith by thy dedes: and I wil shewe the my faith by my dedes.
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
But 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]."
Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith.
But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
Ye and a man myght saye: Thou hast fayth and I have dedes: Shewe me thy fayth by thy dedes: and I will shewe the my fayth by my dedes.
Yes, a man will say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith apart from [your] works, and I by my works will show you [my] faith.
Also a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
But say may some one, Thou hast faith, and I have works, shew me thy faith out of thy works, and I will shew thee out of my works my faith:
Someone might say, "You have faith, but I have deeds." Show me your faith without doing anything, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
Suppose someone disagrees and says, "It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds." I would answer, "Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them."
But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I haue woorkes: shewe me thy faith out of thy woorkes, and I will shewe thee my faith by my woorkes.
For a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.
Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
But someone may say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without any works, and I will show you my faith by my works.James 3:13;">[xr]
For a man saith, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith from my works.
For a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show to me thy faith that is without works; and I will show to thee, my faith by my works.
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your [fn] works, and I will show you my faith by my [fn] works.
Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."
Someone may say, "You have faith, and I do things. Prove to me you have faith when you are doing nothing. I will prove to you I have faith by doing things."
Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will shew thee my faith.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
But one will say, - Thou, hast faith, and, I, have works, show me thy faith apart from thy works, and, I, unto thee, will shew, by my works, my faith.
But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works. Shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
But some man wyll say, thou hast fayth and I haue deedes: shewe me thy fayth by thy deedes, and I wyll shewe thee my faith by my deedes.
But someone might argue, "Some people have faith, and others have good works." My answer would be that you can't show me your faith if you don't do anything. But I will show you my faith by the good I do.
But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
But someone will say, "One person has faith, another has actions." My answer is, "Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions."
But summan schal seie, Thou hast feith, and Y haue werkis; schewe thou to me thi feith with out werkis, and Y schal schewe to thee my feith of werkis.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Thou: James 2:14, James 2:22, Romans 14:23, 1 Corinthians 13:2, Galatians 5:6, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:31
without thy works: Some copies read, by thy works.
and I will: James 2:22-25, James 3:13, Matthew 7:17, Romans 8:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:3-10, 1 Timothy 1:5, Titus 2:7, Titus 2:11-14
Reciprocal: Genesis 22:12 - now Leviticus 11:9 - General Ezekiel 18:9 - is just Matthew 9:2 - seeing Matthew 25:20 - behold Mark 2:5 - saw Luke 5:20 - he saw Luke 19:16 - Lord Romans 14:18 - and Ephesians 4:5 - one faith James 2:21 - justified James 2:25 - justified 1 John 1:6 - If
Cross-References
if any man thinks it would be a reflexion upon his manhood to be a stale batchelor, and so ought to marry; let him follow his bent, he is at liberty, let such marry.
You husbands, do you on your part behave with prudence towards your wives: who being of a more delicate make, ought to be treated with the greater tenderness: and consider they are equally intitled to the evangelical gifts, that your prayers may not be frustrated.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works,.... That is, a true believer in Christ may very justly call upon a vain boaster of his faith, who has no works, to give proof and evidence of it, and address him after this manner; you say you have faith, be it so that you have; I have works, you see I have, I say nothing about my faith at present; now,
shew me thy faith without thy works, if thou canst; see what ways, means, and methods thou canst make use of, to make it appear to me, or any other, that you have the faith you talk of: the words are a sort of sarcasm and jeer upon the man, and yet very just, calling upon him to do that which is impossible to be done, and thereby exposing his vain boast; for faith is an inward principle in the heart; an hidden thing, and cannot be seen and known but by external acts; and where it is right, it is operative, and shows itself by works, which is not practicable in those who have none:
and I will show thee my faith by my works; there may be indeed an appearance of good works, where there is no faith, as in the Heathens, in the Scribes and Pharisees, and in the Papists, and others; and on the other hand, there may be the principle of faith implanted, where there is not an opportunity of showing it by a series of good works, or a course of godly living, as in elect infants dying in infancy, and in those who are converted in their last moments, as the thief upon the cross; wherefore works are not infallible proofs and evidences of faith, yet they are the best we are capable of giving of it to men, or they of receiving. In short, works may deceive, and do not infallibly prove truth of faith, yet it is certain, that where they are not, but persons live in a continued course of sinning, there cannot be true faith.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Yea, a man may say ... - The word which is rendered “yea” (ἀλλὰ alla) would be better rendered by “but.” The apostle designs to introduce an objection, not to make an affirmation. The sense is, “some one might say,” or, “to this it might be urged in reply.” That is, it might perhaps be said that religion is not always manifested in the same way, or we should not suppose that, because it is not always exhibited in the same form, it does not exist. One man may manifest it in one way, and another in another, and still both have true piety. One may be distinguished for his faith, and another for his works, and both may have real religion. This objection would certainly have some plausibility, and it was important to meet it. It would seem that all religion was not to be manifested in the same way, as all virtue is not; and that it might occur that one man might be particularly eminent for one form of religion, and another for another; as one man may be distinguished for zeal, and another for meekness, and another for integrity, and another for truth, and another for his gifts in prayer, and another for his large-hearted benevolence. To this the apostle replies, that the two things referred to, faith and works, were not independent things, which could exist separately, without the one materially influencing another - as, for example, charity and chastity, zeal and meekness; but that the one was the germ or source of the other, and that the existence of the one was to be known only by its developing itself in the form of the other. A man could not show that he possessed the one unless it developed itself in the form of the other. In proof of this, he could boldly appeal to anyone to show a case where faith existed without works. He was himself willing to submit to this just trial in regard to this point, and to demonstrate the existence of his own faith by his works.
Thou hast faith, and I have works - You have one form or manifestation of religion in an eminent or prominent degree, and I have another. You are characterized particularly for one of the virtues of religion, and I am for another; as one man may be particularly eminent for meekness, and another for zeal, and another for benevolence, and each be a virtuous man. The expression here is equivalent to saying, “One may have faith, and another works.”
Show me thy faith without thy works - That is, you who maintain that faith is enough to prove the existence of religion; that a man may be justified and saved by that alone, or where it does not develop itself in holy living; or that all that is necessary in order to be saved is merely to believe. Let the reality of any such faith as that be shown, if it can be; let any real faith be shown to exist without a life of good works, and the point will be settled. I, says the apostle, will undertake to exhibit the evidence of my faith in a different way - in a way about which there can be no doubt, and which is the appropriate method. It is clear, if the common reading here is correct, that the apostle meant to deny that true faith could be evinced without appropriate works. It should be said, however, that there is a difference of reading here of considerable importance. Many manuscripts and printed editions of the New Testament, instead of “without” (works - χωρίς chōris), read “from” or “by” (ἐκ ek), as in the other part of the verse, “show me thy faith by thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.”
This reading is found in Walton, Wetstein, Mill, and in the received text generally; the other (without) is found in many manuscripts, and in the Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, English, and Armenian versions; and is adopted by Beza, Castalio, Grotius, Bengel, Hammond, Whitby, Drusius, Griesbach, Tittman, and Hahn, and is now commonly received as the correct reading. It may be added that this reading seems to be demanded by the similar reading in James 2:20, “But wilt thou know that faith “without works” (χωρὶς τὼν ἔργων chōris tōn ergōn) is dead,” evidently implying that something had been said before about “faith without works.” This reading also is so natural, and makes so good sense in the connection, that it would seem to be demanded. Doddridge felt the difficulty in the other reading, and has given a version of the passage which showed his great perplexity, and which is one of the most unhappy that he ever made.
And I will show thee my faith by my works - I will furnish in this way the best and most certain proof of the existence of faith. It is implied here that true faith is adapted to lead to a holy life, and that such a life would be the appropriate evidence of the existence of faith. By their fruits the principles held by men are known. See the notes at Matthew 7:16.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. Show me thy faith without thy works — Your pretending to have faith, while you have no works of charity or mercy, is utterly vain: for as faith, which is a principle in the mind, cannot be discerned but by the effects, that is, good works; he who has no good works has, presumptively, no faith.
I will show thee my faith by my works. — My works of charity and mercy will show that I have faith; and that it is the living tree, whose root is love to God and man, and whose fruit is the good works here contended for.
