James 2:18
in James 2But 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in James 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verseFaith is shown by deeds like the features of the face in a mirror.
This site's exposition
Show me your faith without deeds
on James 2:18-20
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds: faith is seen only in what it does. Even the demons believe that God is one and shudder. Where the King James reads dead in verse 20, the oldest copies read arge, worthless.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Even if somebody believes rightly in the Father and the Son, as well as in the Holy Spirit, if he does not lead the right kind of life, his faith will not benefit him at all as far as his salvation is concerned. For although Jesus says: "This is eternal life, to know you, the only true God," we must not think that merely uttering the words is enough to save us. For our life and behavior must be pure as well.
So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. But some man says, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without works: and I will show you by works my faith. You believe that there is one God. …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
How will those be exposed then who boast of that which they cannot evidence, or who go about to evidence their faith by any thing but works of piety and mercy! We are taught to look upon a faith of bare speculation and knowledge as the faith of devils: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble,
What profiteth it? is enlarged on, ver. 15-17; though a man say, ver. 18, 19 can that faith save him? ver. 20. It is not, though he have faith; but, though he say he have faith. Here, therefore, true, living faith is meant: but in other parts of the argument the apostle speaks of a dead, imaginary faith.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-15-anchored-18-18
Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"Show" does not mean here to prove to me, but exhibit to me. Faith is unseen save by God. To show faith to man, works in some form or other are needed: we are justified judicially by God (Ro 8:33); meritoriously, by Christ (Isa 53:11); mediately, by faith (Ro 5:1); evidentially, by works.
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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. […]
The words behind it
26 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | But | G235 → | 635 times |
| ἐρεῖ | erei | will say | G4483 → | |
| τις· | tis | someone; | G5100 → | 528 times |
| σὺ | su | You yourself | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| πίστιν | pistin | faith | G4102 → | 242 times |
| ἔχεις, | echeis | have, | G2192 → | 707 times |
| κἀγὼ | kago | and I myself | G1473 →G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἔργα | erga | works | G2041 → | 168 times |
| ἔχω· | echo | have; | G2192 → | 707 times |
| δεῖξόν | deixon | do show | G1166 → | 33 times |
| μοι | moi | me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πίστιν | pistin | faith | G4102 → | 242 times |
| σου | sou | of you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| χωρὶς | choris | without | G5565 → | 40 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔργων | ergon | works | G2041 → | 168 times |
| κἀγώ | kago | and I myself | G1473 →G2532 → | 9120 times |
| σοι | soi | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| δείξω | deixo | will show | G1166 → | 33 times |
| ἐκ | ek | by | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔργων | ergon | works | G2041 → | 168 times |
| μου | mou | of mine | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πίστιν | pistin | faith | G4102 → | 242 times |
Ἀλλ᾽But
all᾽G235 →635 times
ἐρεῖwill say
ereiG4483 →
τις·someone;
tisG5100 →528 times
σὺYou yourself
suG4771 →2973 times
πίστινfaith
pistinG4102 →242 times
ἔχεις,have,
echeisG2192 →707 times
κἀγὼand I myself
ἔργαworks
ergaG2041 →168 times
ἔχω·have;
echoG2192 →707 times
δεῖξόνdo show
deixonG1166 →33 times
μοιme
moiG3165 →1936 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
πίστινfaith
pistinG4102 →242 times
σουof you
souG4771 →2973 times
χωρὶςwithout
chorisG5565 →40 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἔργωνworks
ergonG2041 →168 times
κἀγώand I myself
σοιyou
soiG4771 →2973 times
δείξωwill show
deixoG1166 →33 times
ἐκby
ekG1537 →911 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἔργωνworks
ergonG2041 →168 times
μουof mine
mouG3165 →1936 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
πίστινfaith
pistinG4102 →242 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
it leads to
- Galatians 5:23
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- 1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
- Galatians 5:23
Through
James 2:14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
it leads to
- Matthew 7:26–27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
- Matthew 7:21–23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
- James 1:22–25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
- Matthew 7:26–27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About James
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, CATENA; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on James and Symeon the New Theologian, DISCOURSES 29.4.