¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds,^(A) and I will show you my faith^(B) by my deeds.^{(C) 19} You believe that there is one God.^(D) Good! Even the demons believe that^(E)—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]?^{(F) 21} Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?^{(G) 22} You see that his faith and his actions were working together,^(H) and his faith was made complete by what he did.^{(I) 23} And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b](J) and he was called God’s friend.^{(K) 24} You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?^{(L) 26} As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.^(M)

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^(A) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[a](B) 19} Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,^(C) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.