James 2:21-26

Expanded Bible

²¹ Abraham, our ·ancestor [father; patriarch; Gen. 12:1–3], was ·made right with God [justified] by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar [Gen. 22]. ²² So you see that Abraham’s faith and ·the things he did [his works] worked together. His faith was made ·perfect [complete] by ·what he did [his works]. ²³ This ·shows the full meaning of [fulfills] the Scripture that says: “Abraham believed God, and ·God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [^Lit was credited/counted to him as righteousness; Gen. 15:6].” And Abraham was called God’s friend [2 Chr. 20:7; Is. 41:8]. ²⁴ So you see that people are ·made right with God [justified] by ·what they do [their works], not by faith only.

²⁵ ·Another example is Rahab, the prostitute, who was ·made right with God [justified] by ·something she did [works]. She welcomed the ·spies [^Lmessengers; envoys] into her home and ·helped them escape [^Lsent them out] by a different road [Josh. 2; ^Cshe is named in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:5), and in Heb. 11:31 as a hero of the faith].

²⁶ Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit [^Cthe force of life that animates the body; Gen. 2:7] is dead, so faith ·that does nothing [^Twithout works] is dead!