The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore ^(A)everyone who hears these words of Mine and ^[a]acts on them, ^[b]may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the ^[c]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not ^[d]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, and the ^[e]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Builders and Foundations

⁴⁶ “^(A)Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ^47 (B)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^[a]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who ^[b]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the ^[c]torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the ^[d]torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

¹³ for it is ^(A)not the hearers ^[a]of the Law who are ^[b]just before God, but the doers ^[c]of the Law will be justified.

^22 (A)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[a]natural face ^(B)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, ^(C)the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[c]an effectual doer, this man will be ^(D)blessed in ^[d]what he does.

Faith and Works

^14 (A)What use is it, ^(B)my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can ^[a]that faith save him? ^15 (C)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “^(D)Go in peace, ^[b]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so ^(E)faith, if it has no works, is ^[c]dead, being by itself.

^18 (F)But someone ^[d]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^(G)faith without the works, and I will ^(H)show you my faith ^(I)by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that ^[e](J)God is one. ^(K)You do well; ^(L)the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to recognize, ^(M)you foolish fellow, that ^(N)faith without works is useless?