Book of Common Prayer

Faith and works

¹⁴ What use is it, my dear family, if someone says they have faith when they don’t have works? Can faith save such a person? ¹⁵ Supposing a brother or sister is without clothing, and is short even of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; be warm, be full!”—but doesn’t give them what their bodies need—what use is that? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith, all by itself and without works, is dead.

¹⁸ But supposing someone says, “Well: you have faith, and I have works.” All right: show me your faith—but without doing any works; and then I will show you my faith, and I’ll do it by my works! ¹⁹ You believe that “God is one”? Well and good! The demons believe that, too, and they tremble! ²⁰ Do you want to know, you stupid person, that faith without works is lifeless? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by his works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You can see from this that faith was working together with the works, and the faith reached its fulfillment through the works. ²³ That is how the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called “God’s friend.” ²⁴ So you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she gave shelter to the spies and sent them off by another road? ²⁶ Just as the body without the spirit is dead, you see, so faith without works is dead.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was once a rich man,” said Jesus, “who was dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted in splendor every day. ²⁰ A poor man named Lazarus, who was covered with sores, lay outside his gate. ²¹ He longed to feed himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “In due course the poor man died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. ²³ As he was being tormented in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ “ ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out. ‘Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! I’m in agony in this fire!’

²⁵ “ ‘My child,’ replied Abraham, ‘remember that in your life you received good things, and in the same way Lazarus received evil. Now he is comforted here, and you are tormented. ²⁶ Besides that, there is a great chasm standing between us. People who want to cross over from here to you can’t do so, nor can anyone get across from the far side to us.’

²⁷ “ ‘Please, then, Father,’ he said, ‘send him to my father’s house. ²⁸ I’ve got five brothers. Let him tell them about it, so that they don’t come into this torture-chamber.’

²⁹ “ ‘They’ve got Moses and the prophets,’ replied Abraham. ‘Let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “ ‘No, Father Abraham,’ he replied, ‘but if someone went to them from the dead, they would repent!’

³¹ “ ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets,’ came the reply, ‘neither would they be convinced, even if someone rose from the dead.’ ”