James 2:13

11 For He who said, ^a“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^b“Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by ^athe law of liberty.

13 For ^ajudgment is without mercy to the one who has shown ^bno ^cmercy. ^dMercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 ^aWhat does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

15 ^aIf a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

16 and ^aone of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” ^aShow me your faith without your works, ^band I will show you my faith by² my works.

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is¹ dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works ^awhen he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see ^athat faith was working together with his works, and by ^bworks faith was made perfect?

23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ^a“Abraham believed God, and it was¹ accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called ^bthe friend of God.

24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise, ^awas not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does James 2:13 Mean?

James 2:12-13

A divine judgment is coming, and it will be done fairly. However, God will be disinclined to show any mercy to those who have not exhibited mercy and kindness to others. This is the law of reciprocity: God will judge us according to how we have judged others (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:37-38).

James also says that "mercy triumphs over judgment." Indeed, the laws we have broken demand our death, but the mercy of God through the sacrificial death of His Son has made a way for us to be accepted. In the end, it will be clear that God's mercy prevails.

John O. Reid
Mercy: The Better Option

James 2:11-13

James highlights the importance of mercy in keeping the spirit of the law. He exhorts us to speak and act as those who are to be judged by "a law of liberty," so that he sets no limit to the range of the law—meaning it covers all aspects of life.

In James 4:11, he warns us against speaking against the law or judging the law, that is, to assume the place of judge instead of "doer of the law." Our efforts should not be in judging someone else and whether or not they are keeping the law. However, we should be looking inwardly to determine whether or not we are doing what is required—not only in the letter of the law but especially in its spirit.

James would not have used such language unless he had a profound conviction of the perfection of the law as a rule of life for the saints redeemed from its condemnation. Thus, we can call it the perfect law of liberty—the royal law. Many Christians do not look at the law of God as being perfect. They pick and choose which parts of the law they will obey, ones they feel most comfortable with, and they ignore the rest. Yet the apostle says in James 2:10 that if we break one, we break them all.

All sin is lawlessness, as I John 3:4 states, and the sum of all lawkeeping is love of God and love of the brethren (Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10), so the summary of the old law is echoed and endorsed. And it is continued—because Christ did not come to destroy the law but to magnify it (Matthew 5:17-18; Isaiah 42:21).

Martin G. Collins
The Law's Purpose and Intent

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Faith Without Works Is Dead

What Does James 2:13 Mean?

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