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James 2:22
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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:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
<< James 2:21   James 2:23 >>


James 2:22

Or, "thou seest."

how—rather, "that." In the two clauses which follow, emphasize "faith" in the former, and "works" in the latter, to see the sense [BENGEL].

faith wrought with his works—for it was by faith he offered his son. Literally, "was working (at the time) with his works."

by works was faith made perfect—not was vivified, but attained its fully consummated development, and is shown to be real. So "my strength is made perfect in weakness," that is, exerts itself most perfectly, shows how great it is [CAMERON]: so I John 4:17; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9. The germ really, from the first, contains in it the full-grown tree, but its perfection is not attained till it is matured fully. So James 1:4, "Let patience have her perfect work," that is, have its full effect by showing the most perfect degree of endurance, "that ye may be perfect," that is, fully developed in the exhibition of the Christian character. ALFORD explains, "Received its realization, was entirely exemplified and filled up." So Paul, Philippians 2:12, "Work out your own salvation": the salvation was already in germ theirs in their free justification through faith. It needed to be worked out still to fully developed perfection in their life.




Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing James 2:22:

Joshua 2:1
Galatians 5:6
Colossians 3:14
1 Thessalonians 1:3
James 3:1

 

<< James 2:21   James 2:23 >>

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