Section 2:14–26

Faith without good deeds is useless

In this section, James emphasized that true faith in Jesus is a matter of both believing and doing good deeds. There is no such thing as faith without good deeds to go with it. It is the good deeds that demonstrate that there is true faith. Faith without good deeds is not true faith at all.

James used examples from the lives of Rahab and Abraham to show that faith and good deeds always go together.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Faith and good deeds
-or-
If you really believe/trust you will also do good deeds
-or-
Real faith is proved by good deeds.

Paragraph 2:14–17

In this paragraph, James used three rhetorical questions to emphasize that faith without good deeds is useless.

2:14

What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds?: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that faith without good deeds “is certainly no good” or “is no good at all.”

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

My brothers and sisters, what good does it do if someone claims to have faith but doesn’t do any good things? (God’s Word)
-or-
My brothers, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds, what good is it?
-or-
My brothers, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds, that kind of faith is useless, right?

• As an emphatic negative statement. For example:

My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. (New Century Version)

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language to say that something is definitely worthless or useless.

2:14a

What good is it: In some languages, it will be more natural to put the clause What good is it at the end of the rhetorical question. For example:

My brothers, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds, what good is it?

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

…is that real faith?
-or-
…what use/value is that?

If you translate the rhetorical question as a statement, you can translate this phrase as:

That kind of faith is useless.
-or-
That is not faith that will save you.
-or-
That is not real faith.

my brothers: The phrase my brothers also occurs in 1:2a. For advice on translating this phrase, see the note there.

The Berean Standard Bible places the phrase my brothers after the phrase “What good is it.” This follows the Greek text. In some languages, it is more natural to place it at the beginning of the verse. For example:

My friends, what good is it (Good News Translation)

2:14b

someone: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as someone refers to either a man or woman. It does not refer to any particular person.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

one of you (Good News Translation)
-or-
a person

claims to have faith: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as claims to have faith is literally “says he has faith” (as in the English Standard Version). James did not say whether or not the person was telling the truth.

In some languages, a word like faith requires an object. If that is true in your language, use “Jesus Christ” or “our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

says that he has faith in Jesus Christ
-or-
says that he believes/trusts in our Lord Jesus Christ
-or-
says that he relies/depends on the Lord Jesus Christ
-or-
says that he has committed himself to Jesus Christ

For more help on translating the word faith, see the note on “faith” at 2:5c.

2:14c

has no deeds: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deeds means “actions.” (Older English versions translate it as “works.”) This word refers to “good deeds.” It refers to good activities that people do out of love for God or for other people. An example of a good deed is in 2:25.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

doesn’t do any good things (God’s Word)
-or-
actions do not prove it (Good News Translation)
-or-
his actions do nothing to show it (Revised English Bible)

General Comment on 2:14a–c

In some languages, 2:14 may be clearer if the order is changed. For example:

My brothers, ^14bif a man says that he has faith ^14cbut he does no good deeds, ^14awhat good is that kind of faith?
-or-
My fellow believers, ^14bif a person says that he believes in Jesus Christ, ^14cbut he does no good actions, ^14athat type of belief is no good.

2:14d

Can such faith save him?: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that faith without good deeds certainly cannot save a person.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Can that faith save him? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
That faith cannot save him, right?

• As a negative statement. For example:

Such faith certainly cannot save him.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

such faith: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as such faith is literally “the faith.” This phrase refers back to the phrase “have faith but has no deeds” in 2:14b–c. The Berean Standard Bible translates this phrase as such faith because it is more natural in English than “the faith.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

his faith (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
that faith (Revised English Bible)
-or-
this kind of faith (God’s Word)

save: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as save means “rescue from danger or trouble.” In this context, it refers to rescuing someone from the spiritual dangers of sin and from spiritual death which is the punishment that results from sinning.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit what the person is saved from. For example:

save him from sin.
-or-
rescue him from punishment for sin.

This word also occurs in 1:21d.

him: The pronoun him refers to any person who has faith but no good deeds. This is the person James referred to in 2:14b as “someone.” It does not refer to a particular person. Consider which pronoun or noun is natural in your language in this context.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

anyone (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
you (Good News Translation)
-or-
them (New Century Version)
-or-
people

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.