¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, (a fellow Christian, to whom we are specially bound to give help, independent of our general obligation to help all our fellow creatures. Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;)

 ¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (The habit of receiving passively sentimental impressions from sights of woe without carrying them out into active habits only hardens the heart. SO DOES RECEIVING FAITHFUL WORKS WITH NOT THE SLIGHTEST EXPRESSION OF REPLY IN LIKE FAITH ACCORDING TO YOUR GIFTS AND LOVE)

 ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.)

 ¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (Matthew 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? The question here is not as to the ground on which believers are justified, but about the demonstration of their faith: so in the case of Abraham. In Gen. 22:1 it is written, God did tempt Abraham, that is, put to the test of demonstration the reality of his faith, not for the satisfaction of God, who already knew it well, but to demonstrate it before men. The offering of Isaac at that time, quoted here, Jas 2:21, formed no part of the ground of his justification, for he was justified previously on his simply believing in the promise of spiritual heirs, that is, believers, numerous as the stars.)

 ¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ( If such a faith were the true faith by means of which we are justified, the demons would be justified, for they have that, but nonetheless they tremble and are not justified, therefore neither is that faith a true faith.)

 ²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

 ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? (Was Abraham justified by works? NO! By a faith which showed itself in works. This is the argument of James, that faith is of no avail unless accompanied by works. Of this all Abraham's life was a demonstration. He was told when in Mesopotamia to go forth into the land God would show him, and he went out, not knowing where he was going (Heb 11:8); an act of faith. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise (Heb 11:9). So that St. James's justification by works is the fruit of St Paul's justification by faith (accounted righteous in Christ). FIRST FAITH FROM GOD THEN WORKS FOR AND THROUGH GOD IN US...THIS IS THE EVIDENCE OF THE FAITH THAT SAVES. BY THIS HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS MADE/ EVIDENCED!)

 ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? (Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.  Works do not give life to faith, but faith begets works, and then is perfected by them. And by works was faith made perfect - Here St. James fixes the sense wherein he uses the word justified; so that no shadow of contradiction remains between his assertion and St. Paul's. Abraham returned from that sacrifice perfected in faith, and far higher in the favor of God. Faith has not its being from works, (for it is before them,) but its perfection.

 ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (Imputation is the act of God whereby He accounts righteousness to the believer in Christ, who has borne the believer's sins in vindication of the law. ***2 Chronicles 20:7 "Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?" Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness - This was twice fulfilled, - when Abraham first believed, and when he offered up Isaac. St. Paul speaks of the former fulfilling; St. James, of the latter. And he was called the Friend of God - Both by his posterity, 2Chron 20:7; and by God himself, Isa 41:8 so pleasing to God were the works be wrought in faith. Gen 15:6)

 ²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (Abraham's work of faith was lifting a knife to do a thing which he did not believe God would ever ask him to do. But since God asked him, he was willing to do it. Abraham believed that if Isaac was saxrificed God would RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD. Abraham never actually offered Isaac, because God offered a substitute, but he would have had God not stopped him!)

 ²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? (She risked her life. She was NOT an Israelite, but she believed that what she heard God was going to do for this people would be done and was happening right before her eyes. Rahab showed her "faith" in her confession, Joshua 2:9, 11, "And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.." SHE KNEW GOD'S PROMISE AND BELIEVED:  For so God promised, Deut. 28:7, Joshua 5:1.)