James 2:17 (GNV)

Passage

Euen so the faith, if it haue no woorkes, is dead in it selfe.

Nearby Context

James 2:15 For if a brother or a sister bee naked and destitute of daily foode,

James 2:16 And one of you say vnto them, Depart in peace: warme your selues, and fil your bellies, notwithstading ye giue them not those things which are needefull to the body, what helpeth it?

James 2:17 Euen so the faith, if it haue no woorkes, is dead in it selfe.

James 2:18 But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I haue woorkes: shewe me thy faith out of thy woorkes, and I will shewe thee my faith by my woorkes.

James 2:19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God: thou doest well: the deuils also beleeue it, and tremble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "euen", "haue", "woorkes", "dead", and "selfe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "euen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And one of you say vnto them..." into verse 18's "But some man might say Thou hast...", so "faith" and "euen" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "euen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.