James 2:14 (LSB)

Passage

What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

Nearby Context

James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.

James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:14 What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

James 2:15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

James 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "brothers", "someone", "says", "works", and "save". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "brothers", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "For judgment will be merciless to one..." into verse 15's "If a brother or sister is without...", so "faith" and "brothers" 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 "brothers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.