James 2:22 (YLT)

Passage

dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected?

Nearby Context

James 2:20 And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead?

James 2:21 Abraham our father--was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar?

James 2:22 dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected?

James 2:23 and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him--to righteousness;' and, `Friend of God' he was called.

James 2:24 Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "dost", "thou", "working", "works", and "perfected". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "dost", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Abraham our father--was not he declared righteous..." into verse 23's "and fulfilled was the Writing that is...", so "faith" and "dost" 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 "dost" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.