Tag Archives: James 2:17

James 2:17 sits at the center of a pointed theological argument. James is countering the notion of a faith that exists apart from demonstrable obedience. From verses 14 to 26, he repeatedly contrasts professed belief with the necessity of active love. This verse crystallizes the epistle’s thesis: πίστις without ἔργα is not merely inadequate — it is νεκρά, dead.

The syntax is deliberately emphatic:

οὕτω καὶ ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔργα ἔχῃ, νεκρά ἐστι καθ’ ἑαυτήν.

The phrase οὕτω καὶ (“so also”) links this assertion to the preceding analogy (2:15–16), where empty words fail to clothe or feed the needy.… Learn Koine Greek