What Is Faith · Day 3
James 2:14-26 — a devotion
James 2
- 14내 형제들아 만일 사람이 믿음이 있노라 하고 행함이 없으면 무슨 이익이 있으리요 그 믿음이 능히 자기를 구원하겠느냐What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?
- 15만일 형제나 자매가 헐벗고 일용할 양식이 없는데If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,
- 16너희 중에 누구든지 그에게 이르되 평안히 가라, 더웁게 하라, 배 부르게 하라 하며 그 몸에 쓸 것을 주지 아니하면 무슨 이익이 있으리요And 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?and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?
- 17이와 같이 행함이 없는 믿음은 그 자체가 죽은 것이라Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
- 18혹이 가로되 너는 믿음이 있고 나는 행함이 있으니 행함이 없는 네 믿음을 내게 보이라 나는 행함으로 내 믿음을 네게 보이리라Yea, 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.Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
- 19네가 하나님은 한 분이신 줄을 믿느냐 잘하는도다 귀신들도 믿고 떠느니라Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder.
- 20아아 허탄한 사람아 행함이 없는 믿음이 헛것인 줄 알고자 하느냐But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
- 21우리 조상 아브라함이 그 아들 이삭을 제단에 드릴 때에 행함으로 의롭다 하심을 받은 것이 아니냐Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
- 22네가 보거니와 믿음이 그의 행함과 함께 일하고 행함으로 믿음이 온전케 되었느니라Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.
- 23이에 경에 이른 바 이브라함이 하나님을 믿으니 이것을 의로 여기셨다는 말씀이 응하였고 그는 하나님의 벗이라 칭함을 받았나니And 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.So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
- 24이로 보건대 사람이 행함으로 의롭다 하심을 받고 믿음으로만 아니니라Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.You see then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.
- 25또 이와 같이 기생 라합이 사자를 접대하여 다른 길로 나가게 할 때에 행함으로 의롭다 하심을 받은 것이 아니냐Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
- 26영혼 없는 몸이 죽은 것 같이 행함이 없는 믿음은 죽은 것이니라For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
KJV and World English Bible — Public Domain · 개역한글 ⓒ Korean Bible Society
Background
James is a letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, to Jewish Christians scattered abroad. In the days of the early church, some believers misunderstood the gospel as if faith by itself were all that mattered, claiming to have faith without any real change in how they lived. James wanted to set this distorted understanding of faith right. This passage contains the central argument of the letter, and it connects with the earlier section forbidding favoritism. Carrying on the tradition of wisdom literature, which stresses faith lived out in practice, James teaches that faith must show itself in the concrete shape of our lives.
Reflection questions: 1. Where is my faith showing itself in concrete action? 2. Is there an area where I believe but have not yet put that belief into practice — and if so, what is it? 3. What is one small action through which I could express my faith today?
Today's reflection
In this passage James poses a challenging question: "What good is it if someone claims to have faith but has no works?" He explains the relationship between faith and works through the examples of Abraham and Rahab. Abraham showed his faith by the act of offering Isaac on the altar, and Rahab revealed her faith by the act of hiding the spies.
James's core point is not that we are saved by works. It is that real faith inevitably shows up as a changed life. Just as a living tree bears fruit, living faith bears the fruit of action. And just as a fruitless tree is a dead tree, faith without works is dead faith.
To put it in everyday language, faith does not stop at head knowledge or emotional agreement. For example, if on a cold day you say to someone without clothes, "Stay warm," but do nothing for them, it is hard to believe there was any sincerity in those words. In the same way, if we say we believe in God yet nothing in our lives changes, we need to take an honest look at whether that faith is genuine.
This word is not a condemnation — it is an invitation. Today, with one small act, we can see whether our faith is living faith. Paying attention to a neighbor, reaching out a hand to someone who needs help — that is how faith is kept alive.
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