Bible Strands
James 2:20
O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — James addresses a hypothetical interlocutor during a direct confrontation about the nature of genuine belief. He interrupts a theoretical discussion to demand practical proof from someone claiming faith while exhibiting no corresponding action.
The words — The Greek κενὲ (kene) literally means "empty" or "foolish," and γνῶναι (gnōnai) means "to come to know." James pairs these terms to frame his rhetorical challenge about verifying the emptiness of unworked faith.
The thread — The text explicitly declares in James 2:17 and James 2:26 that faith lacking action is dead. Proverbs 12:11 reinforces this pattern by contrasting productive labor with the pursuit of empty illusions.
Why it lands — The text states that faith without deeds is worthless and demands observable evidence to validate any claim of belief. It requires the reader to test whether their convictions produce tangible conduct rather than remaining unverified assertions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Cross-references
- James 2:17 So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.
- James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
- Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
- Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
- Psalms 94:8 Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise?
- Galatians 6:3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
- Job 11:11 Surely He knows the deceit of men. If He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
- Jeremiah 2:5 This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.
- 1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
- Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.