EXODUS 5-6:
Moses has responded to God's call, returned to Egypt with Aaron, and has had a successful meeting with the leaders of the Israelite people.
JOB 33:
This is Elihu's second chapter of six in his speech.
JAMES 2:
Yesterday James told us to consider it a great joy when troubles come our way. Don't miss James’ reasoning for this seeming contradiction. Then he spoke very strongly about not just being people who merely listen to God's Word. We must do it.
GNT Translation notes:
Jam. 2:14 My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they [believe in Christ//have faith] if their actions do not prove it? Can that [kind of believing//faith] save them?
17 So it is with [belief//faith]: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
18 But someone will say, “One person has [strong belief//faith], another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can [believe in Christ//have faith] without [displaying any] actions. I will show you [that I believe//my faith] by my actions.” 19 Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe [that] — and tremble with fear. 20 You fool! Do you want to be shown that [believing//faith] without actions is useless? 21 How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. 22 Can't you see? His [belief//faith] and his actions worked together; his [belief//faith] was made perfect through his actions. 23 And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his [believing//faith] God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God's friend. 24 You see, then, that it is by people's actions that they are put right with God, and not by their [belief//faith] alone.
26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, so also [believing//faith] without actions is dead.
[I hope you remember why I use ‘believe’ instead of ‘faith’. In most of our English Bibles, ‘faith’ and ‘believe’ translate the same Greek root word (pistis/pisteuw). 1. Faith is fuzzy because the word has taken on all sorts of new meanings in English-speaking culture. 2. If you tell someone to have faith, they will likely ask, “But how?” Faith is not a volitional action. But ‘believing’ is! 3. And finally, I make the changes above for maintaining cohesion. In a verse like 23, it is important that the two phrases use the same word: ‘Abraham believed God’, and … ‘because of his believing’ he was counted as righteous. Such believing is not some fuzzy thing that Hollywood and our culture calls ‘faith’.]
NLT Translation notes:
Jam. 2:1 My dear brothers and sisters, a how can you claim to [fully believe//have faith] in our glorious Lord [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] if you favor some people over others?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in [the area of fully believing in Christ//faith]? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ], whose noble nameyou bear?
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty [of being a law breaker as the//as a] person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery.”
HEADING: [Believing without Good Deeds Is Dead Religion//Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead]
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you [believe/have faith] but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of [believing/faith] save anyone?
17 So you see, [believing/faith] by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead [religion/0] and useless.
18 Now [I can just hear someone arguing//someone may argue], “Some people [are good at believing//have faith]; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me [that you believe//your faith] if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you [that I fully believe through//my faith] by my good deeds.”
19 You say you [believe//have faith], [because/for] you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe [that/this], and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that [believing/faith] without good deeds is useless?
22 You see, [believing/faith] and his actions worked together. His actions made his [believing/faith] complete [in God's sight]. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his [fully believing//faith].” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by [believing/faith] alone.
[I hope you remember why I use ‘believe’ instead of ‘faith’. ‘Faith’ and ‘believe’ translate the same root word (pistin/pisteuw) in Greek. 1. Faith is fuzzy because the word has taken on all sorts of meanings. 2. If you tell someone to have faith, they will likely ask, “But how?” Faith is not a volitional action. But believing is. 3. And finally I make the changes above for maintaining cohesion. In a verse like 23, it is important that the two phrases use the same word: ‘Abraham believed God’, and … ‘because of his believing’— that believing just mentioned, not some fuzzy thing Hollywood and our culture calls ‘faith’.]
26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also [merely believing is just dead religion//faith is dead] without good works.
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