# Is “Faith without works is dead” in the Bible?

> Yes. “Faith without works is dead” is in the Bible, at James 2:26.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/faith-without-works-is-dead
By Andrew Kittridge · November 9, 2026

James writes it in his letter.

## The verse

> For just as the body is dead without the spirit, so faith too is dead without works.
>
> — [James 2:26](https://www.lumin.faith/read/james/2#26) (Lumin Translation)

These exact words are in the King James Bible. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here, and it words the verse differently.

## What it means there

James’s example is telling a cold, hungry person to keep warm and eat well, and giving them nothing (James 2:15-16). Faith that never shows in what a person does, he says, is like a body without breath.

## Also in the Bible

> So it is with faith as well: if it has no works, it is dead on its own.
>
> — [James 2:17](https://www.lumin.faith/read/james/2#17) (Lumin Translation)

> Do you want to know, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?
>
> — [James 2:20](https://www.lumin.faith/read/james/2#20) (Lumin Translation)

## Common questions

### Is “Faith without works is dead” in the Bible?

Yes. “Faith without works is dead” is in the Bible, at James 2:26. These exact words are in the King James Bible. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here, and it words the verse differently. James writes it in his letter.

### Where in the Bible is “Faith without works is dead”?

In James 2:26, and also James 2:17 and James 2:20. In the Lumin Translation, James 2:26 reads: “For just as the body is dead without the spirit, so faith too is dead without works.”

### Who said “Faith without works is dead”?

James writes it in his letter.

### What does “Faith without works is dead” mean in the Bible?

James’s example is telling a cold, hungry person to keep warm and eat well, and giving them nothing (James 2:15-16). Faith that never shows in what a person does, he says, is like a body without breath.

## More

- [Is “Get thee behind me, Satan” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/get-thee-behind-me-satan.md)
- [Is “How the mighty have fallen” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/how-the-mighty-have-fallen.md)
- [Is “A land flowing with milk and honey” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-land-flowing-with-milk-and-honey.md)
- [Is “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away.md)
- [Is “Many are called, but few are chosen” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen.md)
- [Is “Pearls before swine” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/pearls-before-swine.md)
- [Is “See eye to eye” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/see-eye-to-eye.md)
- [Is “Swords into plowshares” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/swords-into-plowshares.md)
- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)