17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.”
19 You believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless?
21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him.
22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did.
23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.