James 2:22

James 2:22. Seest thou how, or, more correctly, ‘thou seest that,' faith wrought, cooperated, with his works. This cannot mean that works cooperated with his faith in the matter of his justification before God, as if God did not know that he had living faith until it showed itself by works. But the evident meaning is that the offering of Isaac proved that the faith of Abraham was not a dead, but a living and active faith, and thus was a verification of Abraham's justification. It was faith that enabled him to perform this work.

and by works was faith made perfect, fully realized, completed; not proved or verified, but perfected. Faith is only perfected when it is embodied or realized in good works. As love is perfected by the practice of works of benevolence, so faith is perfected by the practice of those works which are appropriate to it. By works faith attains its legitimate development or completion. ‘Faith creates works; works perfect faith' (Stier).