But someone may say, “You have faith and I have [good] deeds.” [I reply], show me your faith without your [good] deeds, and I will show you my faith by my [good] deeds.
But the person who has doubts about eating [a certain food] is self-condemned if he [goes ahead and] eats it, because his action is not based on faith [i.e., if he lacks the conviction that he is doing what is right]. And whatever is not done with such a conviction is a sin.
For we conclude that a person is made right with God by faith [in Christ], apart from [obedience to] the requirements of a law [or, the Law of Moses, See verse 20].
But you [i.e., probably an objecting Jew] will say to me, “Why does God still find fault [with people]? For who can [successfully] resist what God wants to do?”
And if I have the [spiritual] gift of prophecy, and can understand all [of God’s] secret purposes, and have all knowledge; and if I have all [the supernatural] faith necessary to relocate mountains [See Matt. 17:20], but do not have love [for people], I am nothing.
[So], since we have these promises [See 6:16-18], dear ones, we should purify ourselves from everything that pollutes [our] body and spirit while living lives completely separated [from sin], out of reverence for God.
For in [our relationship with] Christ neither the practice of circumcision nor refraining from its practice matters in any way; but [all that really matters is having a genuine] faith [in Christ] that causes us to work [for Him] out of a genuine love [for Him and others].
By [having] faith, Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with the disobedient [inhabitants of Jericho] because she welcomed the [twelve] spies in peace.
And unless one has faith, it is impossible for him to be pleasing to God, for the person who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
Who [then] is the wise and understanding person among you? He should show by his good conduct [that he has] deeds of gentleness [stemming] from wisdom.