King James Bible
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"
James challenges readers with a rhetorical question asserting that Abraham's justification involved his actions, not faith alone. This appears to contrast Paul's teaching but actually emphasizes that genuine faith produces visible obedience—James uses 'justified' to mean 'demonstrated as righteous' before others. The supreme test of Abraham's faith came in Genesis 22 when he prepared to sacrifice his promised son. Though God stopped the act, Abraham's willingness to obey proved his faith was living and active, making him the perfect example of James's argument that faith without corresponding action is dead.