Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
Parallel translations
- WEB To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.
- KJV Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
- NKJV Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
- NASB So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.
- NLT Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Knowing the right thing to do and failing to do it is sin. Sin includes not only wrongdoing but neglected good.
Overview
James closes this section with a principle defining sins of omission: the one who knows the good and does not do it sins. This broadens accountability beyond avoiding evil to actively doing what is right, fitting James's emphasis on faith working through obedience. It convicts every reader of falling short and points to the need for the grace and righteousness found in Christ alone.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- John 9:41“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
- John 13:17If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
- John 15:22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
- 2 Pet 2:21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.
- Luke 12:47–48That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows.
- Rom 1:32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
- Rom 2:17–23Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;
- Rom 1:20–21For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
- Rom 7:13Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
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Christ at the center
The wisdom from above and the royal law of love are the life of those who belong to 'our glorious Lord Jesus Christ' — faith in him made visible in works.
How James 4:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.