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Chapter 4
1 Μὴ μόνον οὖν αὐτὸν καλῶμεν κύριον·
οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο σώσει ἡμᾶς. 		Let us therefore not only call Him Lord, for this will not save us:
2 λέγει γάρ·
Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι·
Κύριε, κύριε, σωθήσεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην. 		for He says, “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will be saved, but he who does what is right” {see Matt. 7:21}.
3 ὥστε οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτὸν ὁμολογῶμεν, ἐν τῷ ἀγαπᾶν ἑαυτούς, ἐν τῷ μὴ μοιχᾶσθαι μηδὲ καταλαλεῖν ἀλλήλων μηδὲ ζηλοῦν, ἀλλ' ἐγκρατεῖς εἶναι, ἐλεήμονας, ἀγαθούς·
καὶ συμπάσχειν ἀλλήλοις ὀφείλομεν, καὶ μὴ φιλαργυρεῖν. ἐν τούτοις τοῖς ἔργοις ὁμολογῶμεν αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις·
So then, brothers, let us acknowledge Him in our actions, by loving one another, by not committing adultery nor slandering one another nor envying, but by being self-controlled, merciful, kind.
And we ought to be empathetic toward one another and not to be avaricious.
By these works let us acknowledge Him, and not by their opposite.
4 καὶ οὐ δεῖ ἡμᾶς φοβεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μᾶλλον, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεόν. And we must not fear men, but rather God.
5 διὰ τοῦτο, ταῦτα ὑμῶν πρασσόντων, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος·
Ἐὰν ἦτε μετ' ἐμοῦ συνηγμένοι ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ μου καὶ μὴ ποιῆτε τὰς ἐντολάς μου, ἀποβαλῶ ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐρῶ ὑμῖν·
Ὑπάγετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς, πόθεν ἐστέ, ἐργάται ἀνομίας. 		For this cause, if you do these things, the Lord said, “If you are gathered together with Me in My bosom, and do not keep My commandments, I will cast you away and will say to you, ‘Depart from Me, I don’t know from where you are from, you workers of iniquity.’ ” {source unknown, see Matt. 7:22-23}.
Summary
In this section, the author deepens his argument that true confession of Christ must be practical and moral rather than merely verbal.

Citing Jesus’ teachings (reminiscent of Matthew 7:21–23 and Luke 13:25–27), he stresses that verbal acclaim ("Lord, Lord") is insufficient for salvation without active righteousness.

He provides a concrete catalog of Christian virtues and vices, urging believers to display their faith through love, self-control, and community care, while warning that proximity to Christ without obedience leads to ultimate rejection.
Significant Greek Expressions
ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ("the one who practices righteousness"): Using the present continuous participle ποιῶν, the author emphasizes an ongoing, active lifestyle of doing righteousness rather than a static confession of faith.

ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτὸν ὁμολογῶμεν ("let us acknowledge Him in our works"): The core imperative of the passage. Confession (ὁμολογία) is explicitly relocated from speech to deeds (ἔργα), defining true discipleship through lived ethics.

μὴ καταλαλεῖν ("not speaking evil of / slandering"): From καταλαλέω (to speak down against someone). The author targets divisive speech within the community alongside major moral transgressions like adultery (μοιχᾶσθαι), showing that interpersonal speech ethics are vital to spiritual integrity.

ἐγκρατεῖς... ἐλεήμονας... συμπάσχειν ("self-controlled... merciful... to sympathize"): A key triad of virtues:

 ἐγκρατής: Self-controlled or temperate, possessing mastery over one's desires.

 ἐλεήμων: Compassionate and merciful toward those in need.

 συμπάσχω: To suffer alongside or sympathize with fellow members of the body.

μὴ φιλαργυρεῖν ("not to be lovers of money"): From φιλαργυρία (love of money, cf. 1 Tim 6:10). Greed is singled out as incompatible with acknowledging Christ.

ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ μου ("in My bosom"): An intimate image of fellowship and spiritual privilege (echoing John 1:18, Luke 16:22). The author warns that even close proximity or nominal inclusion in the divine fold ("gathered with Me in My bosom") offers no protection if accompanied by disobedience.

ἐργάται ἀνομίας ("workers of lawlessness"): A direct echo of Jesus' words in Luke 13:27 / Matthew 7:23. Ἀνομία (lawlessness/disregard for God's commandments) marks those whose daily actions contradict their verbal claims of discipleship, leading to total rejection (ἀποβαλῶ).