James
Chapter 2
1 My brothers and sisters, do not combine faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is glorious, with favoritism.
2 If a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes into your meeting, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in;
3 You favor the one in fancy clothes, telling him, “Sit here in a good spot,” while you tell the poor person, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my feet.”
4 Aren’t you showing favoritism and judging with wrong thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear friends, hasn’t God chosen the world’s poor to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6 You have looked down on the poor. Don’t rich people bully you and drag you to court?
7 Aren’t they insulting the honorable name you bear?
8 If you follow the important rule in the scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 If you show favoritism, you sin and break the law.
10 Anyone who follows all of God’s laws but fails in one aspect is guilty of breaking them all.
11 For the one who said, “Do not cheat in marriage,” also said, “Do not kill.” So if you don’t cheat but you do kill, you are still breaking the law.
12 Talk and act like people who will be judged by the law of freedom.
13 He will be judged without mercy if he has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What good is it, my friends, if someone claims to have faith but doesn’t act on it? Can faith alone save him?
15 If a brother or sister has no clothes and lacks everyday food,
16 If one of you tells them, “Go in peace, stay warm and well fed,” but doesn’t give them what their body needs, what good is it?
17 Likewise, if faith does not have actions, it is dead by itself.
18 Someone might say, “You have faith, and I do things.” Show me your faith without doing anything, and I’ll show you my faith by what I do.
19 You believe there is one God; that’s good: even demons believe that, and they shake with fear.
20 Do you want to understand, foolish person, that faith without actions is useless?
21 Wasn’t Abraham our father proved right by his actions when he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar?
22 Do you see how faith worked together with his actions, and through actions faith was made complete?
23 The scripture came true that says, Abraham trusted God, and it was counted to him as being right with God: and he was named God’s Friend.
24 You see then that a person is made right by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 Rahab, the prostitute, was also accepted for her actions when she took in the messengers and sent them off by a different path, right?
26 Just like a body without its spirit is dead, so is faith without actions.