James 2

2 ¹ My brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. ² Suppose a man comes into your gathering wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. ³ If you give attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Here is a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit on the floor by my feet," ⁴ haven't you played favorites among yourselves and become judges guided by evil motives? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: Has not our Father chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of his kingdom, which he promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name you bear?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show favoritism, you are sinning, and the law convicts you as lawbreakers. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at one point has become guilty of breaking all of it.

¹¹ For our Father, who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

¹² Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. ¹³ For judgment will be without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith That Works

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, stay warm and well fed," but does not give them what the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith apart from works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that our Father is one; you do well. Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ²⁰ Do you want me to show you, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working together with his works, and faith was completed by his works. ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed our Father, and it was credited to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of our Father. ^a a v23 Abraham wasn't just a believer in our Father — he was called his friend. This is the heart of why our Father pursues us: not for servants who fear him, but for friends who know him. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them off by another road? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.