James 2
2
Love All People
1My dear brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never think some people are more important than others. 2Suppose someone comes into your church meeting wearing nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes. 3You show special attention to the one wearing nice clothes and say, “Please, sit here in this good seat.” But you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit on the floor by my feet.” 4What are you doing? You are making some people more important than others, and with evil thoughts you are deciding that one person is better.
5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! God chose the poor in the world to be rich with faith and to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love him. 6But you show no respect to the poor. The rich are always trying to control your lives. They are the ones who take you to court. 7And they are the ones who speak against Jesus, who owns you.
8This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you obey this law, you are doing right. 9But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. 10A person who follows all of God’s law but fails to obey even one command is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. 11The same God who said, “You must not be guilty of adultery,” also said, “You must not murder anyone.” So if you do not take part in adultery but you murder someone, you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law. 12In everything you say and do, remember that you will be judged by the law that makes people free. 13So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.
Faith and Good Works
14My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? 15A brother or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. 16If you say to that person, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you do not give what that person needs, your words are worth nothing. 17In the same way, faith by itself—that does nothing—is dead.
18Someone might say, “You have faith, but I have deeds.” Show me your faith without doing anything, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe there is one God. Good! But the demons believe that, too, and they tremble with fear.
20You foolish person! Must you be shown that faith that does nothing is worth nothing? 21Abraham, our ancestor, was made right with God by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. 22So you see that Abraham’s faith and the things he did worked together. His faith was made perfect by what he did. 23This shows the full meaning of the Scripture that says: “Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.” And Abraham was called God’s friend. 24So you see that people are made right with God by what they do, not by faith only.
25Another example is Rahab, a prostitute, who was made right with God by something she did. She welcomed the spies into her home and helped them escape by a different road.
26Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead, so faith that does nothing is dead!
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James 2: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Jacob (James) 2
2
Honor the Poor Person
1My brothers and sisters, do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord Yeshua the Messiah while showing favoritism.
2For if a man with a gold ring and fine clothes comes into your synagogue, and a poor person in filthy clothes also comes in;
3and you pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothing and you say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you say to the poor person, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”;
4haven’t you made distinctions between yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that He promised to those who love Him?
6But you have dishonored the poor person. Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7Don’t they blaspheme the good name by which you were called?
8If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
9But if you show favoritism, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Torah as transgressors.
10For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
11For the one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the Torah.
12So speak and act as those who will be judged according to a Torah that gives freedom.
13For judgment is merciless to the one who does not show mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Show Faith with Works
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can such faith save him?
15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,
16and one of you says to them, “Go in shalom, keep warm and well fed, ” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is that?
17So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.
18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.
19You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder!
20But do you want to know, you empty person, that faith without works is dead?
21Wasn’t Abraham our father proved righteous by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22You see that faith worked together with his works, and by the works his faith was made complete.
23The Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”—and he was called God’s friend.
24You see that a man is proved righteous by works and not by faith alone.
25And likewise, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also proved righteous by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out another way?
26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society