James 2

A Warning against Prejudice

1My dear brothers and sisters,#2:1 Greek brothers; also in 2:5, 14. how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting#2:2 Greek your synagogue. dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

5Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name#2:7 Greek slander the noble name. you bear?

8Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”#2:8 Lev 19:18. 9But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”#2:11 Exod 20:13-14; Deut 5:17-18. So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

12So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead

14What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.#2:19 Some manuscripts read that God is one; see Deut 6:4. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”#2:23a Gen 15:6. He was even called the friend of God.#2:23b See Isa 41:8. 24So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26Just as the body is dead without breath,#2:26 Or without spirit. so also faith is dead without good works.

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James 2

The Sin of Partiality

1My brothers,#2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 14 #ver. 9; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 16:19; Prov. 24:23; Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, #1 Cor. 2:8; [Acts 7:2]the Lord of glory. 2For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” #[Prov. 18:23]while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become #John 7:24judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers, #1 Cor. 1:27, 28; [Job 34:19] has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be #2 Cor. 8:9; Rev. 2:9; See Luke 12:21rich in faith and heirs of #Matt. 5:3; Luke 6:20; 12:32the kingdom, #See ch. 1:12which he has promised to those who love him? 6But you #[1 Cor. 11:22] have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who #Acts 16:19drag you #Acts 8:3; 17:6; 18:12; [ch. 5:6]into court? 7Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable #[Isa. 63:19; 65:1; Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17]name by which you were called?

8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, #Cited from Lev. 19:18“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you #ver. 1show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point #Matt. 5:19; Gal. 3:10has become guilty of all of it. 11For he who said, #Cited from Ex. 20:13, 14“Do not commit adultery,” also said, #Cited from Ex. 20:13, 14“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under #See ch. 1:25the law of liberty. 13For #Job 22:6-11; Ps. 18:25, 26; Prov. 21:13; Ezek. 25:11-14; Matt. 6:15; 18:32-35; Luke 6:38judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith #[ch. 1:22]but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15#[Job 31:19, 20]; See Luke 3:11If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16#1 John 3:17, 18and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good#2:16 Or benefit is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith #[Rom. 3:28; 4:6; Heb. 11:33] apart from your works, and I will show you my faith #Matt. 7:16, 17; Gal. 5:6by my works. 19#Deut. 6:4; [Rom. 2:17-25] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even #Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:33, 34; Acts 16:17; 19:15the demons believe—and shudder! 20Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21#Gen. 22:9, 12, 16-18Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that #Heb. 11:17faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed #See 1 Thess. 1:3by his works; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, #Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Cited from Gen. 15:6“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a #2 Chr. 20:7; Isa. 41:8friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25And in the same way was not also #Heb. 11:31Rahab the prostitute justified by works #Josh. 2:1-22; 6:23when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

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