James 2
2
1My friends, as trusting believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you must not show favoritism. 2Imagine that a man comes into your synagogue wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and then a poor man comes in dressed in rags. 3If you pay special attention to the well-dressed man, and say, “Please sit here in a seat of honor,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit on the floor by my feet,” 4haven't you discriminated and judged with bad motives? 5Listen, my dear friends: Didn't God choose those who the world considers poor to be rich in their trust in him, and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6But you've treated the poor shamefully. Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you before the courts? 7Don't they insult the honorable name#2:7. Usually understood to be the name of Jesus. of the one who called you and to whom you belong?
8If you really observe the royal law of Scripture: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”#2:8. Quoting Leviticus 19:18. then you do well. 9But if you show favoritism, you're sinning. The law convicts you as guilty of breaking it. 10Someone who observes everything in the law but fails in just one part is guilty of breaking it all. 11God told you not to commit adultery, and he also told you not to kill. So if you don't commit adultery, but you do kill, you've become a law-breaker.#2:11. Quoting Exodus 20:13-14 or Deuteronomy 5:17-18. 12You should speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. 13Anyone who doesn't show mercy will be judged without mercy. Yet mercy wins out over judgment!#2:13. The exact meaning of this verse is debated, but the fundamental point is to emphasize the merciful character of God.
14My friends, what's the good of someone saying they trust in God when they don't do what's good and right? Can such “trust” save them? 15If a brother or sister doesn't have clothes, or food for the day, 16and you say to them, “Blessings on you! Stay warm and have a good meal!” and you don't provide what they need to survive, what's the good of that? 17By itself even your trust-based faith in God is dead and worthless if you don't actually do what's good and right.
18Someone may argue, “You have your trust in God; I have my good deeds.” Well, show me your trust in God without good deeds, and I will show you my trust in God by my good deeds! 19You believe that God is one God? That's great—but demons believe in God too, and they're scared of him! 20You foolish people! Don't you know that trust in God without doing what's right is worthless? 21Wasn't our father Abraham made right#2:21. Or “shown to be right.” by what he did—by offering his son Isaac on the altar? 22You notice that his trust in God worked together with what he did, and through what he did his trust in God was made complete. 23In this way scripture was fulfilled: “Abraham trusted God, and this was considered as him doing right,”#2:23. Quoting Genesis 15:6. and he was called the friend of God.#2:23. See Isaiah 41:8.
24You see that people are made right by what they do, and not just by trusting God. 25In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute made right by what she did when she looked after the messengers and then sent them away by a different road? 26Just as the body is dead without the spirit, trust in God is dead if you don't do what's right.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
James 2
2
Warning against Partiality
1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 #
Lev 19.18. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11#Exod 20.14; Deut 5.18; Exod 20.13; Deut 5.17. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Faith without Works Is Dead
14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21#Gen 22.1-14. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23#Gen 15.6; 2 Chr 20.7; Isa 41.8. And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:
and he was called the Friend of God. 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25#Josh 2.1-21. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit#2.26 Or, breath. is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.