James 2
2
Favouritism in the Church
1 My brothers, do not hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with favouritism. 2 For if a man with gold rings and in splendid clothing enters your assembly, and a poor person in dirty clothing also enters, 3 and you look favourably on the one who is wearing the splendid clothing and say, “You sit here honourably,” and to the poor person you say, “You stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil intentions? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has God not chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonoured the poor person! Is it not the rich themselves who oppress you and drag you into court?* 7 Do they not themselves blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,”* you do well. 9 But if you show favouritism, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of all. 11 For the One who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”* also said, “You shall not murder.”* Now, if you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith Without Works is Dead
14 What is the benefit, my brothers, if someone says that he has faith but does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it? 15 If a brother or a sister is without clothes and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” but does not give them the things necessary for the body, what is the benefit? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 However, someone will say, “You have faith and I have works. Demonstrate to me your faith apart from your works, and I will demonstrate to you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and are seized with fear. 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man,* that faith apart from works is of no value? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was perfected. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Notes
6 Greek courts
8 Quoted from Lev. 19:18
11 Quoted from Ex. 20:13-14
11 Quoted from Ex. 20:13-14
20 Or person , as the term is generically understood. So also v. 24
23 Quoted from Gen. 15:6
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James 2: AFINTLIT
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
