James 2

2 ¹My brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. ²Say a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes enters your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothes enters too. ³If you notice the well-dressed one and say, "Sit here, a good seat," but tell the poor man, "Stand over there," or "Sit on the floor by my feet," ⁴haven't you played favorites among yourselves and become judges guided by evil motives? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: Hasn't our Father chosen the world's poor to be rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love him? ⁶But you disrespected the poor. Don't the rich oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷Aren't they blaspheming the honorable name called over you?

⁸If you truly obey the royal law according to the Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.

⁹But if you show favoritism, you are sinning, and the law convicts you as lawbreakers. ¹⁰Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at one point is guilty of breaking it all. ¹¹For our Father, who forbade adultery, also forbade murder. So if you avoid adultery yet commit murder, you're a lawbreaker. ¹²Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. ¹³Judgment is merciless to one who showed no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith That Works

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims faith without works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food, ¹⁶and one of you tells them, "Go in peace, stay warm and fed," but gives nothing for their bodily needs—what good is that? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I'll show you my faith from my works. ¹⁹You believe that our Father is one; you do well. Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ²⁰Do you want me to show you, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that faith was working together with his works, and faith was completed by his works. ²³This fulfilled the Scripture: "Abraham believed our Father, and it was credited to him as righteousness"—he was called our Father's friend. ^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. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵Likewise, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, welcoming the messengers and sending them out a different way? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.