James 2
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, so as to show a partiality for persons.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 For if there comes into your assembly a man in splendid apparel, and with gold rings on his fingers, and there comes in also a poor man, in mean clothing,
Suppose a visitor should enter your synagogue, with gold rings and in grand clothes, and suppose a poor man should come in also, in shabby clothes,
3 and you show regard to him that wears the splendid apparel, and say to him, Sit here, in an honorable place; and you say to the poor man, Do you stand there, or sit here, under my footstool;
and you show more respect to the visitor who is wearing grand clothes, and say – ‘There is a good seat for you here,’ but to the poor man – ‘You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool,’
4 are you not partial in yourselves? and do you not judge from false principles?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Hear, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to those who love him?
Listen, my dear friends. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich through their faith, and to possess the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?
6 But you dishonor the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and do they not themselves drag you to the judgment-seats?
But you – you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you? Isn’t it they who drag you into law courts?
7 Do they not themselves revile that honorable name which is called upon you?
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 If, however, you fulfill the law of highest excellence, according to the scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.
If you keep the royal law which runs – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself,” you are doing right;
9 But if you show partiality for persons, you work sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet fail in one, is an offender against all.
For a person who has laid the Law, as a whole, to heart, but has failed in one particular, is accountable for breaking all its provisions.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now, though you do not commit adultery, yet, if you kill, you are a transgresssor of law.
He who said “You must not commit adultery” also said “You must not murder.” If, then, you commit murder but not adultery, you are still an offender against the Law.
12 So speak, and so act, as those who shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, who has shown no mercy. Mercy glories over judgment.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 What profit is there, my brethren, if any one say he has faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?
My friends, what good is it if someone claims that they have faith, but they do not prove it by actions? Can such faith save them?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 and any of you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet give them not the things that are needful for the body, what does this profit them?
and one of you says to them – ‘Go, and peace be with you; keep warm and eat well!’ and yet you do not actually give them the necessities of life, what good would it be to them?
17 So, also, faith, if it has not works, is dead, being by itself.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 But some one will say, You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith by your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Someone, indeed, may say – ‘You are a man of faith, and I am a man of action.’ ‘Then show me your faith,’ I reply, ‘apart from any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.’
19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and tremble.
It is a part of your faith, is it not, that there is one God? Good; yet even the demons have that faith, and tremble at the thought.
20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was the moving principle in his works, and by works his faith was made perfect?
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 And the scripture was fulfilled, which says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God.
and that in this way the words of scripture came true – ‘Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness,’ and ‘He was called the friend of God.’
24 Do you see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only?
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and sent them out another way?
Wasn’t it the same with the prostitute, Rahab? Was she not justified by her actions, after she had welcomed the messengers and helped them escape by another road?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
