James:2
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My brothers ,
do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ ,
the Lord of glory ,
with partiality .
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For if a man enters into your assembly with a gold ring ,
in fine clothes ,
and there should also come in a poor [
man ]
in dirty clothes ,
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and you have respect for him that wears the fine clothes and you say to him , "
You sit here in a good seat ,"
and say to the poor man , "
You stand there ,"
or , "
Sit here under my footstool ,"
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and so did you not differentiate among yourselves ,
and become judges with evil thoughts ?
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Listen ,
my beloved brothers .
Did God not choose the poor of the world [
to be ]
rich in faith ,
and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those that love Him ?
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But you have dishonored the poor .
Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into court ?
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Do they not blaspheme the noble name by which you are called ?
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If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture , "
You shall love your neighbor as yourself ,"
you do well ;
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but if you show partiality ,
you commit sin ,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors .
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For whoever shall keep the whole law ,
and yet stumble in one [
point ],
he has become guilty of all .
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For He who said , "
Do not commit adultery ,"
also said , "
You shall not murder ."
Now if you do not commit adultery ,
but [
yet ]
you murder , [
then ]
you have become a transgressor of the law .
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So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty .
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For judgment is without mercy to the one who does not show mercy .
Mercy triumphs over judgment .
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What does it profit ,
my brothers ,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works ?
Is that [
kind of ]
faith able to save him ?
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If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food ,
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and one of you says to them , "
Go in peace ,
be warmed and filled ,"
but you do not give them the necessary things of the body ,
what [
is ]
the benefit ?
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Thus also that faith ,
if it does not have works ,
is dead , [
being ]
by itself .
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But someone will say , "
You have faith ,
and I have works ."
Show me your faith [
apart ]
from your works ,
and I will show you my faith by means of my works .
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You believe God is one .
You do well .
Even the demons believe-and they shudder !
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But do you want to know ,
O foolish man ,
that faith without works is dead ?
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Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar ?
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Do you see that faith was working together with his works ,
and by means of his works faith was made perfect ?
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And the Scripture was fulfilled which says , "
Abraham believed God ,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness ."
And he was called a friend of God .
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You see then that a man is justified by works ,
and not by faith only .
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Likewise ,
was not Rahab the harlot also justified by means of works ,
when she received the messengers and sent [
them ]
out another way ?
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For as the body without the spirit is dead ,
so faith without works is dead also .