James:2

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* My brethren , do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ , the Lord of glory , with partiality . * For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings , in fine apparel , and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes , * and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him , "You sit here in a good place ," and say to the poor man , "You stand there ," or , "Sit here at my footstool ," * have you not shown partiality among yourselves , and become judges with evil thoughts ? * Listen , my beloved brethren : Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him ? * But you have dishonored the poor man . Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts ? * Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called ? * If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture , "You shall love your neighbor as yourself ," you do well ; * but if you show partiality , you commit sin , and are convicted by the law as transgressors . * For whoever shall keep the whole law , and yet stumble in one point , he is guilty of all . * For He who said , "Do not commit adultery ," also said , "Do not murder ." Now if you do not commit adultery , but you do murder , you have become a transgressor of the law . * So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty . * For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy . Mercy triumphs over judgment . * What does it profit , my brethren , if someone says he has faith but does not have works ? Can faith save him ? * If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food , * and one of you says to them , "Depart in peace , be warmed and filled ," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body , what does it profit ? * Thus also faith by itself , if it does not have works , is dead . * But someone will say , "You have faith , and I have works ." Show me your faith without your works , and I will show you my faith by my works . * You believe that there is one God . You do well . Even the demons believe--and tremble ! * But do you want to know , O foolish man , that faith without works is dead ? * Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar ? * Do you see that faith was working together with his works , and by works faith was made perfect ? * And the Scripture was fulfilled which says , "Abraham believed God , and it was accounted to him for righteousness ." And he was called the friend of God . * You see then that a man is justified by works , and not by faith only . * Likewise , was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way ? * For as the body without the spirit is dead , so faith without works is dead also .

---