James - Chapter 2 | Good News Translation

  • 1. My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance.
  • 2. Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes.
  • 3. If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, "Have this best seat here," but say to the poor man, "Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,"
  • 4. then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.
  • 5. Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.
  • 6. But you dishonor the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich!
  • 7. They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you.
  • 8. You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
  • 9. But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker.
  • 10. Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all.
  • 11. For the same one who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder.
  • 12. Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free.
  • 13. For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.
  • 14. My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you?
  • 15. Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat.
  • 16. What good is there in your saying to them, "God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!"---if you don't give them the necessities of life?
  • 17. So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
  • 18. But someone will say, "One person has faith, another has actions." My answer is, "Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions."
  • 19. Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe---and tremble with fear.
  • 20. You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?
  • 21. How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.
  • 22. Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions.
  • 23. And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend.
  • 24. You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone.
  • 25. It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road.
  • 26. So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.
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