James 2–3

The Sin of Favoritism

2My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ^j2For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. ³If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” ⁴haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world ^kto be rich in faith ^land heirs ^mof the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? ⁶Yet you dishonored that poor man. ⁿDon’t the rich oppress you and drag ^oyou into the courts? ⁷Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism? ^p

⁸Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, ^qryou are doing well. ⁹But if you show favoritism, ^syou commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. ^t11For He who said, Do not commit adultery, ^ualso said, Do not murder. ^vwSo if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

¹²Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. ^x13For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. ^yMercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith ^zsave him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? ^a17In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” ^bShow me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. ^cd19You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. ^e

²⁰Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. ^f23So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, ^ghand he was called God’s friend. ⁱ²⁴You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? ^j26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Controlling the Tongue

3Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, ^k2for we all stumble in many ways. ^lIf anyone does not stumble in what he says, ^mhe is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body. ^no

³Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, ^pwe also guide the whole animal. ^q4And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. ^rConsider how large a forest a small fire ignites. ⁶And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, ^ssets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

⁷Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, ⁸but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ^t9We praise our ^uLord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. ^v10Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. ¹¹Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ¹²Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

The Wisdom from Above

¹³Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. ^w14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. ^x15Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ^y16For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. ^z18And the fruit of righteousness ^ais sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.