James 2 | Strong's Bible

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Chapter 1 Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

My

brothers,

as you hold out

your

faith

in

our

glorious

Lord

Jesus

Christ,

do not

show

favoritism.

Suppose

a man

comes

into

your

meeting

wearing a gold ring

and

fine

clothes,

and

a poor man

in

shabby

clothes

also

comes in.

If

you lavish attention

on

the man

in

fine

clothes

and

say,

“Here is

a seat

of honor,”

but

say

to the

poor man

“You

must stand,”

or,

“Sit

at

my

feet,”

have you not discriminated

among

yourselves

and

become

judges with

evil

thoughts?

Listen,

my

beloved

brothers:

Has not

God

chosen

the

poor

of this world

to be rich

in

faith

and

to inherit

the

kingdom

He promised

those who

love

Him?

But

you

have dishonored

the

poor.

Is it not

the

rich

who oppress

you

and

drag

you

into

court?

Are they

not

the ones who blaspheme

the

noble

Name

by which

you

have been called?

If

you really keep

the royal

law

stated in

Scripture,

“Love

your

neighbor

as

yourself,”

you are doing

well.

But

if

you show favoritism,

you

sin

and are convicted

by

the

Law

as

transgressors.

Whoever

keeps

the

whole

Law

but

stumbles

at

just one point

is

guilty

of breaking all of it.

For

He who

said,

“Do not commit adultery,”

also

said,

“Do not murder.”

If

you do not commit adultery,

but

do commit murder,

you have become

a lawbreaker.

Speak

and

act

as

those who are going

to be judged

by

the Law

that gives freedom.

For

judgment

without mercy will be shown to

anyone who

has not been merciful.

Mercy

triumphs over

judgment.

What

good is it,

my

brothers,

if

someone

claims

to have

faith,

but

has

no

deeds?

Can

such

faith

save

him?

Suppose

a brother

or

sister

is

without clothes

and

daily

food.

If

one

of

you

tells

him,

“Go

in

peace;

stay warm

and

well fed,”

but

does not

provide for

his

physical

needs,

what

good is that ?

So

too,

faith

by

itself,

if

it is not complemented

by action,

is

dead.

But

someone

will say,

“You

have

faith

and I

have

deeds.”

Show

me

your

faith

without

deeds,

and I

will show

you

my

faith

by

my

deeds.

You

believe

that

God

is

one.

Good

for you!

Even

the

demons

believe that—

and

shudder.

O

foolish

man,

do you want

evidence

that

faith

without

deeds

is

worthless?

Was not

our

father

Abraham

justified

by

what he did

when he offered

his

son

Isaac

on

the

altar?

You see

that

his

faith

was working with

his

actions,

and

his

faith

was perfected

by

what

he did.

And

the

Scripture

was fulfilled

that

says,

“Abraham

believed

God,

and

it was credited

to him

as

righteousness,”

and

he was called

a friend

of God.

As you can see,

a man

is justified

by

his deeds

and

not

by

faith

alone.

In the same way,

was not

even

Rahab

the

prostitute

justified

by

her actions

when she welcomed

the

messengers

and

sent them off

on another

route?

As

the

body

without

the spirit

is

dead,

so

faith

without

deeds

is

dead.

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