The Sin of Favoritism

1My brothers, do not hold your faith in our [†]glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your [†]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3and you [†]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor [†]of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves drag you into [†]court? 7Do they not blaspheme the good name [†]by which you have been called?

8If, however, you are fulfilling the [†]royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the [†]law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole [†]law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the [†]law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy [†]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

14What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can [†]that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, [†]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is [†]dead by itself.

18But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that [†]God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and [†]as a result of the works, faith was [†]perfected. 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.