James 1-3

Legacy Standard Bible

Testing Your Faith

1 ^[a](A)James, a ^(B)slave of God and ^(C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are in the ^(E)Dispersion: ^(F)Greetings.

^2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[b]trials, ³ knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith brings about ^(K)perseverance. ⁴ And let ^(L)perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be ^[c](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you ^(N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[d]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(P)ask in faith, ^(Q)doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(R)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a ^[e](S)double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

^9 (U)But the ^[f]brother of humble circumstances is to boast in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich man is to boast in his humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[g]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with ^[h](W)a scorching heat and ^(X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

^12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[i]been approved, he will receive ^(Z)the crown of life which the Lord ^(AA)has promised to those who ^(AB)love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “^(AC)I am being tempted ^[j]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[k]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then ^(AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when ^(AE)sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. ^16 (AF)Do not be ^[l]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^(AH)from above, coming down from ^(AI)the Father of lights, ^(AJ)with whom there is no variation or ^[m]shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of ^(AK)His will He ^(AL)brought us forth by ^(AM)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[n]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[o]among His creatures.

Doers of the Word

^19 [p](AO)Know this, ^(AP)my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, ^(AQ)slow to speak and ^(AR)slow to anger; ²⁰ for ^(AS)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, ^(AT)laying aside all filthiness and all ^[q]that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive ^(AU)the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (AV)But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[r]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he looked at himself and has gone away, ^[s]he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[t]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not ^[u](AZ)bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)before our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained ^[v]by ^(BD)the world.

The Sin of Favoritism

2 ^(BE)My brothers, ^(BF)do not hold your faith in our ^[w](BG)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^(BH)personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your ^[x]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in ^(BI)bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in ^(BJ)dirty clothes, ³ and you ^[y]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^(BK)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,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^(BL)with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, ^(BM)my beloved brothers: did not ^(BN)God choose the poor ^[z]of this world to be ^(BO)rich in faith and ^(BP)heirs of the kingdom which He ^(BQ)promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves ^(BR)drag you into ^[aa]court? ^7 (BS)Do they not blaspheme the good name ^[ab]by which you have been called?

⁸ If, however, you ^(BT)are fulfilling the ^[ac]royal law according to the Scripture, “^(BU)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(BV)show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the ^[ad]law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole ^[ae]law and yet ^(BW)stumbles in one point, he has become ^(BX)guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, “^(BY)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “^(BZ)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the ^[af]law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by ^(CA)the law of freedom. ¹³ For ^(CB)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy ^[ag]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

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

^18 (CH)But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your ^(CI)faith without the works, and I will ^(CJ)show you my faith ^(CK)by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that ^[ak](CL)God is one. ^(CM)You do well; ^(CN)the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to recognize, ^(CO)you foolish fellow, that ^(CP)faith without works is useless? ^21 (CQ)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that ^(CR)faith was working with his works, and ^[al]as a result of the ^(CS)works, faith was ^[am]perfected. ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^(CT)And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called ^(CU)the friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way, was not ^(CV)Rahab the harlot also justified by works ^(CW)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also ^(CX)faith without works is dead.

The Tongue Is a Fire

3 ^(CY)Do not, many of you, become teachers, ^(CZ)my brothers, knowing that we will receive a ^[an]stricter judgment. ² For we all ^(DA)stumble in many ways. ^(DB)If anyone does not stumble in ^[ao]what he says, he is a ^(DC)perfect man, able to ^(DD)bridle the entire body as well. ³ Now ^(DE)if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot wills. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it ^(DF)boasts of great things.

^(DG)Behold how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(DH)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which ^(DI)defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our ^[ap]existence, and is set on fire by ^[aq](DJ)hell. ⁷ For every kind of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of ^(DK)deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless ^(DL)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, ^(DM)who have been made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a fountain pour forth from the same opening ^[ar]fresh and bitter water? ^12 (DN)Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can saltwater produce ^[as]fresh.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? ^(DO)Let him show by his ^(DP)good conduct his works in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(DQ)jealousy and ^[at]selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against ^(DR)the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not coming down ^(DS)from above, but is ^(DT)earthly, ^[au](DU)natural, ^(DV)demonic. ¹⁶ For where ^(DW)jealousy and ^[av]selfish ambition exist, ^[aw]there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom ^(DX)from above is first ^(DY)pure, then ^(DZ)peaceable, ^(EA)considerate, submissive, ^(EB)full of mercy and good fruits, ^(EC)without doubting, without ^(ED)hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness ^(EE)is sown in peace ^[ax]by those who make peace.