James 1-2

New American Standard Bible 1995

Testing Your Faith

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

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are ^[b](E)dispersed abroad: ^(F)Greetings.

^2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[c]trials, ³ knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith produces ^[d](K)endurance. ⁴ And let ^[e](L)endurance have its perfect ^[f]result, so that you may be ^[g](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 ^[h]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(P)ask in faith ^(Q)without any doubting, 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 ^[i](S)double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

^9 (U)But the ^[j]brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[k]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with ^[l](W)a scorching wind 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 ^[m]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 ^[n]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[o]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 ^[p]is accomplished, it brings forth death. ^16 (AF)Do not be ^[q]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brethren. 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 ^[r]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 ^[s]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[t]among His creatures.

^19 [u]This ^(AO)you know, ^(AP)my beloved brethren. 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)putting aside all filthiness and all ^[v]that remains of wickedness, in ^[w]humility receive ^(AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (AV)But prove yourselves 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 ^[x]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[y]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[z]an effectual doer, this man will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[aa]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not ^[ab](AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[ac]by ^(BD)the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 ^(BE)My brethren, ^(BF)do not hold your faith in our ^(BG)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^(BH)personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your ^[ad]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in ^[ae](BI)fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in ^(BJ)dirty clothes, ³ and you ^[af]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^(BK)fine 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 ^[ag]motives? ⁵ Listen, ^(BM)my beloved brethren: did not ^(BN)God choose the poor ^[ah]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 ^[ai]personally ^(BR)drag you into ^[aj]court? ^7 (BS)Do they not blaspheme the fair name ^[ak]by which you have been called?

⁸ If, however, you ^(BT)are fulfilling the ^[al]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 and are convicted by the ^[am]law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole ^[an]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 commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the ^[ao]law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by ^(CA)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(CB)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy ^[ap]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

^14 (CC)What use is it, ^(CD)my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can ^[aq]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, ^[ar]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 ^[as]dead, being by itself.

^18 (CH)But someone ^[at]may well 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 ^[au](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 ^[av]as a result of the ^(CS)works, faith was ^[aw]perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^(CT)And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned 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 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.