Beware of Personal Favoritism

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, (A)the Lord of glory, with (B)partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in [a]fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in [b]filthy clothes, and you [c]pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not [d]shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brethren: (C)Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be (D)rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (E)which He promised to those who love Him? But (F)you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you (G)and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are (H)called?

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, (I)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you [e]show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as (J)transgressors.

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Notas al pie

  1. James 2:2 bright
  2. James 2:2 vile
  3. James 2:3 Lit. look upon
  4. James 2:4 differentiated
  5. James 2:9 Lit. receive the face

Favoritism Forbidden

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious(A) Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.(B) Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges(C) with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:(D) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world(E) to be rich in faith(F) and to inherit the kingdom(G) he promised those who love him?(H) But you have dishonored the poor.(I) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?(J) Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a](K) you are doing right. But if you show favoritism,(L) you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.(M)

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Notas al pie

  1. James 2:8 Lev. 19:18

Unity and Diversity in One Body(A)

12 For (B)as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, (C)so also is Christ. 13 For (D)by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—(E)whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and (F)have all been made to drink [a]into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now (G)God has set the members, each one of them, in the body (H)just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no [b]schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

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Notas al pie

  1. 1 Corinthians 12:13 NU omits into
  2. 1 Corinthians 12:25 division

Unity and Diversity in the Body

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body,(A) so it is with Christ.(B) 13 For we were all baptized(C) by[a] one Spirit(D) so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free(E)—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.(F) 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.(G)

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed(H) the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.(I) 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.(J)

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

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Notas al pie

  1. 1 Corinthians 12:13 Or with; or in