James 2-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Sin of Favoritism

2 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.^{(A) 2} For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. ³ If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” ⁴ haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world^(B) to be rich in faith^(C) and heirs^(D) of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? ⁶ Yet you dishonored that poor man.^(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag^(F) you into the courts? ⁷ Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?^(G)

⁸ Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,^(H)[a] you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show favoritism,^(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.^{(J) 11} For He who said, Do not commit adultery,^[b] also said, Do not murder.^(K)[c] So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

¹² Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.^{(L) 13} For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy.^(M) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith^[d] save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?^{(N) 17} In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”^[e] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.^{[f](O) 19} You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.^(P)

²⁰ Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.^{(Q) 23} So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,^(R)[g] and he was called God’s friend.^{(S) 24} You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?^{(T) 26} For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Controlling the Tongue

3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment,^{(U) 2} for we all stumble in many ways.^(V) If anyone does not stumble in what he says,^[h] he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.^[i](W)

³ Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,^(X) we also guide the whole animal.^{[j] 4} And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.^(Y) Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body,^(Z) sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

⁷ Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, ⁸ but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^{(AA) 9} We praise our^[k] Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.^{(AB) 10} Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. ¹¹ Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

The Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness.^{(AC) 14} But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth.^{(AD) 15} Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^{(AE) 16} For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.^{(AF) 18} And the fruit of righteousness^(AG) is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.