James 2-3

New King James Version

Beware of Personal Favoritism

2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(A)the Lord of glory, with ^(B)partiality. ² 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, ³ 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,” ⁴ have you not ^[d]shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ 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? ⁶ But ^(F)you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you ^(G)and drag you into the courts? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are ^(H)called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(I)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; ⁹ but if you ^[e]show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as ^(J)transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet ^(K)stumble in one point, ^(L)he is guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, ^(M)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(N)“Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so do as those who will be judged by ^(O)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(P)judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown ^(Q)no ^(R)mercy. ^(S)Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead^(T)

^14 (U)What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ^15 (V)If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and ^(W)one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” ^(X)Show me your faith without ^[f]your works, ^(Y)and I will show you my faith by ^[g]my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is ^[h]dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works ^(Z)when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see ^(AA)that faith was working together with his works, and by ^(AB)works faith was made ^[i]perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ^(AC)“Abraham believed God, and it was ^[j]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called ^(AD)the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵ Likewise, ^(AE)was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The Untamable Tongue

3 My brethren, ^(AF)let not many of you become teachers, ^(AG)knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ² For ^(AH)we all stumble in many things. ^(AI)If anyone does not stumble in word, ^(AJ)he is a ^[k]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. ^3 [l]Indeed, ^(AK)we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so ^(AL)the tongue is a little member and ^(AM)boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And ^(AN)the tongue is a fire, a world of ^[m]iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it ^(AO)defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of ^[n]nature; and it is set on fire by ^[o]hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, ^(AP)full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made ^(AQ)in the ^[p]similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a ^(AR)fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? ^[q]Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom

^13 (AS)Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have ^(AT)bitter envy and ^[r]self-seeking in your hearts, ^(AU)do not boast and lie against the truth. ^15 (AV)This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For ^(AW)where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But ^(AX)the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, ^(AY)without partiality ^(AZ)and without hypocrisy. ^18 (BA)Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.