Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Do Not Show Partiality

2 My brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[a] be tainted by favoritism. ² Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly,^[b] and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. ³ If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Please take this seat,” but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,”^{[c] 4} then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not? ⁶ But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷ Are not they the ones who blaspheme the noble Name^[d] by which you have been called?

⁸ Nevertheless, you are doing the right thing if you obey the royal Law in keeping with the Scripture, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[e] 9} But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the Law as violators. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ For the one who said, “Never commit adultery,”^[f] also said, “Never murder.”^[g] Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law. ¹² You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith is Shown by Actions

¹⁴ What good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food ¹⁶ and one of you tells them, “Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.” If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have actions.” Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. That’s fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear. ²⁰ Do you want proof, you foolish person, that faith without actions is worthless? ²¹ Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn’t he? ²² You^[h] see that his faith worked together with what he did, and by his actions his faith was made complete. ²³ And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[i] And so he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You^[j] observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone. ²⁵ Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers^[k] and sent them away on a different road, wasn’t she? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit^[l] is dead, so faith without actions is also dead.

Speak Wisely

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach^[m] will be judged more severely than others.^{[n] 2} For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body. ³ Now if we put bits into horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we can guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ And look at ships! They are so big that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the helmsman directs.

⁵ In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it can boast of great achievements. A huge forest can be set on fire by a little flame. ⁶ The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. Placed among the parts of our bodies, the tongue contaminates the whole body and sets on fire the course of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.^{[o] 7} For all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be or have been tamed by humans, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. It should not be like this, my brothers! ¹¹ A spring cannot pour both fresh and brackish water from the same opening, can it? ¹² My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, nor a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Live Wisely

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. ¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.

¹⁷ However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds,^[p] and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace^[q] planted by peacemakers.