Outline
Greetings (1:1)Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)Listening and Doing (1:19-27)- Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)
- Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)
Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)
James 2 NLT
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can
you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some
people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes
into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another
comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.
3 If you give special attention and a
good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over
there, or else sit on the floor”—well,
4doesn’t this discrimination show that your
judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and
sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t
they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love
him?
6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it
the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7 Aren’t they the ones who slander
Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey
the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”
9 But if you favor some people over
others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the
laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s
laws.
11 For the same God who said, “You must
not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder
someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you
do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.
13 There will be no mercy for those who
have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be
merciful when he judges you.
14 What good is it, dear brothers and
sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that
kind of faith save anyone?
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister
who has no food or clothing,
16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a
good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food
or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t
enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people
have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith
if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you
believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and
they tremble in terror.
20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith
without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor
Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son
Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions
worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the
Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because
of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
24 So you see, we are shown to be right
with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another
example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those
messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.
26 Just as the body is
dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
