James 2 & 3:
James 2
“My brothers
and sisters, believers in OUR
GLORIOUS LORD JESUS CHRIST must not show favoritism.
2 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.
3 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,”
4 have you
not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and
sisters: Has not GOD
chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in FAITH and to
inherit the kingdom HE promised those who love HIM?
6 But you have dishonored the
poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who
are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are
blaspheming the noble name of HIM TO WHOM YOU BELONG?
8 If you really keep the royal
law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
9 But if you show
favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
10 For whoever keeps the whole
law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
11 For he who said, “You shall
not commit adultery,” also said,
“You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit
murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who
are going to be judged by the law that GIVES FREEDOM,
13 because judgment without MERCY will be shown
to anyone who has not been MERCIFUL. MERCY triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers
and sisters, if someone claims to have FAITH but has no deeds? Can such FAITH save them?
15 Suppose a brother or a sister
is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to them,
“Go in PEACE;
keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good
is it?
17 In the same way, FAITH by itself, if
it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You
have FAITH;
I have deeds.”
Show me your FAITH
without deeds, and I will show you MY FAITH by my deeds.
19 You believe that there is ONE
GOD. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you
want evidence that FAITH
without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our father Abraham
considered RIGHTEOUS
for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his FAITH and his actions
were working together, and his FAITH was made complete by what he did.
23 And the scripture was
fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed GOD, and it was credited to him
as RIGHTEOUSNESS,”
and he was called GOD’s friend.
24 You see that a person is
considered RIGHTEOUS
by what they do and not by FAITH alone.
25 In the same way, was not even
Rahab the prostitute considered RIGHTEOUS for what she did when she gave lodging to the
spies and sent them off in a different direction?
26 As the body without the
spirit is dead, so FAITH
without deeds is dead.”
James 3
“Not many
of you should become TEACHERs, my
fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly.
2 We all
stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they
say is
PERFECT, able to keep their
whole body in check.
3 When we
put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole
animal.
4 Or take
ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
5 Likewise,
the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great
boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
6 The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It
corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and
is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All
kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have
been tamed by mankind,
8 but no
human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the
tongue we praise OUR
LORD and FATHER, and with it we curse human beings, who have
been made in GOD’s
likeness.
10 Out of
the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should
not be.
11 Can both
fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
12 My
brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither
can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Two Kinds of Wisdom
13 Who is WISE and
understanding among you? Let them show it by their GOOD LIFE, by
deeds done in the HUMILITY
that comes from WISDOM.
14 But if
you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast
about it or deny THE
TRUTH.
15 Such
“wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual,
demonic. 16 For where you
have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil
practice.
17 But the WISDOM that comes
from heaven is first of all
PURE;
Then PEACE-LOVING,
CONSIDERATE (GENTLE),
SUBMISSIVE (REASONABLE),
FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD
FRUIT,
IMPARTIAL and
SINCERE (WITHOUT HYPOCRISY).
18 PEACEMAKERs WHO SOW IN PEACE reap a harvest
of RIGHTEOUSNESS."
