1 M y brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

My Christian brothers, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of shining-greatness. Since your trust is in Him, do not look on one person as more important than another.

2 F or if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

What if a man comes into your church wearing a gold ring and good clothes? And at the same time a poor man comes wearing old clothes.

3 a nd you 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,”

What if you show respect to the man in good clothes and say, “Come and sit in this good place”? But if you say to the poor man, “Stand up over there,” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”

4 h ave you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

are you not thinking that one is more important than the other? This kind of thinking is sinful.

5 L isten, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Listen, my dear Christian brothers, God has chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich in faith. The holy nation of heaven is theirs. That is what God promised to those who love Him.

6 B ut you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

You have not shown respect to the poor man. Is it not the rich men who make it hard for you and take you to court?

7 D o they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

They speak against the name of Christ. And it was Christ Who called you.

8 I f you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;

You do well when you obey the Holy Writings which say, “You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

9 b ut if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

But if you look on one man as more important than another, you are sinning. And the Law says you are sinning. Keep the Whole Law

10 F or whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

If you obey all the Laws but one, you are as guilty as the one who has broken them all.

11 F or He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

The One Who said, “You must not do any sex sins,” also said, “You must not kill another person.” If you do no sex sins but kill someone, you are guilty of breaking the Law.

12 S o speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Keep on talking and acting as people who will be told they are guilty or not by the Law that makes men free.

13 F or judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Faith Without Works Is Dead

Anyone who shows no loving-kindness will have no loving-kindness shown to him when he is told he is guilty. But if you show loving-kindness, God will show loving-kindness to you when you are told you are guilty. Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 W hat does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

My Christian brothers, what good does it do if you say you have faith but do not do things that prove you have faith? Can that kind of faith save you from the punishment of sin?

15 I f a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

What if a Christian does not have clothes or food?

16 a nd 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?

And one of you says to him, “Goodbye, keep yourself warm and eat well.” But if you do not give him what he needs, how does that help him?

17 T hus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

A faith that does not do things is a dead faith.

18 B ut someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Someone may say, “You have faith, and I do things. Prove to me you have faith when you are doing nothing. I will prove to you I have faith by doing things.”

19 Y ou believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

You believe there is one God. That is good! But even the demons believe that, and because they do, they shake.

20 B ut do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

You foolish man! Do I have to prove to you that faith without doing things is of no use?

21 W as not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

Was not our early father Abraham right with God by what he did? He obeyed God and put his son Isaac on the altar to die.

22 D o you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

You see his faith working by what he did and his faith was made perfect by what he did.

23 A nd the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

It happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They say, “Abraham put his trust in God and he became right with God.” He was called the friend of God.

24 Y ou see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

A man becomes right with God by what he does and not by faith only.

25 L ikewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

The same was true with Rahab, the woman who sold the use of her body. She became right with God by what she did in helping the men who had been sent to look through the country and sent them away by another road.

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

The body is dead when there is no spirit in it. It is the same with faith. Faith is dead when nothing is done.