1 M y 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.

My brethren, do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, of glory, with respect of persons:

2 W hat 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.

for if there come unto your synagogue a man with a gold ring in splendid apparel, and a poor man also come in in vile apparel,

3 W hat 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,”

and ye look upon him who wears the splendid apparel, and say, Do thou sit here well, and say to the poor, Do thou stand there, or sit here under my footstool:

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

have ye not made a difference among yourselves, and become judges having evil thoughts?

5 L isten, 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.

Hear, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor as to the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him?

6 Y ou 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?

But ye have despised the poor. Do not the rich oppress you, and they drag you before tribunals?

7 T hey speak against the name of Christ. And it was Christ Who called you.

And they blaspheme the excellent name which has been called upon you?

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

If indeed ye keep royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.

9 B ut 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

But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

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

For whoever shall keep the whole law and shall offend in one, he has come under the guilt of all.

11 T he 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.

For he who said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become transgressor of law.

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

So speak ye, and so act, as those that are to be judged by law of liberty;

13 A nyone 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

for judgment without mercy to him that has shewn no mercy. Mercy glories over judgment.

14 M y 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?

What the profit, my brethren, if any one say he have faith, but have not works? can faith save him?

15 W hat if a Christian does not have clothes or food?

Now if a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

16 A nd 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?

and one from amongst you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled; but give not to them the needful things for the body, what the profit?

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

So also faith, if it have not works, is dead by itself.

18 S omeone 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.”

But some one will say, Thou hast faith and I have works. Shew me thy faith without works, and I from my works will shew thee my faith.

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

Thou believest that God is one. Thou doest well. The demons even believe, and tremble.

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

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 W as 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.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Y ou see his faith working by what he did and his faith was made perfect by what he did.

Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and that by works faith was perfected.

23 I t 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.

And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called Friend of God.

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

Ye see that a man is justified on the principle of works, and not on the principle of faith only.

25 T he 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.

But was not in like manner also Rahab the harlot justified on the principle of works, when she had received the messengers and put forth by another way?

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

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