HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1493
JAM ES 2
page 1123
not produce the righteousness* God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly accept the word God has planted
in your hearts, for it has the power to save your
souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You
must do what it says. Otherwise, you are
only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to
the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at
your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk
away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if
you look carefully into the perfect law that sets
you free, and if you do what it says and don’t
forget what you heard, then God will bless you
for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and
your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine
religion in the sight of God the Father means
caring for orphans and widows in their distress
and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
A Warning against Prejudice
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,
4 doesn’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
2
1:20b Or the justice. 2:1 Greek brothers; also in 2:5, 14.
2:2 Greek your synagogue. 2:7 Greek slander the noble name.
2:8 Lev 19:18. 2:11 Exod 20:13-14; Deut 5:17-18. 2:19 Some
manuscripts read that God is one; see Deut 6:4.
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.
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
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:
• Communication
JA M E S 3:1-12
How many children have had their fragile
self-esteem shattered by the words of
an angry parent? How many marriages
are fractured because the routine, predictable conflicts of life explode into
relational battlefields as one or both of
the partners use words to hurt, accuse,
or abuse rather than communicate? This
passage would almost be humorous if it
were not so devastatingly true. James is
teaching Christians that how we talk to
one another matters and that our words
are among Satan’s favorite tools. We are
to submit our speech to the guidance and
conviction of the Holy Spirit. Are there
any habits or patterns in your speech
that need to be confessed and submitted
to God? How might someone else’s life
be changed for the better if your speech
were to become consistently kind and
encouraging?