James 2

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All professions of faith are vain, if not producing love and justice to others

My brothers, if you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, do not take a man's position into account. My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.
For if a man comes into your Synagogue in fair clothing and with a gold ring, and a poor man comes in with dirty clothing, For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;
And you do honour to the man in fair clothing and say, Come here and take this good place; and you say to the poor man, Take up your position there, or be seated at my feet; and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool;”
Is there not a division in your minds? have you not become judges with evil thoughts? haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
Give ear, my dear brothers; are not those who are poor in the things of this world marked out by God to have faith as their wealth, and for their heritage the kingdom which he has said he will give to those who have love for him? Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
But you have put the poor man to shame. Are not the men of wealth rulers over you? do they not take you by force before their judges? But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
Do they not say evil of the holy name which was given to you? Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
But if you keep the greatest law of all, as it is given in the holy Writings, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself, you do well: However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
But if you take a man's position into account, you do evil, and are judged as evil-doers by the law. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
For anyone who keeps all the law, but makes a slip in one point, is judged to have gone against it all. For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
For he who said, Do not be untrue in married life, is the same who said, Put no man to death. Now if you are not untrue in married life, but you put a man to death, the law is broken. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
Let your words and your acts be those of men who are to be judged by the law which makes free. So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.
For the man who has had no mercy will be judged without mercy, but mercy takes pride in overcoming judging. For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The necessity of good works to prove the sincerity of faith, which otherwise will be of no more advantage than the faith of devils

What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation? What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?
If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,
And one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm and full of food; but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this? and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?
Even so faith without works is dead. Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
But a man may say, You have faith and I have works; let me see your faith without your works, and I will make my faith clear to you by my works. Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
You have the belief that God is one, and you do well: the evil spirits have the same belief, shaking with fear. You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
Do you not see, O foolish man, that faith without works is of no use? But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
Was not the righteousness of Abraham our father judged by his works, when he made an offering of Isaac his son on the altar? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
You see that his faith was helping his works and was made complete by them; You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;
And the holy Writings were put into effect which said, And Abraham had faith in God and it was put to his account as righteousness; and he was named the friend of God. and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness;” and he was called the friend of God.
You see that a man's righteousness is judged by his works and not by his faith only. You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.
And in the same way, was not the righteousness of Rahab, the loose woman, judged by her works, when she took into her house those who were sent and let them go out by another way? In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is dead even so faith without works is dead. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
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