2My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith.G3450G80G2192G3361G4102G2257G2962G2424G5547G1391G1722G43822If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him,G1063G1437G1525G1519G5216G4864G435G5554G1722G2986G2066G1161G1525G2532G4434G1722G4508G20663and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row,"G2532G1914G1909G5409G2986G2066G2532G2036G846G2521G4771G5602G2573G2532G2036G4434G2476G4771G1563G2228G2521G5602G5259G3450G52864haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted?G1252G3756G2532G1252G1722G1438G2532G1096G2923G4190G12615Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God.G191G3450G27G80G1586G3756G2316G1586G4434G5127G2889G4145G1722G4102G2532G2818G932G3739G1861G25G8466And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn't it the high and mighty who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind?G1161G5210G818G4434G2616G3756G4145G2616G5216G2532G846G1670G5209G1519G29227Aren't they the ones who scorn the new name—"Christian"—used in your baptisms?G987G3756G846G987G2570G3686G1909G5209G19418You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: "Love others as you love yourself."G1487G3305G5055G937G3551G2596G1124G25G4675G4139G5613G4572G4160G25739But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it.G1161G1487G4380G2038G266G1651G5259G3551G5613G384810You can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others.G1063G3748G5083G3650G3551G1161G4417G1722G1520G1096G1777G395611The same God who said, "Don't commit adultery," also said, "Don't murder." If you don't commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you're a murderer, period.G1063G2036G3431G3361G3431G2036G2532G5407G3361G5407G1161G1487G3431G3756G3431G1161G5407G1096G3848G355112Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free.G3779G2980G2532G3779G4160G5613G3195G2919G1223G3551G165713For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.G1063G2920G448G4160G3361G1656G2532G1656G2620G2920
Faith in Action
14Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?G5101G3786G3450G80G1437G5100G3004G2192G4102G1161G2192G3361G2041G1410G3361G4102G4982G84615For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starvedG1437G1161G80G2228G79G5225G1131G2532G3007G5600G2184G516016and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you?G1161G5100G1537G5216G2036G846G5217G1722G1515G2328G2532G5526G1161G1325G846G3361G2006G4983G5101G378617Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?G2532G3779G4102G3362G2192G3362G2041G2076G3498G2596G143818I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.G235G5100G2046G4771G2192G4102G2504G2192G2041G1166G3427G4675G4102G1537G4675G2041G2504G1166G4671G3450G4102G1537G3450G204119Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them?G4771G4100G3754G2076G1520G2316G4160G2573G1140G2532G4100G2532G542520Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?G1161G2309G1097G5599G2756G444G3754G4102G5565G2041G2076G349821Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar?G1344G3756G11G2257G3962G1344G1537G2041G399G2464G846G5207G1909G237922Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"?G991G3754G4102G4903G846G2041G2532G1537G2041G5048G4102G504823The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend."G2532G1124G4137G3004G1161G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G1343G2532G2564G5384G231624Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?G3708G5106G3754G1537G2041G444G1344G2532G3756G1537G4102G344025The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God?G3668G1161G2532G1344G3756G4460G4204G1344G1537G2041G5264G32G2532G1544G2087G359826The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.G1063G5618G4983G5565G4151G2076G3498G3779G4102G5565G2041G2076G3498G2532