2My brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be tainted by favoritism.G3450G80G2192G3361G4102G2257G2962G2424G5547G1391G1722G43822Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in.G1063G1437G1525G1519G5216G4864G435G5554G1722G2986G2066G1161G1525G2532G4434G1722G4508G20663If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Please take this seat," but you say to the poor man, "Stand over there" or "Sit on the floor at my feet,"G2532G1914G1909G5409G2986G2066G2532G2036G846G2521G4771G5602G2573G2532G2036G4434G2476G4771G1563G2228G2521G5602G5259G3450G52864then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not -G1252G3756G2532G1252G1722G1438G2532G1096G2923G4190G12615Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not -G191G3450G27G80G1586G3756G2316G1586G4434G5127G2889G4145G1722G4102G2532G2818G932G3739G1861G25G8466But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court -G1161G5210G818G4434G2616G3756G4145G2616G5216G2532G846G1670G5209G1519G29227Are not they the ones who blaspheme the noble Name by which you have been called -G987G3756G846G987G2570G3686G1909G5209G19418Nevertheless, you are doing the right thing if you obey the royal law in keeping with the Scripture, "You must love your neighbor as yourself."G1487G3305G5055G937G3551G2596G1124G25G4675G4139G5613G4572G4160G25739But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the law as violators.G1161G1487G4380G2038G266G1651G5259G3551G5613G384810For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.G1063G3748G5083G3650G3551G1161G4417G1722G1520G1096G1777G395611For the one who said, "Never commit adultery," also said, "Never murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the law.G1063G2036G3431G3361G3431G2036G2532G5407G3361G5407G1161G1487G3431G3756G3431G1161G5407G1096G3848G355112You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty.G3779G2980G2532G3779G4160G5613G3195G2919G1223G3551G165713For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.G1063G2920G448G4160G3361G1656G2532G1656G2620G292014What good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it -G5101G3786G3450G80G1437G5100G3004G2192G4102G1161G2192G3361G2041G1410G3361G4102G4982G84615Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily foodG1437G1161G80G2228G79G5225G1131G2532G3007G5600G2184G516016and one of you tells them, "Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily." If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do -G1161G5100G1537G5216G2036G846G5217G1722G1515G2328G2532G5526G1161G1325G846G3361G2006G4983G5101G378617In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead.G2532G3779G4102G3362G2192G3362G2041G2076G3498G2596G143818But someone may say, "You have faith, and I have actions." Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.G235G5100G2046G4771G2192G4102G2504G2192G2041G1166G3427G4675G4102G1537G4675G2041G2504G1166G4671G3450G4102G1537G3450G204119You believe that there is one God. That's fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear.G4771G4100G3754G2076G1520G2316G4160G2573G1140G2532G4100G2532G542520Do you want proof, you foolish person, that faith without actions is worthless -G1161G2309G1097G5599G2756G444G3754G4102G5565G2041G2076G349821Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn't he -G1344G3756G11G2257G3962G1344G1537G2041G399G2464G846G5207G1909G237922You see that his faith worked together with what he did, and by his actions his faith was made complete.G991G3754G4102G4903G846G2041G2532G1537G2041G5048G4102G504823And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." And so he was called God's friend.G2532G1124G4137G3004G1161G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G1343G2532G2564G5384G231624You observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone.G3708G5106G3754G1537G2041G444G1344G2532G3756G1537G4102G344025Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away on a different road, wasn't she -G3668G1161G2532G1344G3756G4460G4204G1344G1537G2041G5264G32G2532G1544G2087G359826For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without actions is also dead.218G1063G5618G4983G5565G4151G2076G3498G3779G4102G5565G2041G2076G3498G2532
Dublin, OH
