James 2

Worrell^{(i) 1} My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. ² For, if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in splendid apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile apparel; ³ and ye show regard to him who is wearing the splendid apparel, and say, "Sit here in a good place"; and say to the poor man, "Stand, or sit under my footstool"; ⁴ do ye not make a distinction among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Hearken, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But ye dishonored the poor man! Do not the rich oppress you, and do they not drag you before the judgment-seats? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme the worthy name by which ye were called? ⁸ If, however, ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," ye do well; ⁹ but, if ye show respect to persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whosoever keeps the whole law, but stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. ¹¹ For He Who said, "Do not commit adultery," said also, "Do not kill." Now, if you do not commit adultery, but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak, and so do, as those who are about to be judged by a law of liberty. ¹³ For the judgment is without mercy to him who showed no mercy: mercy exults over judgment. ¹⁴ What profit is it, my brethren, if anyone says he has faith, but has not works; can such faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or a sister be naked, and in want of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you say to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," but ye give them not the things needful for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. ¹⁸ But some one will say, "You have faith, and I have works": show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder! ²⁰ But are you willing to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is worthless? ²¹ Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness"; and he was called "God's Friend." ²⁴ Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁵ And, in like manner, was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she received the messengers, and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.