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brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favouritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you pay special attention to the men wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Here is a good seat for you,” yet you say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here on the floor at my feet,” 4 haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonoured that poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name by which you are called?
8 If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favouritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” yet you don’t give them anything for their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”
Show me your faith without works, and I will show my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God; you do well. Even the demons also believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do you want to be shown that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and his faith was made perfect by what he did. 23 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute also by works when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off by a different route. 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.