The Sin of Partiality
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My brothers,a1show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 2the Lord of glory.
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For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
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and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place,"3while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet,"
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have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become 4judges with evil thoughts?
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Listen, my beloved brothers, 5has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be 6rich in faith and heirs of 7the kingdom, 8which he has promised to those who love him?
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But you 9have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who 10drag you 11into court?
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Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable 12name by which you were called?
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If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 13"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
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But if you 14show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
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For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point 15has become accountable for all of it.
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For he who said, 16"Do not commit adultery," also said, 17"Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
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So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under 18the law of liberty.
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For 19judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
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What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith 20but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
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21If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
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22and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what goodb is that?
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So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
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But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith 23apart from your works, and I will show you my faith 24by my works.
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Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
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27Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
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and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 30"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"--and he was called a 31friend of God.
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You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
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And in the same way was not also 32Rahab the prostitute justified by works 33when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
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For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Herramientas de Estudio para James 2
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)