1My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2For example, suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in.
3If you show special attention to the man in fine clothes and say, “Please sit here in this good seat,” but say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”
4haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers. Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6But you have dishonored the poor. Aren’t the rich the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?
7Aren’t they the ones who slander the honorable name by which you are called?
8If you really fulfill the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9But if you show favoritism, you are committing a sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
10For whoever keeps the entire law but stumbles in just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
11For the same God who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” So, if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12Speak and act as people who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.
13Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions? Can that kind of faith save them?
15If a Christian brother or sister doesn't have clothes or enough food to eat,
16and one of you tells them, “May you live in peace, be warm, and be full,” but you don’t give them what their body needs, what good does that do?
17In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not have good actions, is dead.
18Someone might say, “You have faith, and I have good actions.” Show me your faith without good actions, and I will show you my faith by my good actions.
19You believe that there is one God. That’s good. Even the demons believe that, and they tremble with fear.
20But do you want proof, you foolish person, that faith without actions is useless?
21Wasn't our ancestor Abraham shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22You can see that his faith and his actions worked together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23This fulfilled the Scripture that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.
24So you see that a person is made right with God by their actions, not by faith alone.
25In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also shown to be right with God by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them out on a different road?
26Just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without actions is dead.