The Sin of Favoritism
1My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.2:1 Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; Ac 10:34; Rm 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25
2For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in,
3if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,”
4haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world2:5 Jb 34:19; 1Co 1:27 to be rich in faith2:5 Lk 12:21; Rv 2:9 and heirs2:5 Rm 4:13–14; 8:17; Gl 3:29; 4:7; Ti 3:7; Heb 1:2; 11:7 of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
8Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,2:8Lv 19:182:8 Lv 19:18; Mt 22:39 you are doing well.
9If, however, you show favoritism,2:9 Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17; Ac 10:34; Rm 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25 you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.2:10 Mt 5:10; Gl 3:10
11For he who said, Do not commit adultery,2:11Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18 also said, Do not murder.2:11Ex 20:13; Dt 5:172:11 Ex 20:13–14; Dt 5:17–18 So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
Faith and Works
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?
15If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food
16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?2:14–16 Mt 25:35–36; Lk 3:11; 1Jn 3:16–18
17In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.
20Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
21Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar?
22You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,2:21–22 Gn 22:9; 1Th 1:3; Heb 11:17
23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,2:23Gn 15:62:23 Gn 15:6; Rm 4:3; Gl 3:6 and he was called God’s friend.2:23 2Ch 20:7; Is 41:8
24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?2:25 Jos 2:4,6,15; Heb 11:31
26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
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