God Speaks
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: James chapter 2 can be summed up by saying, “You say you have faith, so prove it by the good works that you do for others.” This letter of James doesn’t leave the reader wondering what he meant but gives practical examples, including two from the Hebrew scriptures: James 2:2-4 points out how we should or shouldn’t treat the rich and the poor at our meetings. James 2:5-11 explains why. James 2:14-16 examines another practical example, specifically helping someone in need, not just brushing them off. James 2:17-20 develops the premise that faith without works is useless. James 2:21-26 gives the scriptural examples of Abraham and Rahab. James 2:26 concludes by saying, “Just as the body is dead without breath [or spirit], so also faith is dead without works.” (NLT)
Prayer: Thank You, our God and Father, that although You choose to show favor to Your children, You do not “play favorites.” You tell us not to do so either. We are not to “play up” to the rich or put down the poor. We are not to prejudge or show partiality. What really matters to You is for us to be rich in faith and to love You and other people self-sacrificially. Help us to live out the statement “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Help me to demonstrate my faith in You by how I act, especially toward other people, not by favoritism but by honest, self-giving love. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask God the Holy Spirit to monitor my life and keep me from showing favoritism.
- I will perform a random act of kindness toward someone regardless of their economic or social status.
- I will go out of my way personally to help someone of a different race, ethnicity, or social or economic status than myself.
- I will ask God to bless someone of a different race, ethnicity, political, social, or economic status than myself and then seek to build an honest, mutually supportive friendship with them.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.