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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>James 2 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/james/2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/james/2-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > James 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../james/1.htm" title="James 1">◄</a> James 2 <a href="../james/3.htm" title="James 3">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/james/2.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">A Warning against Prejudice</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>My dear brothers and sisters,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>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, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>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? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> you bear?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>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.</p><p class="hdg">Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>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? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>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?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>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.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>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? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">g</span></a> He was even called the friend of God.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">h</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/2-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Just as the body is dead without breath,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">i</span></a> so also faith is dead without good works.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:1 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">brothers;</span><span class="ft"> also in 2:5, 14.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:2 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">your synagogue.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:7 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">slander the noble name.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:8 </span><span class="ft">Lev 19:18.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:11 </span><span class="ft">Exod 20:13-14; Deut 5:17-18.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:19 </span><span class="ft">Some manuscripts read </span><span class="it">that God is one;</span><span class="ft"> see Deut 6:4.</span><br><span class="fn">g</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:23a </span><span class="ft">Gen 15:6.</span><br><span class="fn">h</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:23b </span><span class="ft">See Isa 41:8.</span><br><span class="fn">i</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">2:26 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">without spirit.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of <a href="http://www.tyndale.com">Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.</a>, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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