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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//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 GNT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></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="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">GNT</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">Good News Translation</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s">Warning against Prejudice</h3><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_1"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.1" class="v59_2_1">1</span>My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. </span><span class="v59_2_2"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.2" class="v59_2_2">2</span>Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. </span><span class="v59_2_3"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.3" class="v59_2_3">3</span>If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” </span><span class="v59_2_4"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.4" class="v59_2_4">4</span>then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_5"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.5" class="v59_2_5">5</span>Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. </span><span class="v59_2_6"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.6" class="v59_2_6">6</span>But you dishonor the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich! </span><span class="v59_2_7"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.7" class="v59_2_7">7</span>They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_8"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.8" class="v59_2_8">8</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.8!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” </span><span class="v59_2_9"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.9" class="v59_2_9">9</span>But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. </span><span class="v59_2_10"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.10" class="v59_2_10">10</span>Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. </span><span class="v59_2_11"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.11" class="v59_2_11">11</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.11!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder. </span><span class="v59_2_12"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.12" class="v59_2_12">12</span>Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. </span><span class="v59_2_13"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.13" class="v59_2_13">13</span>For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.</span></p><h3 class="s">Faith and Actions</h3><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_14"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.14" class="v59_2_14">14</span>My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? </span><span class="v59_2_15"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.15" class="v59_2_15">15</span>Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. </span><span class="v59_2_16"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.16" class="v59_2_16">16</span>What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life? </span><span class="v59_2_17"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.17" class="v59_2_17">17</span>So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_18"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.18" class="v59_2_18">18</span>But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.” </span><span class="v59_2_19"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.19" class="v59_2_19">19</span>Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe—and tremble with fear. </span><span class="v59_2_20"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.20" class="v59_2_20">20</span>You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?<a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.20!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v59_2_21"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.21" class="v59_2_21">21</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.21!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. </span><span class="v59_2_22"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.22" class="v59_2_22">22</span>Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. </span><span class="v59_2_23"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.23" class="v59_2_23">23</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.23!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God's friend. </span><span class="v59_2_24"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.24" class="v59_2_24">24</span>You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_25"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.25" class="v59_2_25">25</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jas.2.25!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v59_2_26"><span class="reftext" id="Jas.2.26" class="v59_2_26">26</span>So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.</span></p><a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">2.20: </char><char style="fq" closed="false">useless; </char><char style="ft" closed="false">some manuscripts have </char><char style="fq" closed="false">dead.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 1992 American Bible Society. 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