Happy Sabbath!
As believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, it is imperitive to remember not show favoritism. Suppose a woman comes into your meeting wearing a beautiful jewelry and attractive clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the woman wearing attractive clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand over there" or "Go sit in the back," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my friends: Didn't God choose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor and needy. Isn't it the rich who are taking advantage of you? Aren't they the ones who are dragging you into court to sue you over every little thing? Aren't they the ones who are slandering the noble name of Jesus, to whom you belong?
If you really keep God's law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you are sinning and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law but breaks even one piece of it is as guilty as if they'd broken all of it. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you don't commit adultery but instead go and kill someone, you have become just as guilty of sinning.
In everything you say and do, be an example of someone who is going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. God's mercy triumphs over judgment!
My friends, do you think you'll get anywhere if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! I will pray that you are clothed in Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—not doing anything about his physical needs, what good is it? It's the same way with faith, you see. Faith all by itself, if it isn't accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have my good deeds." Oh really? Show me your faith without action, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and tremble.
Don't live foolishly in the world, always needing hard evidence before you believe anything. Do you want evidence that faith without action is useless? Take a look in Genesis at Abraham. Wasn't he considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to Joshua's spies and sent them off in a different direction?
Let me leave you with this thought to remember. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without action is dead.
May the peace of the Sabbath be with you all,
James
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