Warning against Having Favorites
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 This is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord?
8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.
10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God's Law.
12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!
Faith and Works
14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”
I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” 19 You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.
24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
26 Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!
Nespriediet par cilvēku pēc izskata!
1 Mani brāļi, ticību uz godības Kungu Jēzu Kristu nesaistiet ar cilvēka ārieni. 2 Ja jūsu sinagogā ienāk vīrs greznās drānās ar zelta gredzeniem pirkstos un ienāk arī nabags noplīsušās drēbēs 3 un jūs, uzlūkodami to, kas greznās drānās, tam sakāt: apsēdies ērti še! – bet nabagam: tu nostājies tur! – vai: sēdies pie mana kājsola! – 4 vai tad tā jūs nesākat viens otru šķirot, kļūdami par tiesnešiem ar aplamiem spriedumiem? 5 Ieklausieties, mani mīļotie brāļi, vai tad Dievs nav izredzējis tos, kas pasaulē nabagi, būt bagātiem ticībā un par tās Valstības mantiniekiem, ko viņš apsolījis tiem, kas viņu mīl? 6 Bet jūs turpretim liekat nabago negodā. Vai tad tie nav bagātie, kas jums uzkundzējas un velk jūs uz tiesām? 7 Vai tieši viņi nav tie, kas zaimo Kunga labo vārdu, kādā sauc arī jūs? 8 Ja jūs piepildāt ķēnišķo bauslību pēc Rakstiem: mīli savu tuvāko kā sevi pašu, – jūs darāt labi, 9 bet, ja jūs spriežat par cilvēku pēc ārienes, tad jūs grēkojat un bauslība jūs atmasko kā pārkāpējus. 10 Ikviens, kas visu bauslību pilda un tomēr vienā bauslī to pārkāpj, ir visu baušļu pārkāpējs. 11 Tas, kas saka: nepārkāp laulību, – saka arī: nenogalini! Bet, ja tu nepārkāp laulību un tomēr nogalini, tu kļūsti par bauslības pārkāpēju. 12 Runājiet un rīkojieties tā, it kā jūs būtu tiesājami pēc brīvības likuma. 13 Jo tam, kas nav parādījis žēlsirdību, tiesa ir bez apžēlošanas. Bet žēlsirdība daudzkārt pārspēj tiesu.
Ticība un darbi
14 Ko tas līdz, mani brāļi, ja kāds teic, ka viņam esot ticība, bet viņam nav darbu? Vai tad ticība var viņu izglābt? 15 Ja brālis vai māsa ir kaili un bez dienišķās maizes 16 un kāds no jums viņiem saka: miers ar jums, lai jums silti un lai esat paēduši, – bet nedodat viņiem neko no tā, kas miesai vajadzīgs, ko tas līdz? 17 Tāpat arī ticība, ja tai nav darbu, tā pati par sevi ir mirusi. 18 Bet kāds sacīs: tev ir ticība, bet man ir darbi. – Parādi man savu ticību bez darbiem, savukārt es parādīšu tev savu ticību ar saviem darbiem. 19 Tu tici, ka ir viens Dievs, to tu labi dari; arī dēmoni tic un dreb. 20 Tukšais cilvēk, vai gribi zināt, ka ticība bez darbiem ir nedzīva? 21 Vai tad Ābrahāms, mūsu tēvs, netika attaisnots tieši darbu dēļ, kad uzlika savu dēlu Īzaku uz altāra? 22 Tu redzi, ka ticība viņa darbiem līdzdarbojās un ar darbiem ticība tapa pilnīga. 23 Tā piepildās Raksti, kas saka: Ābrahāms ticēja Dievam, un tas viņam tika pieskaitīts par taisnību, – un tā viņš tika nosaukts par Dieva draugu. 24 Jūs redzat, ka cilvēks tiek attaisnots ar darbiem un ne no ticības vien. 25 Vai arī mauka Rāhāba tāpat netika attaisnota ar darbiem, kad uzņēma sūtņus un parādīja tiem bēgšanai citu ceļu? 26 Jo, kā miesa bez gara ir mirusi, tā arī ticība ir mirusi bez darbiem.
