A Warning against Favoritism

1My brothers, do not in partiality hold the faith from our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.

2For if a man might come into your⁺ synagogue† in splendid apparel with a gold ring, and a poor one in filthy apparel also might come in, 3and you⁺ might look upon the man bearing the splendid apparel and might say, “You sit here well,” and to the poor one might say, “You stand,” or, “Sit there under my footstool,†” 4then did you⁺ not make a distinction among yourselves and become judges with evil reasonings?

5Listen, my beloved brothers: Did not God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those loving Him? 6But you⁺ dishonored the poor one. Do not the rich oppress you⁺, and they drag you⁺ into court? 7Do they not blaspheme the good Name having been called upon you⁺?†

8If indeed you⁺ fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”† you⁺ are doing well. 9But if you⁺ show partiality, you⁺ are working sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

10For whoever shall keep the whole law, but shall stumble in one part, he has become guilty of all. 11For the One having said, “You shall not commit adultery,”† also said, “You shall not murder.”† But if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12So speak and so act as being about to be judged by the law of freedom. 13For judgment without mercy will be to the one not having done mercy. Mercy exults over judgment.

Faith and Works
(Galatians 3:1–9)

14What is the gain, my brothers, if anyone says to have faith, but has no works? Is the faith able to save him? 15Now if a brother or a sister is naked and lacking of daily food, 16and anyone of you⁺ says to them, “Go in peace; be warmed and be filled,” but does not give to them the needful things for the body, what is the gain? 17So also, faith, if it has no works,† is dead by itself.

18But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show to me your faith without works,† and I will show to you faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one.† You do well! Even the demons believe that, and shudder!

20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is idle?† 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, having offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. 23And the Scripture was fulfilled, the one saying, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness,”† and he was called a friend of God.† 24You⁺ see† that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

25And likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, having received the messengers† and having sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Footnotes:

2 Or your assembly
3 BYZ and TR “Yoʋ stand there,” or, “sit here under my footstool,”
7 Or the noble name invoked upon you or the noble name of Him to whom you belong
8 Leviticus 19:18
11 Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18
11 Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17
17 Or if it does not result in action
18 BYZ and Stephanus TR (apart) from your works
19 Or that there is one God
20 BYZ and TR dead
23 Genesis 15:6
23 See Isaiah 41:8.
24 BYZ and TR include then.
25 Or spies