James 2:1-13 - Partiality Forbidden

¹ My brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be tainted by favoritism. ² Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. ³ If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Please take this seat," but you say to the poor man, "Stand over there" or "Sit on the floor at my feet," ⁴ then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not? ⁶ But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷ Are not they the ones who blaspheme the noble Name by which you have been called?

⁸ Nevertheless, you are doing the right thing if you obey the royal Law in keeping with the Scripture, "You must love your neighbor as yourself." ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the Law as violators. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ For the one who said, "Never commit adultery," also said, "Never murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law.

¹² You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.