Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.

It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].

For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror

for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

But the man who looks at the flawless law that makes men free, and keeps on looking, proving himself to be, not a forgetful hearer but an actual doer of what it requires, will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious while he does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is worthless.

Pure religion and undefiled with God even the Father is this, To pay diligent attention to the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to preserve himself spotless from the world.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

But he giveth mightier grace. Wherefore he saith, "God sets himself against the proud, but giveth grace to the lowly."

Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge.

Ye sentenced - ye murdered the Righteous one! Is he not arraying himself against you?