The Sin of Partiality
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (ESV)
ELLO… I read
I like verse 8,”If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”
I like this verse because it tells me something that makes perfect sense. If you want others to treat you as you want to be treated then treat them as yourself. If I treat someone like trash then should I expect them to treat me any better than I have treated them? But if I am treated like trash by someone I must not get angry and retaliate I must treat them as I would like to be treated because if I am angry at them then I am the only one who is suffering. I need to pray that GOD will give me patience not to retaliate to anyone who treats me bad and to treat everyone as I would like to be treated even if they aren’t my friends.
CYA
THE GOLDEN RULE!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
this is such a good question! there are so many people out there that struggle with exactly what this verse is talking about and are unclear about what is really true well the Bible spells it out here, (in this chapter), for us in black and white! we as Christians must have both one w/o the other just doesn’t cut it!
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
I like this verse a lot! It is amazing how many people think that actions alone can save a person, when really its based off of a realtionship with God- its faith based. But that does not give us the excuse to not do good works because we know we are saved…I need to be sure that i am actively living out Gods Word and that i dont take my salvation to a point of ungratefulness- where i come up with lame excuses to sin because i know im saved. I need to be bearing fruit daily and I need to be sure that I am serving God in all I do.
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
The Bible makes it pretty clear that we need to have consistent and obedient works in our lives for Christ. Its a life or death situation- it must be important! I mean, its not like we will be killed, im sure we would all be dead by now unless we had awesome obedience towards the Lord…but it is something super important that I know I need to work on more. For example, I need to be obeying my parents with a right attitude all the time- not sometimes or when i feel like it or when i hear a sermon on obedience towards parents and i get all pumped up for that week- I need to stay on track and set a good example for Christ and give God all of the glory. Faith without actions is dead- that is so important to remember!
Maranatha!
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
It’s artistic Mastery, is what it is, that Scripture has been woven together so perfectly by our Creator and Author. James legitimately validates and affirms what we just learned this weekend under Pastor Bobby’s teaching from I Peter. This is a message that is clear for us and we really can’t mess up the interpretation or understanding of it, regardless of feelings or how seemingly ridiculous or unloveable someone may be to us. God PURPOSED for EACH of us to have life and be here on Earth. In loving others and respecting them, we are exercising obedience to and respect and love for God directly.
Kind of a stretch maybe, but an analogy for me is when I make something for someone (as God has made us for one another). If that person just trashes it or ignores it, even (as we may be guilty of doing to other PEOPLE whom GOD has made), it’s offensive and hurtful to me (as it is offensive and hurtful to GOD when we trash [talk] or ignore one of HIS creations). We need to go beyond and underneath the superficial aspect of our hearts, and recognize that when we do not love others as the Bible commands us to, we are essentially and actually not loving GOD. And this is SIN. A huge impediment to our relationship with Him. We need to rid ourselves of any TRACE of such hearts and actions.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
When I first glanced at this verse I thought, huh…that’s weird. I thought that works didn’t matter, that we can’t get to heaven by works. But then I read a little more and began to understand what this chapter means. Yes we do have to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and without it we will not go to heaven. But we also have to do good works in the name of our God in order to ‘be justified’. Some think just works will get you to heaven, WRONG. Some think just faith will get you to heaven, also WRONG even thought it may seem alright. We need an balance of the two, without good works for God we won’t do as Scripture has instructed us to. If we have faith, but don’t have good works, we are nothing, we are ‘half-believers’. Not only is doing good works a great way to show those around us that God is love and He shines through us, but even the small good works, even those around the house. When my mom asks me to do something, I need to obey with the correct attitude immediately. That in itself is a good work. I’m starting with the small things and working my way outward, but I now know, without actions (good works) our faith is useless.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
My AWANA kids memorize this verse and I think that they include this verse in their books because it is ever so important for even little kids to understand. They ask me questions alll the time about this one because they think it’s so amazing how they could back talk their mom and be guilty of all the sins, not being able to go to Heaven, but stand in front of God at judgement day facing Hell….I always act out the role of their mother, trying to get them to understand and it works really well. They remember that verse every time I help them memorize it and I think it is an extremely important one to remember. God is perfect in judgement because He is righteous. He will not allow even one sin into His kingdom and I think even for myself, I need to remember that. Meisha was talking at small groups a couple weeks ago about the gov’t and how we should obey the law…she was giving us an example of how bad sin is by saying that if we broke the speed limit once, that “little sin” can send us straight to Hell. It was an eye opener! SO Loooooord help me obey you even in the speed limit and help me focus on what’s ahead. MARANATHA!
Yesssssssss, all sin is equal in God’s eyes!
Cool that you’re teaching them this verse!
…I still want my own group. :- /
14 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”
If someone says he is one thing but acts the opposite, he is a hypocrite. This verse explains why Christianity has the reputation of being hypocrites, because I would say one thing and do another! Faith with works just go together, if you don’t have faith, how can you do works? I also need to be careful of putting on a “show” with my deeds, I can’t be prideful of the deeds I do. I need to make sure I’m living for Christ 24/7 and not be a hypocrite. I am a witness for Christ, if I’m a hypocrite, what would other people think of Christ?
!!!MARANATHA!!!
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” as christians we cant show favoritism to others. we need to accept every one and show just as much care and love not showing favoritism to the richer person or the guy who is popular. but instead we need to show compassion to even the poor or the nerds and the “outcasts” at school. i need to work on showing compassion to everyone and not to only the people that are my friends or nice to me. i need to especially work on showing equality to my sisters so they wont feel left out.
Great post Josh.
Legit Post Josh! I like the length of it!
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Faith is of course what you absolutely need to one day see Jesus, but doing good works is also a huge part of that commitment. If you have faith, good deeds follows right along side it because your heart will want to do good and contribute kind things to this fallen world. I know for sure my heart should to be in a place where I am constantly remembering other people around me and thinking of their needs and desires. If I am continually reminding myself of other people, good deeds will follow those thoughts.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
James 2 is a chapter that has been widely misunderstood and quoted out of context for many years. James is NOT saying that faith + works leads to salvation. What he is saying is that true saving faith will RESULT in a life that is completely changed and full of good works. God works do not save us, but they show that we are saved. I love this equation to show the relation of faith and works in salvation…
Repentance + Faith = Salvation + Good Works
All of the cults have the wrong equation. They say….
Repentance + Faith + Good Works = Salvation
That is FALSE! James 2 fits nicely with Ephesians 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Salvation is not by works because if it were then human beings would get the glory for it. Once saved, good works flow out of true Christians because their hearts have been changed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Good works come after salvation as a sign that we are saved.
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
This chapter starts off strong with no room for excuse here! We cant only obey part of the commands that the Lord has given us. We need to do everything that He has said! No one can have two masters! So we either have to be all in with the Lord, or with the devil because we cant serve both of them. So many people walk the fine line between sin and holiness and we need to be aware of the line and run away from it so our faith can grow and so that we may live above reproach!
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Faith and deeds. These both go hand and hand in the equation of Christian living. When a person gets saved by faith, they will begin to live a life radically different from their one before, and they will produce good works. This is not to say that the deeds are what saves a person. They most definitely do not. Ephesians 2:8-9 talk about how we are saved by the grace of God, not by any work that we may have done. However, good deeds fall after all of those who truly put their faith in Christ and repented of their sins. People often struggle to find the right equation. Some will say: “Good works = Salvation”. Others say: “Belief in God = Salvation”. And some, realizing the truth that one needs to repent and put their faith in Christ, will say: “Repentance + Faith + Good works = Salvation”. But the truth is this: “Repentance + Faith = Salvation + Good works”.
When a person gets saved, the Holy Spirit comes in and takes out the heart of stone and puts in a heart of flesh. He empowers the Christian to do good works. So while the good deeds don’t produce salvation in any way, they follow after anyone who is a genuine Christian. I need to not relax and slack off in my practice of godliness just because I have already been saved by faith. Instead, having been saved, I need to be excited to be living righteously for God in all that I do. I need to be striving to do good to all those who are around me. Every opportunity that I have to do a good work, I need to see the chance and seize it!
Good morning!!!
Verse 8
” If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”
I am very tired this morning.
But I am still here ready for God’s word to teach me and to show me how to live. This passage tells me that I have to fulfill the whole law, because if someone only holds up part of the law then they are partial towards God and He does not want that. Also, in this passage it tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Where have we seen this verse before……….The Ten Commandments!! These rules just keep coming back and are being taught by someone new each time, this time Paul preaching the words from God’s mouth. Holy Words indeed.
sorry I meant James…….can ya tell that I’m tired.
I can tell your dedicated cause you are posting even when you’re tired. Thanks for the great example Connor!
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves
James makes the point in this verse that it is not just our favoristic actions that are sinful, but that we make “distinctions”. Even if we do not act in a way that shows favoritism, but we make divisions and distinctions in our hearts, we sin. I think that this verse goes along nicely with the awesome sermon we heard Pastor Bobby preach this weekend. We need to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and bring them in. And at the same time we mustn’t judge our brothers and sisters in Christ, and favor other people because of the way they look or because of their personality. This is something that I need to work on. I need to not even make the distinction in my head, but rather show my brothers and sisters in Christ the love that God has showed me, and reach out to them. God, I pray that you would help me not to show favoritism towards anyone. I pray that I would not even make that sinful distinction in my heart, but consider others better than myself and reach out to everyone.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
I pray that I could love my neighbor as myself!!!!!! This is an important law. I need to be more loving towards my family and I need to make sure that I am treating them just as well as I treat myself!!!!
MARANATHA
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
I think this really ties into Pastor Bobby’s message from this weekend! Anytime we show partiality, or choose to be nice to someone and not another, we are committing sin. I need to love all of my fellow Christians, and not just those who I know really well or who I am comfortable around. On top of that, I need to reach out to those who may not be Christians and should share the love of Christ with them. If I don’t, there may not be another who will. Me reaching out to someone I normally wouldn’t could make a huge difference in their life! I know that this has been the case for me in my life!
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
This really stood out to me this morning because so many times we walk passed people or talk with people and may give a little encouragement but we do nothing about it. I would call it the “I will pray for you man” response. When really we dont actually care what is going on in some ones life enough to take action. It is easy to ask some one what’s wrong and then say “I will pray for you” and then walk away and not do anything, and even forget to pray for the person.
As christians are life needs to be characterized by good actions not just good intentions. Our love for our brother should be evident and we should have a reputation for helping others. Our example is Christ when the people were in need he would always stop and meet the need.
I think of the hemorrhaging lady who touched Jesus’ cloke in Mark 5. We read that she completely believed if she was to touch his cloak she would be healed. And it says immediately Jesus turned around and responded to her. Now consider the context…. Jesus was walking in a massive crowd of people. I am sure he was getting bumped and pushed and touched the whole time. His cloak probably was even draging on the ground so for him to feel this women touch his cloak was not normal, and it goes on to say that he felt the power leave from him. Now if I was in the situation I probably would have kept walking. It was crowded, dusty and people were everywhere, and yet we see the Lord Jesus stop what he was doing and respond to this lady. Jesus was the perfect example of Love. He always ministered to the needs of the people whether it was a spiritual need or a physical need. He took the time.
Oh Lord I am humbled this morning by the example of Christ and how he was so sensitive to the peoples needs around him. It is sad because in our day and age life moves at a rapid pace and who knows how many opportunities we miss because we move by and don’t respond with action to peoples needs. I pray that today I can be looking to respond to peoples needs around me in action. And that the words I speak would be followed by action.
Wow, Alicia, That is an amazing thought on that. I like the “I will pray for you man,” response. I know that I do give that response, thinking that it’s the best thing to do at the moment, but that passage (verse 16) makes me think…
Alicia, I want to echo your prayer today that if people around me have needs, I would take the time to help them. In life I often feel like I’m rushing around day after day, just trying to get everything done! I tell hurting people I’ll pray for them (and I DO pray for them), but don’t always take the time to help in a practical way. My prayer is for God give me pause when I’m in that situation and that I would be able to take the time to love others in a practical way.
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
I love how real and practical the Bible is. This verse reminds me of 1 John 3:17, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
The Bible cuts through all the lip service and fluff and says that we should be looking for practical ways to meet people’s needs. To really do this we need to be “getting real with our brothers and sisters.” (point #1 from this week’s sermon) I need to invest my time, energy, and $ in people so I can know how to practically help them. Then once I know how I can help them, I need to pull the trigger and DO SOMETHING!
GREAT COMMENT!
James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”
This verse is saying that if you break one of the laws you’re accountable for all of it. Small sin is just like doing a big sin, but I think is no degree of sin because sin is equal.
I had great memories of this verse, like reading it last year. I also remember:
Anyone remember Pastor Mike breaking the glass with the hammer at Revival 07′ and relating that to sin when he used this verse??!!!
A good example today, so I’m in World Lit class. We had to read a story and answer all of the questions by ourselves. I was the first one done in my class and I turned it in to the basket where we’d put all of our finished work in. My teacher isn’t watching as she is reading a book. Well this kid goes into the basket and gets my paper out and goes back to his desk and starts copying down all of the answers. It was even worse because he was sharing it to all of the people around him. I remembered this verse and I didn’t judge him, but I think it really humbled me to think I was just like that kid.
I also remember Dan Blakenship talking about this verse @ Revival Winter Edition (2008) we were in small groups and I remember like talking about sin and he refered to this verse, however he didn’t mention this was the verse. I remember arguing a little bit with him about it and then last year I read it and I finally believed him…
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
This is one that I see so much around me. A lot of times it’s obvious when people have favorites and prefer one person over another. As humans, our first instinct is to look at someone’s outward appearance and make an assumption on that person. But God looks at the heart. My outward appearance can’t do anything to define me as a person . Especially at school, I see a lot of kids that get picked on or made fun of because of their clothes or if they’re “nerdy/weird.” Not only this but I can’t show partiality. Not only towards outward appearance but if someone is more “popular” or “funny.” Even when people treat me bad, God commands me to follow the golden rule and to still love & pray for them. I pray that True North can be a more loving place. I’ve been praying everyday that when I go to TN God will bring new people to me to encourage and welcome them just as He would!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
I really liked this verse. It’s basically saying actions speak louder than words. If you have TRUE faith in Jesus Christ you will show it by your actions. There’s a huge difference in saying your a christian and living like a Christian. If you say your a christian but still living in the same sin and living for yourself you are not saved. But if you repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ and accept him as your lord and savior, you are going to heaven. Live in a wholesome way so when people look at you and your life they will say “something is different about him/her, i want to be like them”. Our goal in life as christians is to represent Jesus and make deciples so more people can live forever in paradise! Maranatha!!!
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Mercy is an incredible thing that God has given me, and I am so thankful! I still remember Bobby’s analogy over the summer; its like i stole money, and instead of being punished for it, its like im taken out to ice cream. I have sinned against God so many times and have fallen into temptation more times than I can count. But God STILL forgives me and offers me eternal life because of His Son.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Just believing in God doesn’t save me; a lot of people believe in God, but they claim that they’re “not religious.” (That means that they just don’t want to follow His commands.) I have to believe in AND follow the Lord in order to please Him. Even the demons believe in God, but they’re not saved! It’s complicated to think about sometimes and it took me awhile to understand it, but I am not saved by works, but ~because~ I am saved, I will do good works for the Lord.
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”
When you’re out evangelizing, and trying to explain to someone that our sin makes us guilty before God, something someone might say is that they’ve only taken part in the ‘lighter’ sin. And because of that, they are able to make it into heaven–because they never took part in the ‘bad’ sins.
This verse makes it clear though that there is no distinction of sin before God. Sins that we as humans are biased to think are worse than others are seen all the same before God; it is all still transgression, and therefore able to drag you from that level of perfection required to make it to heaven on your own.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
This verse reminded me of Bobby’s message over the weekend. It reminds me of the golden rule he was talking about, do unto others as you would want to be treated. This is so important because I think the root of judgment comes from selfishness and failure to look at my sins instead of others. When I practice what this verse says the judgment I have towards others goes away and I think about what I can do for others and not what they are doing for me.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
I like the fact that this verse has made such an impact that it is constantly used in secular society, even in classrooms. It is important to always obey and honor this command from Jesus.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Yes! The Golden Rule! That is something I should be living by as a Christian everyday! If I abide by that simple “rule” I will start to think of others beside myself, and that is something huge and important to be doing! But I also love what verse 9 says in that if I do show partial affedtion toward someone, then abiding by the golden rule would be useless. It would be useless beacause th whole point is of the Golden rule is to not be selfish and think of others first. If I show partial affection, that is not true affection, and shows that I really don’t care for that person!
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
If I am claiming to be a Chriswtian then one of the things i need to be doing is thinking of others more than thinking of myself and my wants. If we treat ourselves like we all we care about people may start to think that we are stuck up. But we would want others to treat us well, to treat others as we want to be treated. The Golden Rule <3
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
This passage reminds me of what we are learning in english class when writing essays. We have to work on showing verses telling. There is so much more power in actions then words. ( hence actions speak louder than words) When we give examples of our arguements in the essays, we further the proof that we know what were talking about.
…Anyone can say that they are a christian and follow God and pray… but do their actions speak by it?
James 2:14-26
Almost about every single Mormon brings the piece of Scripture up, trying to prove that faith is necessary for salvation. It’s a valid point on their side of the argument, and a point that is hard to break down and totally destroy because even the Bible tells us that faith, without works, is dead.
However, lets consider a few things.
1) Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
No matter how many”good works” we have done, we still sinned, and we still fall short of the glory of God. Bummer (Luckily, we have John 3:16). With this, I can conclude that faith is necessary for salvation and it is not totally based on “good works.”
2) Mormons believe in “faith with good works equals salvation,” however Ephesians 2:8 clearly states that faith alone saves us, and now this passage in James is talking about how show our faith through good works. These are two totally different things.
Christian perspective: Faith=Good Works+Salvation
Mormon perspective: Faith+Good Works=Salvation
At least that makes sense to me.
I still need to research this topic more, because clearly the Mormons dominate me when it comes to this. Not Cool
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Ouch! I know so many people that say, “Yeah, I’m totally a Christian. I believe in God.” And then they go out and live in the world and are part of the world, showing no light in their lives. Evidences of our faith comes from our works. This doesn’t save us, but once we realize we are sinners and deserve hell, there should be an inward change that is seen outwardly, through actions and words. When I was saved, I remember seeing how much I changed and how much I wanted to do for the Lord and it wasn’t because I had to, it’s because I wanted to! Faith withOUT works doesn’t make any sense.
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
When faced with the truth, Judgement Day is scary. Therefore it is so important that I speak and act wisely and according to God’s commands. I should consider being judged every time I am tempted to sin. And I love what this verse says about mercy: if you show no mercy to anyone else, you should not expect God to show mercy to you. Christ showed mercy in the extreme to all of us sinners by dying for our sins and suffering unimaginably while we may live eternally with him as long as we believe in him and have a relationship with him. I am so very grateful that such a thing as mercy exists, because without grace I would suffer a lot.
(sorry idk why this post appeared as a comment instead of a normal post…)
amen, jasmine! awesome comment
hahaha lol
I read…
Verse 19… “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
When we are evangelizing, some use the term ‘believe’. Using this term can create misconceptions, like as this verse points out, just believing that God is real. If we prefer to use this term we need to clarify that we need to believe in God’s atonement not just His existence.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
These verses condemning favoritism ring a bell in my memory. As a kid, and in junior high, I was annoyed with teachers who always treated the same kid as their favorite and didn’t even bother to hide it. It bugged me because I just saw the teacher’s pet as a suck-up, not even a kid I could see worthy of being a favorite. Well, growing up and being a leader myself of groups of younger people, I realize it is difficult not to show partiality. Though it may be natural to like one person above the rest, I need to always show brotherly love for everyone. Partiality is unfair and we will be judged for it.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
I need to remember that one sin is just as bad as any other. In God’s eyes, it’s all sin, whether we see it as small or big. I need to do things glorifying and honorable to God. I should speak and act for his glory, and not for myself.
13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
God blessed me with mercy, so I ought to show mercy to others. Patience is important when showing mercy. I need to be slow to anger when someone frustrates me and remember to forgive them, just as God forgives me. We cannot have true love is we do not share mercy. Judgment is God’s, not mine.
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
This stood out to me as interesting–the whole works versus faith thing. People always say that you can’t be saved by works alone. However, the book of James almost seems to make the opposite argument–you can’t be saved by faith alone. I believe that actions speak louder than words, therefore works that prove our faith speak louder than us just saying we believe. I need to take more action as a Christian and be bolder for God.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
I like these verses because they are so true. I reminds me when I hear people say “You lied to me” and the other says: “No, I just didn’t tell you the whole truth.” It is half way done. Half way told. Either way it is lying. I need to obey the WHOLE Law. I need to listen 100% and not sign out on GOd when He gets half way. I need to listen and obey. God says don’t kill, but He also says go and make disciples. So there are to go dos and then there are the don’ts. I need to be doing both(as in dtop doing the don’t and start doing the dos) SOrry if this is confusing. :/ It makes sense to me :]
God gave me a guide and that guide is the Bible. He said that He is the Word and the Word was there in the begining. SO God knows all and I need to listen and obey what He is telling me, because He knows a lot more, and I mean A LOT more than I do. :]
wow thats a great comment! i love those verse as well.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
I love these verses because loving others as yourself is actually a really hard task! We need to set aside differences with each other and just recognize that Christ calls us to be fair to each other and love each other and to not show favoritism to certain people! Loving another person as your own self is easier said then done and I pray that the Lord will give me strength to do this!
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
A lot of people today think that being raised in a Christian family or going to a chirstian school saves them. I use to think the same thing. People believe in God and admit that He is real but they never live like it. Before I realized that I was not really a Christian I told everyone that I was but I never would prove it. I learned that even though works do not save us, they are just important as faith is. We need to live out God’s laws and make sure we are a good example and not hypocrites.
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
For a Christian there is a never a separation between faith and works. Abraham was a great example of faith being completed by works because he willingly, without hesitation offered his one and only son as a sacrifice even though God had promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. Abraham believed in the promise of God, and offered his son as a sacrifice because he trusted that God would keep his promise. We know Abraham 100% trusted God because of his actions he had tied his son Isaac up and was standing over him with a knife before God stopped him. Talk about being all in, talk about having street cred. Abraham faith in God was hardcore and we know that because his actions backed it up. Dear Lord please help me to trust and obey your word in full by living out your commands in my daily activities.
The Sin of Partiality
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well
I love the part when it says love the neighbor as yourself:)
as God loved everyone even when we put him to the corss!
I have to say James is one of my favorites!!!! it really relates to my life, and makes me always think when i read this, it never gets old.
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?—This verse really reminds me that no matter how much we have on this earth, nothing matters along as I have Christ living in me and he is my main priority! He is in control of my life and I don’t really need to be worrying about anything else like material things or outside appearance! I am NOTHING without Christ and with him I am rich. Next time I think about if I need to have this or look like that, I need to remember that not of that matters and its all going to be gone someday and what I ultimately need it Christ! I am going to be working on just worrying about whether I am bringing glory to God with my life rather than putting all of my time in other, useless things.
MARANATHA!!!
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
Wow. This verse makes some scary claims. I know alot of people who say, oh it’s ok if I do this cuz I go to church and do everything else right. But this verse is saying just the opposite. We need to be devoted 100% to God, that means that we hole nothing back and leave no regrets. Continue on the race and run to win!!!!
4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
I like this verse because there are so many times when I find myself looking at someone and judging their personality and background just by what they happen to be wearing that day. Reading this chapter today made me realize that God put these verses on equality and treatment of each other to instruct, not just for me to read once and go on as I normally do, because I found myself doing that a little while ago. Applying every verse to my life and using them to change my daily lifestyle to please God is my goal, instead of reading and forgetting, so tomorrow, I am going to start by watching what I think about other’s appearances, and get to know them to learn about their background, or personality!
I liked how it said that if we obey every single law and just break one that we are accountable for all the laws. I like this because most of us don’t really think of the small things we do is not as bad as murder for and example. Even if we justed txted or ate in class when we are not suppose to that it is just as bad a murder. Makes me think of the small things that do matter. Also it reminds me of a Revival when Pastor Mike put sins on a piece if mirror, and when he hit just the smallest sin it still did as much damage if he wouldve hit a sin like murder. Hope everyone doing campus lunches has a great turn out
I love pastor Bobby’s sermons!! Whenever i read a chapter or a passage that he has preached about, it just helps me to see and to remember what he preached to us a long time ago!
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
you can’t be saved by works alone. and you cant be saved by faith alone! Faith is the corner stone and the building block for our relationship with the Lord, but if we do not produce good works through our love for Christ and through our faith then how can we truly even call ourselves christians? I was reading some of the comments from a while ago and alot of them were about having strong roots in Christ and not being a sees scattered on the rock or one with shallow roots that just sipps the water of the Lord and dies away. I want this to be my prayer, that i will be rooted in God strongly and not be of shallow soil. Maranatha!
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
This is an important chapter that we can learn a lot from. I love how this verse just shows us that we need faith and works. It is like if someone says that they love you but never do any think for you and beat you then they don’t love you. So in the same way it we love God and have faith in him then we need to show that our word is true and have action.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
These three verses teach a very valuable lesson: no matter the size or degree of the wrong doing that has been committed, the punishment is the same. From the smallest of all possible sins to the greastest ones, all wrong doing is still not what we believe is “good.” Therefore its end product is not lessened or added to depending on how bad the sin was. I know that physically hurting someone is wrong, so i don’t do it. But i also know that texting during class or chewing gum during class is wrong as well, but i sometimes do it. I think these verses are helping me to realize that i should treat those little sins as if they were amountable to the damage of big sins.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
doesnt mean one does a lot of good works, doesnt mean that one is good with God. it’s actually that one with faith will do good works, not because he is forced to but because he wants to.
this verse reminded me of that one time during campus lunches last year when zack was differentiating christians from mormons, so I thought comment about it
There were a couple great verses that stood out to me, verse 9 and verses 14-16.
Verse 9 said, “9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” I think that we do, in our normal lives commit this sin, and we normally don’t think of it. It seems like we put down others for the way they are (in an offending way or not offending) but without them doing anything to get that remark. I feel like our society calls it normal, so we make it that way. After reading that verse, I immediately thought about all the stereotypes drifting around school, or just wherever we are.
Verse 14 said, “4 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” It starts out by talking about how we act with different people, and then it shows an example of someone who thinks they are doing something good, by blessing the person, but the bible shows us that that is not the right way to deal with such a thing. I felt convicted, because I know I think, “we will pray for you, okay now you can go.” kind of thing. So, I feel like in our own lives we should actually care and love for the brother that doesn’t have as much.
Good passage today =)
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
True repentance is ALWAYS accompanied by actions. Demons believe about God but they are not going to heaven because they haven’t repented. When God changes a person’s heart and they have become a new person there are observable changes that take place. Works do not earn your salvation but they are proof that you really are saved. The difference between works before and after salvation is that the works after salvation are powered by the Holy Spirit while works prior to salvation are powered by your own strength.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
This verse is what shows that we can never match up to our perfect God. There is no possible way for me to be completely perfect and never break the law and never sin! It is impossible! I’ve already sinned in my life so many times i cant even recall most of them. This is why I am so thankful for Jesus!! 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Thank you Jesus(:
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
Abraham’s faith was shown by his works. Works do not save, but they follow after salvation. Works are a product of faith and salvation by God. One that says they believe in God, yet acts the same as they did before they were “saved” isnt saved. They had no change in their life. Works are the change that follows and the growing done as a Christian. I need to be looking at my life and seeing what fruit I have produced as a Christian and see if I am continually growing!
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Well this verse definitely couldn’t be any clearer. Works do not save us, but they do come along with being saved. This passage is so key in the Christian walk to be “doers” of the Word. So many people say that they are Christians, or believe in God and Jesus Christ, but they do nothing about it and their life doesn’t change whatsoever. I definitely do not want to be a hypocrite like this! Everyday, I want to be living out Christ’s commands and striving for holiness. This is my prayer!
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Works don’t save us, but we do show our faith by our works. Our works are what let the entire world know that we believe and are followers of Jesus. Its what makes us different, and its one of the things that attract people to Christ (if we’re living like we should!) It is so imperative that we are good witnesses through our actions and not hypocrites!
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
What an amazing verse, and so true as well. It reminded me of the talk I had with Pastor Bobby not so long ago.
We had a good talk about atheists, and he made me discover how much more I have to back up compared to what they do. They have nothing, no evidence, zip, nada , they’re all talk. They know that God is real, but they choose to deny the fact. The greatest fact there is, the Gospel. I believe that God is one. How about you?
2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
At church, we need to act in this way that the first part of the passage described. We need to love and honor everyone, not just those we are already friends with or those we think are ‘cool’, but everyone. When we choose not to welcome a newcomer, we are showing partiality in our faith because we are not loving everyone as Christ commanded. So let’s love! And especially at church!
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
I was listening to Sons of Thunder by Sleeping Giant today and it was talking about just this. It starts out with the scripture when Jesus is talking about loving your neighbor and turning your cheek and I was like “yeah.” This verse was convicting to me though becasue it follows onto showing partiality. I want to never show partiality, but to show love to everyone Lord, amen.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
if you have true faith, then works will come too, but if you have “faith” but have no works, you need to make sure your faith is real, but works do not save us
c u all later
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
this verse is so convicting!! i know we have ALL grown up hearing this verse, but i dont think we really live by this or really understand what it means! i dont know about you guys, but im guilty of not always treating people how i would like to be treated, but its something we all need to be thinking of daily when we come into contact with people, especially since we are supposed to be examples to others!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
Doesn’t this just say it all?
We can’t live a good Christian life without having good works to back it up!
That just doesn’t work!
I need to do more works of faith to strengthen my walk with Christ further.
Lord, help me to always be strong in Your ways and to please You in all tht I do.
Not my will, but Yours be done Lord.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
Like B said, another fantastic AWANA verse!! Today, I used some of my time meditating on sin, and how each sin of mine, no matter how “big” or “small” it may appear to me, it still separates me from God. God is so merciful and gracious!! My only purpose here is to glorify God, not to please myself.
This is something that we talked about at the laguna hills small group. One thing that I HATE, AND I MEAN HATE, is when some one talks about how spiritual they are and always does works that can be seen by other men, but is lazy and is bosting all the time. With our faith we need to show humble deeds. Later in James it talks about how the humble will rise.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
No one except Jesus Christ lives a perfect life free of sin. While some people may think they do, even just sinning once breaks the law and requires Jesus’ Christ sacrifice to have their sins forgiven. The contrast between his perfect life and our evil sinful lives is an insanely huge gap, one that gets bigger everyday. Jesus Christ did so much for so many, and its so sad to think that some people don’t even accept his sacrifice. But on the other hand, some people could not even know, and that is where we as Christians, need to be stepping it up and getting his name out everywhere!
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
THis chapter coincides very conveniently with the message from last weekend. Though James uses the example of a rich man and a poor man to demonstrate partiality, it is just as wrong to favor your friends – people you know and are comfortable around – over those that you do not know as well. It may not seem like a big deal sometimes, but this verse makes it very clear that it is SIN. Therefore, I need to make every effort to truly loving my fellow brothers in Christ as I love myself, by reaching out to them, not just superficially, but by taking a genuine interest in them, making sure to follow it up with communication and prayer for them.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
This verse is really encouraging because it is not always as easy as it looks. Loving one another can be tough at times, but we should be loving others as Christ loved us! It is powerful how Christ loved us while we were sinners and that he took the punishment for every single one of us. It is really easy to say “I love you” to someone, but if I think about it, those words are huge and the ultimate definition of love is what Jesus did on the cross. Bobby’s sermon this weekend about the golden rule and treating others how you would want to be treated is so motivating to always be nice and encouraging to one another. Obviously I do not think anyone would want to be treated badly, so we should be spurring one another on with love and good deeds! I pray that I would always be looking out for my brothers and sisters in Christ, and be encouraging and building others up because it is right and also because it is how I would want to be treated!
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
This is the truth. Like many of you have said, a true saving faith will produce works. Jesus says in the gospels that we will be able to see who the Christians are by the fruit they produce. As a Christian, we cannot compartmentalize our faith and say it is just something that we believe but it doesn’t affect our actions. Either we believe it and our lives are radically changed, or we are deceiving ourselves into thinking we understand what we profess. I want to make sure that I am growing in holiness. I do not want the adjective “dead” to describe my faith, I want to have a Hebrews 11 faith evidenced by good works “which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
This was applicable for me because it’s like sitting in bio and my teacher wants us to pick partners and i dont want to go with the super nerdy person. But God wants us to do unto others as we would have them do to us and i would not want to be left out.
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
i can not only be a hearer of the word but also a doer who applies God’s word to my life instead of just saying “oh! great verse! next…” I need to say “great verse! memorized and applied!”
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
I really like these verses. Verse seventeen really reminds me that we need to back up our claims of Christianity. If people can not tell we are different from the world, than there is something wrong. We need to be Christians in the fact that we follow Jesus Christ, being lights in a dark world.
I really like verse nineteen because it reminds me that good works, although they do not make our faith, they help make up our faith. We can believe in Christ, but that doesnt make us a true Christian. A true Christian has faith and repentence. Like James said, even the demons believe in Christ, but they definately are not Christians and are definately not going to Heaven. WE need to follow Jesus Christ.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
If we break the law but at one point, we then become responsible for all of it. The intensity of the sin does not matter, wether it be murder or a lie, we still have broken one of God’s laws. As God sees it, sin is sin and it means we have failed at obeying something He told us to do.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
If you believe in God and want to please him, then you will do works for God. Like when we evangelize and try to bring people to God, it is because we love God and want to do what he says.
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
I like many verses in James 2, especially this one. This verse made me laugh a little, not because it is a humorous topic, but because it calling the person foolish who thinks you can have faith without works. Christianity does not work that way and you can only pretend for so long. Talk is cheap. If a person claims to have faith, then you should see the fruit in their life.
Yes! Faith without works is dead!
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
So…faith is essentially made manifest through works…The interesting thing about the faith we see in the Bible is that it is always shown through works… Just like what all of Hebrews 11 is talking about….In faith…someone…did something…. So in faith let us do something for God’s glory…
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
I like this verse because of how it said, “so also faith apart from works is dead.” This verse really reminded me once again of “fake christians”. A lot of times at school people will go around and ask what religion someone is. Its then I over hear the person say, “christian”. But I then think about what that person has done recently and in the past and think, “how can you call yourself a christian, yet live your life a total different way?” Its sad to think that because of people like this, so many people don`t want to become christians. So we as the christians need to live a great life that completely reflects God in the best way possible. That way people will know what christianity is all about!
11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law
This is a very convicting verse for me. For me, there are particular areas in my life that I fail at with sin and there are others that I excel in, but that is not good enough. If I fail in one area of my life, that means that I fail in all areas of my life and I need the Lord’s forgiveness to wash that sin away. I pray that I would work to improve my weaker areas with sin in my life and not be partial in my life. I also pray that I would have a greater faith in the Lord and give him all the credit for forgiving me of my wrongdoings.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
This verse stands out as a reminder of the seriousness of sin. It makes me look at sins in my past with a greater sense of guilt that has been relieved by the cross. It makes me look at my life now and fight all sin in my life because all of it is lawlessness.
James is amazing!
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that.
James 2 is a great passage to be reading after the sermon from this weekend! One thing I was thinking about after reading vs 16 was the fact that we aren’t looking out for our brothers and sisters. This verse encourages us to see and meet the physical needs that our brothers and sisters have. In order to do this, I need to be looking out for them! I can’t determine what needs the fellow believers in my life have unless I open my eyes to the problems that they are going through.
I liked this because it tells us that good works don’t get us to heaven to spend an eternity with the lord, faith through Jesus Christ gets us to heaven, im not saying goods works arn’t good cuz they are haha, but they are useless without faith is what im trying to communicate.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
WOW! This is insane. If we commit just one little sin, we are guilty of breaking the whole law! This motivates me to stop sinning. I do not want to be accountable for breaking the whole law. THANK GOD FOR HIS FORGIVENESS!!!
AMEN to forgiveness!!!
Verses 1 through 7 reminded me of the sermon this weekend, about loving one another. I need to make sure that i am welcoming and encouraging everyone, not just those i am already friends with. I need to show no partiality, as sin shows no partiality.
Also, we talked about verses 14 through 26 in small groups today…it was a really good talk. (: We just clarified and discussed that it is only by grace, faith and repentance by which you are saved, and good works are a repercussion of that salvation we now have. This reminded me of something Ben said,
Grace + Faith + Repentance = Salvation + Good Works
The good works is on the right side of the equation, something that happens after salvation, and as a repercussion of grace, faith, and repentance.
“26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” I do not want to have a dead faith, and therefore i live my life striving each and every day to become more and more like my savior Jesus Christ. I live my life in obedience to him, and represent him in the way that i live. I am so thankful that the Lord has saved me, and has a perfect plan for my life!
i agree with Ben, James is awesome!!
Great comment! Basically you wrote everything i was going to haha
Goodevening . . .
I read . . .
James 2 . . .
Many people get it so confused today that it’s Faith ANNNND works that save you. WRONNNNG. Doing good works or deeds isn’t what saves you. Infact, that is what we were talking about in Small Groups. Jordan brought this up . . .
Repentance + Faith + Trusting in the Lord = Salvation + Good works.
Sadly, alot of people in different religons belive that the works should go on the left of the equation. But, that’s completely wrong. Works is the end result “fruit” of your salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. Doing good works is what our lives should be filled with AFTER we’re saved, not before. Well at least it’s not the works that save you.
Because I am a Christian, I need to be exhibiting good works. Showing people the love that Christ showed me, and loving them as I would love myself. Theres defintly room for improvement on that.
Srry, for the short post. I need 2 go 2 bed.
THERES SO MUCH MORE THAT I COULD SAY ABOUT THIS CHAPTER THO! IT WAS UBER GOOD!
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~M.A.R.A.N.A.T.H.A~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
~ Ariana Mishreki ~
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
Beth, great comment on this verse! Ephesians 2:8-10 came to mind for me too…it doesn’t make sense to say you are a follower of Jesus and then not follow him. Being a Christian who does the works of a Christian is the only kind of Christian there is. But, like Beth made that important distinction that obedience to God in good works is what flows from real salvation, not what we try to bring to the table to get it.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
This verse reminds me of hypocrisy! So many people claim to be “Christian” yet they have no visible fruit and never serve God. If someone is a slave to Christ and they surrender their life to him, they also will serve him through works as well. It’s a natural result of your salvation! This verse sometimes can be misleading however. Salvation is not gained through works. No matter how many good works you have, if you haven’t repented and put your faith in Christ than you haven’t been added to the Book Of Life. This verse is talking about the people that HAVE repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ but have no fruit to prove it!
________________________________________________________________
3 Nails + 1 Cross = 4given
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Don’t think “I’m not the kind of guy God would pick to do this” or when evangelizing, don’t judge people and say “God won’t save them” cause remember some of the most key people in the Bible. David, small sheperd, wasn’t even mentioned by his father when Samuel came to annoint a king, yet he was chosen. Paul, formerly Saul killer of Christians, was saved and wrote much of the New Testament. Even Jesus Christ himself was the son of a carpenter. God uses all sorts of people to do all sorts of things, don’t slam a door God opens for you.
The first part of this chapter really made me think about what we talked at small groups about!! We talked about the Golden Rule! We are to do to others as we would have done to ourselves!! Would we want people to treat us differently just because of how we look or what we are wearing or because of how rich we are!! I do not know about you but i really would not want that to happen to me!! And so i will do to others as i would have done to myself. We should not be nice only to those who like nice or look like we could denifit from them! We need to extend ourselves to every single person no matter what they look like or how you might think that they would effect you !!!!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
This is a rhetorical question. Which means the answer is evident from the context: no! A faith in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sin and his resurrection from the dead will lead to actions! We will act out the new life we have in Jesus! This passage is so helpful for many people who think they are Christians but do not have works in their life. It will help them to realize that maybe they are not really saved. I’ve been so excited to even see some of you get saved because of this realization at True North! May the Lord continue to use his truth to open the eyes of high schoolers will come to know in saving faith!
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
This is a great warning! For whatever little thing I do, say, or think, im going to be judged for anything and everything! This is really scary because its so easy to sin and forget about it. But God will remember and that just terrifies me, there is so much sin i regret but that why her warns me so I wont do it in the future. Sometimes i say stupid things that nbot nessicarily bad but it can unintentionally hurt someone and i instantly regret it. I need to start thinking things more cleary and if I dont think then I need to just be quite and listen. What helps me though is just contantly thinking: “If God was right with me would i say, do, or think that?”On a random note I was so encouraged today because I saw this christian guy do something really nice for someone he wouldnt normally reach out too and it really touched my heart and I just thought “I should do that to someone else!”! Anyways….
Verse 13 is great also because it reminds me what we talked about in small groups of how if we dont forgive others then how do we expect God to forgive us? Kind of like the parable about the rich king and the lying man who owed him lots of money but because the man wouldnt show mercy to another who owed him money, the king saw it fit only the throw the lying man into prison because we should do unto others as we would want done to ourselves. ( *cough* Golden rule *cough*).
Anyways campus lunch tomorrow! If anyones reading this please pray that many people will come and that they will continue to come!
What an amazing chapter….my highlighter was just goin’ and goin’ and goin’!
I love how in this chapter it confronts us with the fact that “Faith Without Works Is Dead……”
This concept is SO important and it is something I need to continue to grow in so this was a great reminder for me tonight!!
Verse 17 says it very plainly, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead..” So true and SO important! It is so easy for anyone to say that they believe, but to live it out is a whole different story! Verse 24, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” You can’t justify the faith that someone believes without proof! This is how we show we are saved and followers of Christ…… by the “fruit that we bear…” It goes on in verse 21, to give us an awesome example of Abraham and how obedient he was! Totally living how is relationship with God by obeying what He commanded….even if it was offering up his own son!! That’s some radical obedience! And the passage ends so great with verse 26, “For as the body apart from the spirt is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
Amen! This is my prayer!! That I can live out my relationship with God and bring Him the Glory He deserves!!!
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
This is such a heated topic among people, and a lot of people use it to say that the Bible contradicts itself. However, they are not fully understanding what this is talking about. True faith is exhibited alongside works, and we do those works through faith. Without works, our faith is not really trust and reliance on the Lord, accepting that we are of sin, and fully committed to Christ. It is by works that we demonstrate where our heart is, and that our faith is genuine; more than simply, “believing in God”. As this chapter says in verse 19, even the demons believe – and shutter, at that.
I think that, though works do not save us, faith and works are sort of intertwined. As this verse says, Abraham’s “faith was completed by his works.” As we read about in Hebrews, we need to be doing everything we do, including “works” by faith. (See Hebrews 11) The two go hand-in-hand, so I need to demonstrating both, as Abraham did. Verse 23 brings up this oh-so-popular word in the Bible again – righteousness. The reason Abraham was righteous was what I previously stated. He lived by faith, and served the Lord (did “works”) through that faith, as well as the fact that his faith was completed in the way he served the Lord. At the end of verse 23, it calls Abraham a friend of God – for this reason. In my pursuit of righteousness and Godliness, I need to be exemplifying the same way of living that Abraham did – by faith, serving the Lord, in everything that I do.
Not sure that I really understand the faith and works section, but. . .
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
This is quite a sobering statement. God’s law is perfection. While nobody in the world ever born after Adam can keep the whole law, some–it is true–are more righteous than others. Although I would agree that goodness is better than evil, it doesn’t matter how righteous you are; you have to either perfectly keep the entire law, or fail utterly. Praise the Lord that He sent Jesus Christ to keep the perfect law for us!
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”
Mmmm. Great chapter! I cant wait to talk about this tomorrow at small groups yo!
Over and over again in this chapter it talks about faith and works. Most of the world believes that if you do good works and are a “good” person that you are a christian and you will be in heaven someday. The truth is, nobody is “good”! Everyone is a sinner so noobody is essentially good and what people believe is not true. YOu cannot get to heaven and be a christian just by good works.
Grace + Faith + Repentance = Salvation + Good Works
This equation is so important. YOu must have faith and you must repent of your sins first! God provided the grace..by grace you have been saved through faith(ephesians 2:8-10). So the grace is provided by Jesus but him dying on the cross for our sins. THe faith and repentance is what we must do. THen we will receive salvation and following that, then we do good works!
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it
THis is a good verse and like Luke says it makes me want to resist sin as must as possible. If i fail and sin in just ONE area, i am going against the law and i am responsible for all of it! Lets fight back against sin(:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
We cannot have a complete transformation and be a new creation in Christ just by faith!! There has to be something to back it up to!! When we become a Christian, our actions change to the highest degree!! All of our old ways are gone, and in come the new transformed Christ centered life!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
“12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”
This verse really reminded me of the type of mindset I need to be striving for as a Christian; a mindset that knows that one day I will be judged by God and have to give an account of all of my sins. So, as this verse says, I need to act and speak in accordance with this truth, and I will be fearing the Lord in doing so.
Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need to have faith and good works to be a good Christian but it should not be like I have faith so now I need good works.
I am proud to be a Christian and God is great and do everything for him
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
God has given us so many tools to use in this world to become become great and wonderful things for his glory. All we have to do is use them for the right reasons and to work away from the bad. The more u do good the more your desire for sin will eventually fade away. SO DO GOOD!!!