James 2:14

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

One who says, “I know him,” and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

If you love me, keep my commandments.

But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.

But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”

Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near to God.

He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power,

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”

Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.

You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all, and in all.

being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.

having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.

Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works,

Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.

“I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first.

The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound,

He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh

Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another abounds,

The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.

who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.

Let our people also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they may not be unfruitful.

We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge;

Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight.

But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn’t eat, to the Lord he doesn’t eat, and gives God thanks.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

Don’t be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

We love him, because he first loved us.

For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men;

By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son,

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.

“But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.

but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith,

that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.

For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

If any man doesn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed. Come, Lord!

For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.

and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.