Jakovljeva poslanica 2

Upozorenje na pristranost

1 Braćo moja, vi vjerujete u slavnoga Gospodina Isusa Krista i zato ne budite pristrani!2 Kad bi u vašu Crkvu ušao čovjek sa zlatnim prstenjem i u skupoj odjeći, a istodobno došao i bijedno obučeni siromah3 te kad biste onomu u skupoj odjeći rekli: "Sjednite ovdje, na dobro mjesto", a siromahu: "Ti možeš ondje stajati ili sjesti na pod pokraj mojeg stolca" -

4 ne bi li to značilo da ste pristrani i da nepravedno sudite?
5 Poslušajte me, ljubljena moja braćo! Zar Bog nije izabrao siromahe ovoga svijeta da budu bogataši u vjeri? Nisu li oni baštinici Kraljevstva koje je Bog obećao ljudima koji njega ljube?6 A vi ste prezreli siromaha! Zar nisu upravo bogataši ti koji vas tlače i koji vas povlače po sudovima?

7 Ne kunu li upravo oni Isusa, čije ime nosite?
8 Ako zaista izvršavate kraljevski zakon iz Pisma: "Ljubi svojega bližnjega kao sebe samoga", dobro činite.9 Ali ako pristrano postupate prema ljudima, činite grijeh, i prema Zakonu ste prijestupnici.10 Tko vrši sav Zakon, a samo u jednoj odredbi pogriješi, kriv je kao da je sve prekršio.

11 Jer Bog koji je rekao: "Ne čini preljub" kazao je i: "Ne ubij!" Pa ako i nisi počinio preljub, ali si nekog ubio, u potpunosti si prekršio Božji zakon i pred Bogom si kriv za sve.
12 I zato, ma što govorili ili činili, imajte na umu da će vam biti suđeno prema zakonu ljubavi, zakonu koji vas je oslobodio.

13 Jer za onoga tko nije milostiv prema drugima, na sudu također neće biti milosti. Ali za one koji su milosrdni, Božje će milosrđe pobijediti nad sudom.

Vjera bez dobrih djela je mrtva

14 Draga braćo i sestre, što koristi ako tko veli da ima vjeru, a ne čini dobra djela? Zar ga takva vjera može spasiti?15 Ako su vam koji brat ili sestra bez svagdašnje hrane i odjeće,

16 a vi im kažete: "Idite u miru, utoplite se i najedite se" - ali im ne date hranu ni odjeću, od kakve je to koristi?
17 Tako je i s vjerom: ne rodi li dobrim djelima, mrtva je i nekorisna.18 Netko bi, naprotiv, mogao reći: "Ti imaš vjeru, a ja imam djela." Ali ja kažem: "Dokaži mi svoju vjeru odvojeno od djela, a ja ću tebi dokazati svoju vjeru djelima!"19 Zar još misliš kako je dostatno vjerovati da postoji samo jedan Bog? Dobro je to vjerovati. I zlodusi u to vjeruju - i dršću!

20 Kad ćeš već jednom naučiti, šuplja glavo, da je vjera bez dobrih djela nekorisna?
21 Zar se naš predak Abraham nije pred Bogom opravdao djelom kad je na žrtvenik prinio svojega sina Izaka?22 Toliko je vjerovao Bogu da je bio voljan učiniti sve što on od njega zatraži. Vjera mu je dakle pomogla da učini dobro djelo te je tako, s pomoću djela, postala savršenom.23 Tako se ispunilo ono što piše u Svetome pismu: "Abraham povjerovao Bogu i Bog ga je proglasio pravednim zbog njegove vjere." Nazvao ga je čak "Božjim prijateljem".

24 Vidite, dakle, čovjek biva opravdan zbog svojih djela, a ne samo zbog svoje vjere.
25 Nije li se isto tako djelom opravdala i bludnica Rahaba kad je primila glasnike i izvela ih drugim putem?

26 Kao što je tijelo bez duha mrtvo, mrtva je i vjera bez djela.

James 2

Prejudice and the Law of Love

1 My brothers and sisters,t do not show prejudicet if you possess faitht in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.t2 For if someonet comes into your assemblyt wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say,t “You sit here in a good place,”t and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”?t4 If so, have you not made distinctionst among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?t5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters!t Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?6 But you have dishonored the poor!t Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?t8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture,t “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”s you are doing well.9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators.t10 For the one who obeys the whole law but failst in one point has become guilty of all of it.t11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”s also said, “Do not murder.”s Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law.12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom.t

13 For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs overt judgment.

Faith and Works Together

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,t if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faitht save him?s15 If a brother or sistert is poorly clothed and lacks daily food,16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs,t what good is it?17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself.18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”t Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith byt my works.

19 You believe that God is one; well and good.t Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear.t
20 But would you like evidence,t you empty fellow,t that faith without works is useless?s21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works.23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,”s and he was called God’s friend.s24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way?

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.