James 1

Testing Your Faith

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance haveitsperfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 beinga double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

10 and the rich manis to gloryin his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life whichthe Lordhas promised to those who love Him.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

19 Thisyou know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speakandslow to anger;

20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness andallthat remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

24 foroncehe has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, thelawof liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives hisownheart, this man’s religion is worthless.

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight ofourGod and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress,andto keep oneself unstained by the world.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JAS/1-e0d4325ac6fbc5dcb7717749c2188198.mp3?version_id=100—

James 2

The Sin of Partiality

1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ withan attitude ofpersonal favoritism.

2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this worldto berich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

8 If, however, you are fulfilling 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 sinandare convicted by the law as transgressors.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in onepoint,he has become guilty of all.

11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged bythelaw of liberty.

13 For judgmentwill bemerciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary fortheirbody, what use is that?

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

18 But someone maywellsay, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

19 You believe thatGod is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AndAbraham believedGod,and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

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

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JAS/2-2487a16e5366923910c61e08cafb7f5c.mp3?version_id=100—

James 3

The Tongue Is a Fire

1 Let not manyof youbecome teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

2 For we all stumble in manyways.If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

3 Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.

4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.

5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, andyetit boasts of great things.

See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

6 And the tongue is a fire, theveryworld of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course ofourlife, and is set on fire by hell.

7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.

8 But no one can tame the tongue;it isa restless evilandfull of deadly poison.

9 With it we blessourLord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;

10 from the same mouth comebothblessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

11 Does a fountain send out from the same openingbothfresh and bitterwater?

12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Norcansalt water produce fresh.

Wisdom from Above

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant andsolie against the truth.

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JAS/3-3bdf7d3cf590f224a2fcc696a713854d.mp3?version_id=100—

James 4

Things to Avoid

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have;soyou commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain;soyou fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spenditon your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?

6 But He gives a greater grace. Thereforeitsays, “God is opposed to the proud,but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judgeof it.

12 There isonlyone Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You arejusta vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15 Instead,you oughtto say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to one who knowstheright thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JAS/4-7a11dc1682687b4009d54c9b30cc2cd8.mp3?version_id=100—

James 5

Misuse of Riches

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields,andwhich has been withheld by you, cries outagainst you;and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and put to death the righteousman;he does not resist you.

Exhortation

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion andismerciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

13 Is anyone among you suffering?Thenhe must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

14 Is anyone among you sick?Thenhe must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

15 and the prayer offered in faith willrestore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JAS/5-52f2016971562a98f914fbc51177bdc7.mp3?version_id=100—

Hebrews 1

God’s Final Word in His Son

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, “You areMySon, TodayIhave begottenYou”?

And again, “Iwill be aFather toHimAndHe shall be aSon toMe”?

6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,

“And let all the angels ofGod worshipHim.”

7 And of the angels He says,

“Who makesHis angels winds,

AndHis ministers a flame of fire.”

8 But of the SonHe says,

“Yourthrone, OGod,is forever and ever,

# And the righteous scepter is the scepter ofHis kingdom.

9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;

ThereforeGod, YourGod,hasanointedYou

With the oil of gladness aboveYour companions.”

10 And,

“You, Lord,in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the works ofYour hands;

11 They will perish,butYou remain;

And they all will become old like a garment,

12 And like a mantleYou will roll them up;

Like a garment they will also be changed.

ButYou arethe same,

AndYour years will not come to an end.”

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,

“Sit atMy right hand,

UntilImakeYour enemies

Afootstool forYour feet”?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/HEB/1-35aafc2216e5cbb733366978ab0625b3.mp3?version_id=100—

Hebrews 2

Give Heed

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift awayfrom it.

2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,

3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

Earth Subject to Man

5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.

6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,

“What is man,thatYou remember him?

Or the son of man,thatYou are concerned about him?

7 “You have made himfor a little while lower than the angels;

You have crowned him with glory and honor,

# And have appointed him over theworks ofYour hands;

8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

Jesus Briefly Humbled

9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels,namely,Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from oneFather;for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 saying,

“Iwill proclaimYour name toMy brethren,

In the midst of thecongregationIwill singYour praise.”

13 And again,

“Iwill putMy trust inHim.”

And again, “Behold, Iand the children whomGod has givenMe.”

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/HEB/2-c4b1467438fd011bf376ed6df76408db.mp3?version_id=100—

Hebrews 3

Jesus Our High Priest

1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house.

3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.

4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;

6 but Christwas faithfulas a Son over His house-whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hearHis voice,

8 Do not harden your hearts aswhenthey provokedMe,

As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

9 Where your fathers triedMebytestingMe,

And sawMy works forforty years.

10 “ThereforeIwas angry with thisgeneration,

And said, ‘They always go astray in theirheart,

And they did not knowMy ways’;

11 AsIswore inMy wrath,

‘They shall not enterMy rest.'”

The Peril of Unbelief

12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it isstillcalled “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

15 while it is said,

“Today if you hearHis voice,

Do not harden your hearts,aswhen theyprovokedMe.”

16 For who provokedHimwhen they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egyptledby Moses?

17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

19 Sowe see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/HEB/3-581020f33f84728c8324edb7915d50c1.mp3?version_id=100—

Hebrews 4

The Believer’s Rest

1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“AsIswore inMy wrath,

They shall not enterMy rest,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventhday:”AndGodrested on theseventh day from allHis works”;

5 and again in thispassage,”Theyshall not enterMy rest.”

6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,

7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

“Today if you hearHis voice,

Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, throughfollowingthe same example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things aswe are, yetwithout sin.

16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/HEB/4-8bb0b1e2f6a94fcd49203acd3055afee.mp3?version_id=100—

Hebrews 5

The Perfect High Priest

1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;

3 and because of it he is obligated to offersacrificesfor sins, as for the people, so also for himself.

4 And no one takes the honor to himself, butreceives itwhen he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You areMySon, TodayIhave begottenYou”;

6 just as He says also in anotherpassage,

“You are a priest forever

According tothe order ofMelchizedek.”

7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

11 Concerninghim we have much to say, andit ishard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

13 For everyone who partakesonlyof milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/HEB/5-89db6ba2846ebd5316d79f15e382f08c.mp3?version_id=100—