A Warning against Favoritism 1 UST My fellow believers, do not honor some people more than others and at the same time trust in our great Lord Jesus the Messiah. BSB BSB: My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
2 UST For example, suppose that a person who wears gold rings and fine clothes joins you for worship. And suppose that a poor person who wears shabby clothes joins you as well. BSB BSB: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
3 UST And suppose that you show special attention to the one dressed in fine clothes. You tell him,“Please sit here in this nice seat!” But you tell the poor one{ to go to a less honorable place, saying},“You stand over there,” or,“Sit on the floor!” BSB BSB: If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,”
4 UST This would show that you thought rich people were better than poor people. It would show that you were making your judgments{ about how to treat people} based on evil thinking. BSB BSB: have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 UST Listen to me, my fellow believers whom I love. God has chosen poor people who seem to own nothing of value to trust in him very much. He will give them great things when he reigns everywhere. This is what he has promised to do for everyone who loves him. BSB BSB: Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
6 UST But you have treated poor people disrespectfully! Think about it! It is the rich people, not the poor people, who are causing you to suffer! It is the rich people who forcibly take you to court{ to accuse you in front of judges}! BSB BSB: But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7 UST And they are the ones who insult you because you are Christians! BSB BSB: Are they not the ones who blaspheme the noble name by which you have been called?
8 UST { So you should not treat rich people better than poor people.} Instead, you should obey the commandment that Jesus said was so important. It is from the law of Moses:“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you show love to everyone equally, you will be doing what is right. BSB BSB: If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 UST But if you honor some people more than others, you are doing wrong. And{ because you are not doing what God has commanded,} God will say that you have broken his law. BSB BSB: But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 UST { God will say this} because if you break one of God’ s laws, even if you obey all the other ones, it is just as if you had broken all the laws. BSB BSB: Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
11 UST For example, God said,“Do not commit adultery,” but he also said,“Do not murder anyone.” So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder someone, then you have become a person who disobeys God’ s laws. BSB BSB: For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 UST { Always} speak and act towards others knowing that God will judge you based on the commandment he gave us{ to love others}. When we follow that commandment, we obey God freely. BSB BSB: Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.
13 UST You should speak and act in this way because when God judges us, he will not act mercifully toward those who have not acted mercifully toward others. But if we are merciful to others, then we can expect that God will be merciful to us when he judges us. BSB BSB: For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works (Galatians 3:1–9)
15 UST { To illustrate,} suppose that a fellow believer, whether a man or a woman, is continually lacking clothes and food for each day. BSB BSB: Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 UST And suppose one of you says to them,“Do not worry, get warm, and have the food you need.” But suppose that you then do not give them any clothing or food. Then that will be no help to them! BSB BSB: If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?
17 UST Similarly, if you just say that you believe in Jesus but you do not do anything that demonstrates that, you do not really believe in Jesus. BSB BSB: So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.
18 UST But someone might say{ to you} that you have faith, while I have works.{ He might claim that a person can express his religion through either faith or works and that he does not need to have both.}{ But I would say in response that you cannot} show me your faith without works. I{, on the other hand,} can show you my faith by my works. BSB BSB: But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
20 UST Also, you foolish person, I will give you proof that if someone says he believes in Jesus but he does not do anything that demonstrates that, then what he says does not help him in any way. BSB BSB: O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?
21 UST { Here is the proof.} Abraham, from whom we are descended, showed that he was willing to offer his son Isaac{ to God} as a sacrifice{ if God wanted him to do that}. God considered Abraham to be a righteous person because he showed that he would obey him{ and that proved that he genuinely trusted God}. BSB BSB: Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 UST In this way, Abraham obeyed God because he trusted him. When he obeyed him, that helped him trust God completely. BSB BSB: You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.
23 UST That was how the scripture came true that says,“Because Abraham truly trusted in God, God viewed him as someone who did what was right.” Other scriptures say that Abraham was God’ s friend. BSB BSB: And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
25 UST Just as he did for Abraham, God also considered Rahab to be righteous because of what she did. She had been a prostitute, but she took care of the messengers{ Joshua sent to spy out the land}. She then helped them to escape by sending them back on a safer road. BSB BSB: In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?
26 UST All of this illustrates an important truth. Just as a person’ s body is not alive if he is no longer breathing, in the same way, a person does not really trust in God if he does not express that trust through what he does. BSB BSB: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.