James 2:1-9

11My brethren, 2do not hold your faith in our 3glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of 4personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your 5assembly with a gold ring and dressed in 67fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in 8dirty clothes, 3and you 9pay special attention to the one who is wearing the 10fine 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,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges 11with evil 12motives? 5Listen, 13my beloved brethren: did not 14God choose the poor 15of this world to be 16rich in faith and 17heirs of the kingdom which He 18promised to those who love Him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and 19personally 20drag you into 21court? 722Do they not blaspheme the fair name 23by which you have been called?

8If, however, you 24are fulfilling the 25royal law according to the Scripture, “26You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you 27show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the 28law as transgressors.