Ezekiel 14; Ezekiel 15; James 2

1 Some of Israel's leaders came to me and sat down in front of me.

2 Then the LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

3 "Son of man, these people are devoted to their idols, and they are allowing themselves to fall into sin. Should they be allowed to ask me for help?

4 "So speak to them. Tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: Suppose an Israelite is devoted to idols and allows himself to fall into sin. Suppose he goes to a prophet [to ask for my help]. I, the LORD, will give that Israelite an answer, the answer that his many idols deserve.

5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the nation of Israel. They have deserted me because of their disgusting idols.'

6 "So tell the nation of Israel, 'This is what the Almighty LORD says: Change the way you think and act! Turn away from your idols, and don't return to any of your disgusting things.

7 Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to fall into sin. If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help, I, the LORD, will give him an answer.

8 I will reject him, and I will make an example of him. I will exclude him from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

9 "'If a prophet is tricked into giving a prophecy, it is I, the LORD, who tricked the prophet. I will use my power against you and destroy you from among my people Israel.

10 Both of you will suffer for your sins. The prophet will be as guilty as you are when you ask for his help.

11 Then the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me. They will no longer dishonor me with all their sins. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Almighty LORD.'"

12 The LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

13 "Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals.

14 Even if these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves," declares the Almighty LORD.

15 "Suppose I send wild animals through that country and they make it childless and turn it into such a wasteland that no one travels through it because of the animals.

16 As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could rescue their own sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves. And the country would become a wasteland.

17 "Suppose I bring a war against that country by saying, 'I will let a war go throughout this country.' Suppose I destroy the people and the animals in it.

18 As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves.

19 "Suppose I send a plague into that country or pour out my fury on it by killing people and destroying animals.

20 As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could, by their righteousness, rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves.

21 "This is what the Almighty LORD says: I will surely send four terrible punishments against Jerusalem. I will send wars, famines, wild animals, and plagues. They will destroy people and animals.

22 But some people will survive. Some of your sons and daughters will be brought out. When they come out to you, you will see how they live. Then you will be comforted after the disasters that I will bring on Jerusalem, after every disaster that I will bring against it.

23 You will be comforted when you see how they live. Then you will know that everything I have done was done for a reason," declares the Almighty LORD.

1 The LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

2 "Son of man, what good is the wood from a vine? Is it better than the wood from a tree in the forest?

3 Do people use it to make something? Do they make a peg from it to hang things on?

4 No! It is only thrown into the fire as fuel. The fire burns up both its ends and chars its middle. Then can it be used to make anything?

5 When the vine was in perfect condition, it couldn't be made into anything. How can it be used to make anything after the fire has burned and charred it?

6 "So this is what the Almighty LORD says: As a vine is taken from among the trees in the forest to be used to feed the fire, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem to punish them.

7 I will turn against the people of Jerusalem. Even though they have escaped one fire, another fire will burn them. Then they will know that I am the LORD, because I will turn against them.

8 I will turn the country into a wasteland because they have been unfaithful," declares the Almighty LORD.

1 My brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring one person over another.

2 For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes.

3 Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, "Please have a seat." But you say to the poor man, "Stand over there," or "Sit on the floor at my feet."

4 Aren't you discriminating against people and using a corrupt standard to make judgments?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Didn't God choose poor people in the world to become rich in faith and to receive the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

6 Yet, you show no respect to poor people. Don't rich people oppress you and drag you into court?

7 Don't they curse the good name [of Jesus], the name that was used to bless you?

8 You are doing right if you obey this law from the highest authority: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."

9 If you favor one person over another, you're sinning, and this law convicts you of being disobedient.

10 If someone obeys all of God's laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them.

11 After all, the one who said, "Never commit adultery," is the same one who said, "Never murder." If you do not commit adultery but you murder, you become a person who disobeys God's laws.

12 Talk and act as people who are going to be judged by laws that bring freedom.

13 No mercy will be shown to those who show no mercy to others. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 My brothers and sisters, what good does it do if someone claims to have faith but doesn't do any good things? Can this kind of faith save him?

15 Suppose a believer, whether a man or a woman, needs clothes or food

16 and one of you tells that person, "God be with you! Stay warm, and make sure you eat enough." If you don't provide for that person's physical needs, what good does it do?

17 In the same way, faith by itself is dead if it doesn't cause you to do any good things.

18 Another person might say, "You have faith, but I do good things." Show me your faith apart from the good things you do. I will show you my faith by the good things I do.

19 You believe that there is one God. That's fine! The demons also believe that, and they tremble with fear.

20 You fool! Do you have to be shown that faith which does nothing is useless?

21 Didn't our ancestor Abraham receive God's approval as a result of what he did when he offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice on the altar?

22 You see that Abraham's faith and what he did worked together. His faith was shown to be genuine by what he did.

23 The Scripture passage came true. It says, "Abraham believed God, and that faith was regarded by God to be his approval of Abraham." So Abraham was called God's friend.

24 You see that a person receives God's approval because of what he does, not only because of what he believes.

25 The same is true of the prostitute Rahab who welcomed the spies and sent them away on another road. She received God's approval because of what she did.

26 A body that doesn't breathe is dead. In the same way faith that does nothing is dead.