James 1

¹⁴ Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.
¹⁵ These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.
¹⁶ So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows.
¹⁸ In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.
¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
²⁰ Your anger can never make things right in God's sight.
²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls.

²² And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.

²³ For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.
²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
²⁵ But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
²⁶ If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
²⁷ Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. (NLT)

James 2

¹² You will be judged on whether or not you are doing what Christ wants you to. So watch what you do and what you think;
¹³ for there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.
¹⁴ Dear brothers, what's the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren't proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone?
¹⁵ If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing,
¹⁶ and you say to him, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat hearty," and then don't give him clothes or food, what good does that do?

¹⁷ So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn't show itself by good works is no faith at all--it is dead and useless.

¹⁸ But someone may well argue, "You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can't prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act."
¹⁹ Are there still some among you who hold that "only believing" is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too--so strongly that they tremble in terror!
²⁰ Fool! When will you ever learn that "believing" is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. (Living Bible)