James 1:17-18: From Above

2024-05-28

The next several verses are key to understanding the whole book. If you could make a theme of the whole book, you could perhaps obtain it from this very next verse: “from above.” Understanding James’ teachings is understanding the source of something: is it from above, namely the unchanging, eternal God and His word, or is it from the world? These are some topics that will be covered:

The next several verses will show that the good and perfect gift is from above, namely, from God and His Word. We must choose to receive that engrafted Word and the precious Law of Liberty over following the flesh. These riches of the heavenlies are appropriated by faith. They are available freely to us, but we receive them in our experience by faith.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift...” Strangely, each occasion of the word “gift” is a different word behind the scenes. From what I can tell, the meanings are not very different. It suffices to say that this is a restatement for clarity to make it more comprehensive: The statement includes every manner of gift, every type of endowment, and anything that can be freely received.

Good Gift

The adjective “good” is contrasted elsewhere with adjectives “evil,” “corrupt,” and “bad”:

Good vs. evil: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

Good vs. corrupt: “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:17).

Good vs. bad: “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests” (Matthew 22:10).

Consider Matthew 7:7-11. We see this same word “good” used with gift. We see how some of these good gifts are given when asked, comparing good with evil. Bread vs. stone and fish vs. serpent, and in Luke 11:12, egg vs. scorpion. When God gives good gifts, He gives heavenly and spiritual equivalents of bread, fish, and eggs, not harmful things. They are desirable and necessary things. They are things for our good and blessing. When we ask for the necessities, He will grant them to us.

Perfect Gift

The adjective “perfect” has the connotation of being complete. Elsewhere, we see some different translations:

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14:20). The word “men” is the same word. Children are not completely grown, but the man is full grown; his growth is complete.

Here is a similar issue: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). “...them that are of full age” is the word “perfect.” Here we see that those of full age have the mental capacity to know the difference between good and evil, where babies cannot. Likewise, these gifts are not partial, but rather whole and complete. There is nothing lacking in them.

From Above

Together, we have good (meaning desirable and helpful in quality) as well as perfect (meaning complete in substance) gifts. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Every good and perfect gift comes from above, where God is. Because of the word “every,” that means there is nothing good unless it comes from God. Everything else is an imitation. Everything else is “earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15). It is “enmity with God” (James 4:4). It is “vain” religion (James 1:26).

Spiritual gifts come from above. “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:7-8). When Jesus was enthroned in heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us forever, and when He came, He brought gifts that were sent from Jesus Himself.

Most importantly, the primary gift that came from above is Jesus Himself. He left the splendor of heaven and took on poverty in the human experience that we might be saved and have eternal life. “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23).

The Father of Lights

These good things “cometh down from the Father of lights.” Their source is from God, who is called the “Father of lights” here because He is light. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

He provides light. “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28).

In the new creation, we read, “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory” (Isaiah 60:19).

He gives light to the hearts of the believer. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Of the Son, He says, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). God is the Father of this true Light.

Of natural lights, He is the Father of those also. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). “To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 136:7-9). The light He gives is a result of His mercy toward humankind.

“...with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Our Father is not fickle. He does not just have a bad temper one day and take it out on us. Consider the sundial where the shadow slowly changes over the course of a day. The Lord does not even change in the slightest way like that. He is constant with His promises. He provides what we need to survive and serve Him. Those gifts will always be good and perfect; they will not turn evil or partial one day just because He “feels like it.” This is not how God works. This gives us much security. Our faith is in Someone we can count on. Nobody or nothing else is worthy of faith or able to fulfill such steadfast promises.

When I think of the “shadow of turning,” I think of the time when God made the shadow move backward on the sundial of Ahaz to prove Isaiah’s recovery.

And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz (2 Kings 20:9-11).

The sun may move backwards. Even time may move backwards. But there is no shadow of turning with God. The Father of Lights is not shadow at all, but all light.

James 1:18

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)

This unchanging Father of lights gave us the light of the new birth. This was of His own choice. He wanted a people for Himself, so He initiated this new creation. This is the prime good and perfect gift that He gave us.

“...begat he us...” This is a new-birth term. While most of the epistle deals with sanctification truth and practical application, this is clear justification theology.

The new birth is initiated by God via His Word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Gospel preaching is instrumental in our rebirth. We are born again because somebody gave us the Gospel somewhere in our past. Our soil maybe needed a little reworking, but eventually the incorruptible seed of the Word of God fell in the good soil, and we were born again and started growing. God was instrumental behind the scenes in making sure that precious Word got to us and that we were prepared to hear it.

“...the word of truth...” The phrase “word of truth” is used elsewhere. “And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments” (Psalm 119:43). Because the psalmist hopes in God’s Word, he wanted to keep speaking it. Let us keep speaking the truth of God’s Word.

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). The Word of truth led the Ephesian believers to trust in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. The Word of truth is defined as “the gospel of your salvation.”

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). A servant of God must correctly interpret the Word of God to be used of Him.

The Word of the truth, the Gospel of our salvation, is pure truth. Jesus Christ is crucified and risen again is our salvation etched in human history. We must keep speaking this Word of truth while properly interpreting it.

A Kind of Firstfruits of His Creatures

“...we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Consider Leviticus 23:9-14. During the feast of unleavened bread, there would be a feast of firstfruits. The people would bring a single sheaf of their firstfruits. They would wave it before the Lord with a sacrifice (i.e., with death came life). None of their harvest could be eaten before this was done. Fifty days later came the feast of weeks, or Pentecost. Then the same worshipper would bring of the firstfruits of the harvest.

This was fulfilled in Christ as the single Sheaf during the Passover, and during feast of weeks holy days, the church was born with about 120 persons in Acts 2:1-13. These are a larger batch of firstfruits, but not the whole harvest.

Elsewhere, this is confirmed. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

The meaning of firstfruits has similar meaning in other places. The firstfruits of Achaia were first among the saved of the metropolitan area. “Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Romans 16:5). And again, “...ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15).

The 144,000 were the firstfruits of those redeemed from the earth. “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:3-4). These were the firstfruits; the multitude in heaven appears after them.

We have the guarantee of the future resurrection by the indwelling Spirit: “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).

Compare this thought with these: “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22). And again, “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:5). An earnest is a pledge of guarantee of the future redemption. The firstfruits of the Holy Spirit is the same idea, guaranteeing our redemption and a taste of what the resurrection shall be like.

In every one of these cases, after these firstfruits, there is an expectation of a greater full harvest. There will be more risen from the dead after Christ. There were more saved after the church in Acts 2. There were more saved in Achaia after Epaenetus and the household of Stephanas. There will be more redeemed from the earth after the 144,000 Jews. There will be a redemption of our body after receiving the Holy Spirit.

Here in James 1:18, the “firstfruits of his creatures” is the same idea of being firstfruits of a greater harvest. This could mean that James and the readers would be the first of a larger harvest throughout the world. The huge Gentile response to the Gospel could be that larger harvest. Perhaps this could also mean that they were the first Jewish believers of a larger Jewish harvest that would happen at the end of the world. James 5:7 may be a hint of this. Either way, these Christians were firstfruits of God’s redeemed creatures. They were the beginning of a huge harvest of new creatures created by God through His Word of Truth.

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