James 1:16-18

THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD THINGS

Text 1:16-18

16.

Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.

17.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.

18.

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Queries

48.

How can James 1:16 refer to James 1:17? (It is easy to see how we could be deceived by sin, but how could we be deceived about the Father?)

49.

Could it be possible that there are good gifts that do not come from the Father? (Be careful. think this one through!)

50.

What word in James 1:17 seems to be parallel to perfect?

51.

Perfect usually means complete, or finished, in the New Testament. Here it may have an additional connotation. What is it?

52.

In what ways can it be said that God is the Father of lights?

53.

The no variation of the Father may be contrasted highly with another figure in the earlier part of the chapter. Who or what is it?

54.

How can something cast a shadow by turning?

55.

How does this lack of a shadow by turning illustrate God?

56.

Why mention the will of God?

57.

What is the word of truth.. i.e., where would you look to find it?

58.

To whom does the word firstfruits refer?

59.

Firstfruits borrows what significance from the Old Testament?

Paraphrases

A. 16.

Don-'t let anyone fool you about the sources of good and evil.

17.

All good giving and every complete gift does not come from this earth, but from the Father who is the source of all light. He is always constant and doesn-'t change to day and night like this turning earth.

18.

It was His desire to give us a new birth by the gospel; that, like the firstfruits, we should be those given over to Him of all mankind.

B.* 17.

But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and He shines forever without change or shadow.

18.

And it was a happy day for Him when he gave us our new lives, through the truth of His Word, and we became, as it were, the first children of His new family.

Summary

Unlike the man with the fickle, wavering faith, God is the constant source of all good gifts. His quality never flickers nor changes, and this is evident by His will for us: That we could be born again into a new family, a family that totally belongs to Him.

Comment

Be not deceived, neither about sin nor about righteousness. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 Paul warns not to be deceived about who shall enter into the kingdom of God. He names a number of present tense sinners (i.e., sinners who continue in their sin and will not repent) who shall not inherit the kingdom. In like manner, James 1:16 refers back to the way of temptation and sin that went before. But the warning also refers to the way of righteousness to follow. Man is so easily deceived about the true source of good. False reasoning, vain philosophies, poor logic, and inadequate science all lead man to think he has found the source of good in something other than the Father of lights. Thus, parents will encourage their children to prepare themselves to make money, as if money were the source of that which is good for the children. The children themselves will train themselves in the sciences of man, as if man's poor observations of things created will equip man to prepare for himself that which is good for him. In this science (man's limited observations) the children are often deceived into thinking they can find the answer to eternal questions, to the nature of God, to the beginning of the world, to the end of man, to the process of life and growth, to the source of light, to peace and understanding for man, to joy unspeakable, to glory, to hope, and to eternal life. Then in a few short years the fading body and inevitable death reveal the futility of science to answer the really important questions of life. With a wasted life, empty of good things, the disillusioned children come to the close of life empty handed of anything of permanent value. Success in accumulation of money, in politics and in social graces equally fades. How much better to receive the wisdom of God, to heed God's warning about riches, and to know for sure by His revelation the source of all good things and all goodness.

Like a two-edged sword, Be not deceived points both ways. One edge cutting the deception of false teachers and theologians regarding the nature of God and the source of good things; another edge cutting the deception and allurement of lust and sin. So Paul uses the expression: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Then note the two-edged warning against being deceived.) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

Deception is in the heart and mind, not just in the deed. Deception may result in action, but deception is itself within. The emphasis of James is upon right thinking. Wrong ideas will soon lead a man in wrong paths. Right thinking is the only basis of right living. Knowing God is not a guarantee against deception. James is here speaking to my beloved brethren. We must continually be on our guard against anything that would lead us away from implicit confidence in God. The elect of God are the subject of continual and subtle influences that would lead them astray, and many of God's children have been devoured of the devil because they consented to be deceived for a time. To embrace, even in our hearts, the things of this world as if they were the first love, is to walk the road of deception, No wonder God warns us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, No wonder that God warns us against seeking after the things of this world. No wonder we are warned to seek our wisdom from God.
That God is the source of every good and perfect gift is sometimes disputed. Some translation here prefer only, or nothing but for every. Every is not only the preferred translation, but is also harmonious with other Scripture regarding the goodness of God. Some may argue that science can often be the source of good things for man. If science were absolutely true and accurate, it would be nothing more than a description and application of that which God created, and then God looked upon it and said: It is good. That which is good, though it may appear to come from science, from earthly parents, from government; or from whatever source, is really from God. There is no good source except it be from God and ordained of God. To think otherwise is to be deceived.

The word perfect means complete, not sinless. The sinless nature of God's gifts is included in the expression good gift. The completeness of God's gift is then accentuated by the expression perfect gift. Some may point out the possibility of the perfect here being a repetition of the good gift just before, and thus perfect would seem to mean excluding sin. Of course, the thought is not objectionable, and is in complete harmony with all that God tells us about Himself. If perfect here means sinless, then this would be the one exception for the meaning of the word in the New Testament. Although the thought of sinless gift is not objectionable, it would seem the better exegesis to the Scriptural usage of the word: perfect gift=complete gift.

Father of lights is a beautiful and revealing expression concerning God. First, God can be said to be the Father of lights because he created light, and created the heavenly bodies that give light in this universe. (Genesis 1; Psalms 136:7) God is thereby the source of physical warmth, and food, and life. God is thereby the sustainer as well as the creator, for the heavenly bodies were not only created, but they continue in existence and in giving light. Second, God is the Father of lights in that He is the source of spiritual light and blessing. This is the most important light, and seems to be the significance of references to God as the light of the world. (see Psalms 36:9; John 1:1; John 8:12; Psalms 27:1). Third, God is the Father of lights in that He is the effulgent source of light. Light may show through the Word of God, light may be reflected in the life of the Christian, and physical light may come from the stars; but all these simply reflect the light of God, the true source. (1 John 1:5; Hebrews 1:3).

The constancy of the Father of lights is also doubly emphasized. With whom can be no variation is in contrast with the unstable man described earlier. It may also be put in contrast with the mistaken sources of light men sometimes follow. Specifically, the noun variation refers to astronomical changes. Unlike the rising and setting of the sun (as we think of it), and unlike the waning and waxing of the moon, and possibly unlike the twinkling appearing and disappearing stars, God does not vary. His light is constant. His gifts are consistent.
The thought is further brought out in the expression neither shadow that is cast by turning. Certainly this expression is an amplification of the former. Ropes suggest that the two phrases are a single expression, as neither variation which consists of turning shadow. Either way, the thought is not altered. The moon, in its orbit about the earth, varies its light because of its turning shadow. With God, there is no such variation. Likewise, the sun is dim at sunrise, bright during the day, dim at sunset, and dark at night, because of the shadow of the turning earth. With God, this is not so. God's omnipresent light never fails, unlike the seasons, the length of days on the earth, and the changing planets.
Educators and students alike despair in their search for that which is constant and unchanging. The shortest distance between two points is now determined not always to be a straight line, and the most stable of mathematical and scientific axioms are found to be relative and unstable. The Teddy boys of England and the Beatnics of New York are a living testimony of the lack of a solid rock on which they can build their lives and their philosophies. The search for stability is fruitless in philosophy, in mathematics, in science, in politics, and in education. But he who will build his life upon Christ Jesus; he who will put his confidence in God, this one has a solid rock on which to build. In God one finds the Ultimate, and the only ultimate. God is the answer, and the only answer. Unshaking stability, unvarying light, unchanging personality, the same yesterday, today, and forever; this is God. From His throne flows peace like a river, and there is no other source. From His heart flows the purest agape love, and there is no other source. He is the rock of ages from whom comes the truth, and there is no other source. Praises be to Him, the author of every good gift and every perfect gift.
The thought of an unchanging God who does not fluctuate in His goodness towards man is further reinforced by pointing to the greatest blessing of all that flows from Him. Man is brought forth from sin and condemnation by the Word of Truth. Man can be begotten anew, born again with a fresh, sinless start and a new living heart. In contrast to the birth of sin (James 1:15), here we see the birth of life. To be brought forth implies two states: (1) that from which one comes.. from sin, fruitlessness, disappointment, condemnation and despair; and (2) that to which one comes. to life everlasting, to joy unspeakable and full of glory, to peace that passes all understanding. The Word of Truth is the gospel of God's revelation through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, and through which God has ordained the world of men to be regenerated in Christ Jesus. No theory of the new birth is scriptural and accurate that does not involve the revelation of God in His word. How can they possibly be born again except they hear? To be born again by direct operation of the Holy Spirit, or by direct revelation from God, is not a Biblical idea. The Word of Truth is part of the unchanging scheme of redemption that originated with our God, who is unchanging Himself.

Further, we note that this born again scheme that offers complete goodness to man is of the will of God. The plan is His, and came from His heart's desire. Our salvation is the result of the deliberate choice of God. This plan He foreordained before the foundation of the world; and there is none other that can take a single ounce of credit for God's wonderful plan. All that is good comes from Him, and nothing that is evil comes from Him. For this reason those who choose God on His own terms become the choicest part of the harvest, kind of like the firstfruits of the Old Testament. (See Deuteronomy 18:4; Numbers 18:12; Exodus 13:11-16) Hence of all God's creatures, (probably referring only to man-creatures) the ones who are born again become the perfect living sacrifice offered up to God, and also become an earnest of more fruit to follow, as they testify of Christ before the world of lost men.