Weekly Sermon
James 1:16-18 reads, “Do not err, my beloved brethren. 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. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
James 1:16-18 brings the third paragraph of the epistle to its conclusion. As we have not-ed, the subject matter of this paragraph is arranged in order to move our focus and understanding from the outside toward the center. Even so, verse 12 & verses 17-18 give counsel concerning our right motivation for endurance in godliness. Then verse 13 & verses 16-17 give counsel concerning our right attitude toward the Lord our God. Finally, verses 14-15 give counsel concerning our right understanding of temptation to sin.
James 1:16 serves as a turning point in this paragraph with the loving, pastoral admonition, “Do not err, my beloved brethren.” This admonition renews that of verse 13 and returns the focus of the paragraph to the counsel concerning our right attitude toward the Lord our God. Yet with this admonition the focus of this counsel turns from the negative truth that the Lord our God never tempts anyone with sin and turns to the positive truth that the Lord our God provides every good and perfect gift. On the one hand -- “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (verse 13). On the other hand -- “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” (verse 17). On the one hand, we must never attribute to the Lord our God or accuse Him of any sinful temptation. On the other hand, we must acknowledge and appropriate the truth that He is eternally good and that He is the Source of all good.
This truth concerning our Lord God’s eternal goodness is revealed in the declaration of verse 17 and illustrated in the declaration of verse 18. Grammatically, verses 17-18 provide two separate declarations of truth, wherein verse 17 may be divided into three parts and verse 18 may be divided into two parts. First in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s care through the opening declaration -- “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Second in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s character through the second verb phrase -- “And cometh down from the Father of lights.” Third in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s constancy through the adjective clause -- “With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Then in verse 18, there is the illustration of our Lord God’s good provision through the main clause -- “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.” Second in verse 18, there is the illustration of our Lord God’s good purpose through the adverb clause -- “That we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
James 1:16-18 reads, “Do not err, my beloved brethren. 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. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
James 1:16-18 brings the third paragraph of the epistle to its conclusion. As we have not-ed, the subject matter of this paragraph is arranged in order to move our focus and understanding from the outside toward the center. Even so, verse 12 & verses 17-18 give counsel concerning our right motivation for endurance in godliness. Then verse 13 & verses 16-17 give counsel concerning our right attitude toward the Lord our God. Finally, verses 14-15 give counsel concerning our right understanding of temptation to sin.
James 1:16 serves as a turning point in this paragraph with the loving, pastoral admonition, “Do not err, my beloved brethren.” This admonition renews that of verse 13 and returns the focus of the paragraph to the counsel concerning our right attitude toward the Lord our God. Yet with this admonition the focus of this counsel turns from the negative truth that the Lord our God never tempts anyone with sin and turns to the positive truth that the Lord our God provides every good and perfect gift. On the one hand -- “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (verse 13). On the other hand -- “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” (verse 17). On the one hand, we must never attribute to the Lord our God or accuse Him of any sinful temptation. On the other hand, we must acknowledge and appropriate the truth that He is eternally good and that He is the Source of all good.
This truth concerning our Lord God’s eternal goodness is revealed in the declaration of verse 17 and illustrated in the declaration of verse 18. Grammatically, verses 17-18 provide two separate declarations of truth, wherein verse 17 may be divided into three parts and verse 18 may be divided into two parts. First in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s care through the opening declaration -- “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Second in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s character through the second verb phrase -- “And cometh down from the Father of lights.” Third in verse 17, there is a revelation of our Lord God’s constancy through the adjective clause -- “With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Then in verse 18, there is the illustration of our Lord God’s good provision through the main clause -- “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.” Second in verse 18, there is the illustration of our Lord God’s good purpose through the adverb clause -- “That we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
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