JAMES 1:16-18
THE SOURCE OF EVERY GOOD THING
People have needs and desires but instead of being mislead into thinking they can be met by the lure and trap of temptations we need to realize that there is another source that we can receive from, if we would but seek Him. God is the great giver and He is the giver of every good thing. He meets our legitimate needs and desires with good and perfect gifts. As a matter of fact, every good gift we have ever received came from Him.
We are warning not to be deceived into thinking that good blessings come from any other source but God. Good and perfect gifts do not come from the world, from people or even from ourselves, they come from God. All human good comes from the perfect Father of the Universe.
I. DEADLY DECEPTION, 16.
II. THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD, 17.
III. THE GREAT GIFT, 18.
I. DEADLY DECEPTION (16)
Verse 16 calls us to become aware of and stop our self-deception. My beloved brothers, you must stop being deceived.
The warning references what immediately precedes and what
immediately follows. First with reference to temptation the deception is understood as a warning against not recognizing our sin and trying to excuse ourselves from responsibility for sin. We blame others, satan and even God for our sin, but the real culprit is not from any external source. Sin has its roots within ourselves, and we bear full responsibility for our deeds and must stop deceiving ourselves into thinking others or other things are responsible. "Persons and objects act on the corrupt heart, stir up its propensities, fan the flame of passion, present all kinds of opportunities for and enticements to sinful indulgence. But they put nothing into us, they only bring out what was in us all along" (John Adam; Exposition of James 73).
You must stop being deceived, also points forward to verses 17 &18. In this context they are understood to be a warning against prideful belief that good comes from us instead of God.
So often we are TEMPTED INTO THINKING we are important and then try to deceive our self and others into thinking we are. A newly promoted army colonel had moved into a makeshift office during the Gulf War. He was just starting to get unpacked when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a corporal coming his way with a toolbox.
Wanting to seem important, he grabbed the phone and said; "Yes, General Schwarzkopt, I think that is an excellent plan." He continued, "You’ve got my support on it. Thanks for checking with me. Let’s touch base again soon, Norm. Goodbye."
Turning to the waiting corporal he asked; "Now what can I do for you?"
"Ahhh, I’m just here to hook up your phone sir," came the rather sheepish reply.
We must stop deceiving ourselves into thinking that we can find what we want through temptation. God is the only one that can give us what our inner being truly needs. What He gives will not deceive us if we will just stop deceiving ourselves. God is the only source of good and He is the source of all that is good. Be not mistaken: God, not temptation, supplies all that is good.
Having asked that we stop deceiving or leading ourselves astray by thinking good things come from temptation’s enticements, James turns us to whom and where good things come from in verse17.
II. THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD, (17).
Having learned that God is not responsible for our sin in verse 17 we see that God is the source of all that is good. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Lights from whom there is no change or shade of variation.
Satan will try to get us to doubt either God’s goodness or the fact that all good things come from Him. Stop being deceived. God is the source of all good things. The thought in the first part of verse 17 is all kinds and all degrees of good are from God. Everything good in this world comes from God. If it does not come from God, it is not good. If it comes from God it must be good, even if it does not seem good, like Paul’s thorn in the flesh that buffed him. He came to realize that God was perfecting his strength in weakness (2 Cor. 12:1-10). If it is from God it ends up being a tremendous blessing. Now we may receive good things from other sources but God is the original giver, the original source of every good and perfect gift.
Every good thing and every perfect gift is from above and keeps coming down. Coming down is a present participle, which indicates that these gifts flow upon us in a continuing stream. God is constantly giving to us whether it be in the air we breath or the transmission of sight or other loving acts of His goodness. God gives us constantly the good blessings of life yet far too often He receives no thanks.
In his book Folk Psalms of Faith, Ray Stedman tells of an experience H. A. Ironside had in a CROWDED RESTAURANT. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer.
When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don’t." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside responded, "No, why?" "Well," the man said, "I saw you sitting there with your head down and I thought you must be sick, or that there was something wrong with your food." Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat." The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!" Ironside said, "Yes, you eat just like my dog, that’s what he does too!"
We often take God’s gracious provisions for granted. We forget that He is the source of all the good things we enjoy. James, though, reminded us that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights"
Let’s remember to say "thank you." The animals may not do so - but grateful people do! Gratitude shouldn’t be an occasional incident but a continuous attitude since God’s goodness to us is a continual supply.
All good gifts from above constantly come down to us from the Father of Lights. God is the Father of the Lights in that He created all heavenly luminaries. The Milky Way Galaxy in which planet earth orbits contains a million suns brighter than earth’s sun. If one could travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). It would take about 100,000 years just to cross the Milky Way. Yet this is just one galaxy among millions. God created all the lights in all the galaxies.
God not only created all the physical light but He is the source of moral, intellectual and spiritual lights also. John wrote that Christ "was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man." (John 1:9).
But unlike the astronomical lights that have regular change, God does not change. The light of the sun changes from hour to hour and from day to night, but God’s goodness cannot change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). The light of the sun may be eclipsed or cast shadows but nothing can block God’s light. Nothing can interrupt the flow of His goodness or cast a shadow on His radiance. God can not change for the worse for He is holy. He cannot change for the better because he is already perfect. Never question His love or doubt His goodness when difficulties or temptations appear. God’s goodness does not vary in intensity with time or change with the seasons. God is stable, unchanging and unchangeable.
The third description of God is that He does not undergo any shifting shadow or shade of variation. The movements of the sun, moon and clouds cause regular shifting of light and shadow throughout the day.
Do you realize that the SHADOWS CAST by the sun never fall on the earth in exactly the same place any two days in a row? On a daily basis the change is imperceptible, but it is clearly evident from one season to another.
No two days are alike, as the rotation of the earth on its axis around the sun provides the phenomenon of perpetual change. "God’s character is always constant, true, unchanging, reliable, good, and faithful. What a God we have!" [Lea, Holman NT, 263]
In sharp contrast to this unending variableness in the movement of the heavenly luminaries, God the Creator, "the Father of Lights," remains constant. He never changes. Old-time theologians used to describe this divine attribute as the immutability of God. By this term they described God’s unchanging and unalterable nature.
We may be grateful in a world of fast-moving events and often bewildering change that a divine constancy prevails in the throne-room of the universe.
Pray for a consistency in your discipleship that increasingly reflects the constancy of God.
III. THE SUPREME GIFT (18).
Verse 18 looks into the new birth God has given His people. Having willed (it) He gave us birth by (the) Word of Truth (intending) for us to be the certain first fruits of His creatures.
The gift of the new birth which is God’s supreme gift to man. There are three things declared about the supreme gift of the new birth.
First, God willed the greatest of all gifts to us, the gift of new birth in Jesus Christ. God’s will does not give birth to temptation but to regeneration. Our new birth is God’s good will toward us. He is the Author of our new being and purpose. He brought about regeneration to those who received His great gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. We did not earn or desire our spiritual birth. God gave us birth because of His own grace and will. No one is born again because of his relatives, his resolutions, or his religion. The new birth is God’s gift.
The second declaration is the instrument which brings the new birth into effect. The Word of Truth is what is used to produce the new birth. The birth by the Word is in deliberate contrast to sin that is birth by lust in verse 15. The Word of Truth is the means God uses to give His supreme gift of being born again into the kingdom of light. This is why those who preach and teach have the mandated duty to preach and teach God’s Word. They are to preach and teach it as the Word of Truth whereby God brings about His good will of changing us into His likeness. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).
The new birth by the Word of Truth produces the first fruits among all His creatures. First fruits can be first in time or first in honor. The new birth refers to a new creation. Believers are the first fruits among the new creation. Believer are the first fruits, the earthly produce or product of God’s new creation. Of all God’s universe, Christians are the highest and the finest creation! We share God’s nature. But this new nature must be fed God’s Word daily. Just as the Holy Spirit used the Word of God to give you spiritual birth, He uses the Word to give you spiritual strength. As Jesus said when facing temptation, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). But a higher birth must also mean a higher life.
There is no reason why any one of God’s chosen first fruits or regenerated believers, has to yield to the temptations of the old creation. He must learn to resist its deadly force, or he can not grow to the spiritual maturity God desires for His children of light (Eph. 5:8; 1 Thes. 5:5).
CONCLUSION
The solution for temptation is found in a close relationship with the Father and in a continuous response His Word. One must rest in the unchangeable Lord of Light and rely on His Life-Giving Word of Truth (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:15).
God’s gifts are always better than Satan’s bargains. Satan never gives gifts, because in the end you pay for them dearly. "It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it" (Prov. 10:22).
The next time you are in a trial or being tempted, meditate on the goodness of God to you. Trust God to lead you through your trials & to provide strength in temptations. You can trust Him, in any & every circumstance. He is always faithful and His intentions are always good. And if you think you need something, wait on the Lord to provide it. Never toy with the devil’s bait but seek after God’s good gifts.
