Free Bible Commentary
“James 1:16-18”
Categories: James“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”
---End of Scripture verses---
Contrary to tempting us to do evil (verse 13), our Father in heaven actually blesses us with “every good thing” and “every perfect gift” (verse 17). To believe otherwise would be the height of deception (verse 16) and to have our minds led astray from the truth. The gifts are always good because the Giver is only good. He who spoke light into existence is always pure and good and faithful. Unlike the Sun and stars in the sky, there is no “variation” in the light He provides as He neither shifts positions nor casts shadows as they do.
Please take the time to give thanks to the Father of lights for all of the blessings in your life. As the blessings are continually “coming down” the prayers should be ever going up. To quote Guy N. Woods in his Gospel Advocate commentary on these verses, “There is no admixture of evil in the goodness which he bestows; no obscuring shadow ever falls over him, hiding His goodness.” Our God is never changing and ever blessing!
The greatest gift that the Father bestows is eternal life through the sacrifice of His Son. When God “brought us forth by the word of truth” He gave us new life by “the word implanted which is able to save” our “souls” (verse 21). The first century Christians, and particularly the Jewish converts, were “a kind of first fruits” which was God’s guarantee of a greater harvest to come. We are the beneficiaries and the spiritual fruition of God’s early planting and ingathering.
Please read James 1:19-21 for tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
- Louie Taylor
Share
