James 5

James 1:16

Going into the next few verses it is very important to remember what we have heard from James so far. James has told us of the trials that God sends to us to strengthen us and help our faith endure when the temptations come which are not sent to us by God but are manifestations of our own wicked desires. This is where James picks back up in verse 16

James 1:16 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

A simple verse with a simple command yet how often do we allow ourselves to be tricked into false teaching. Since the dawn of the Church there have been those who have tried to lead the sheep away from the shepherd, to corrupt the bride of Christ and bring heresy into the fold. While our own salvation is secure in Christ we must be dilligent to fight against deception in order to protect those around us who do not know the faith as well. It is funny as one of my classes in seminary las week wound up discussing this very thing. There was a time early in Baptist history where the denomination had two main wings of the faith one side held tightly to their doctrine while the other side allowed false teachers to infiltrate their ranks. At this time both sides were not doing well in outreach so neither were growing but the side who clung to their doctrine was only loosing members to death where as the side who was loose lost many members to heresy and denouncing the church all together.

We live in an age that is desperate to do just that, to infilitrate the church and pull people away from the church. This is done through two primary methods, the first is by denying the existence of or the power of God leading a person into believing they do not need God in their life and have no need for salvation of any kind. The second is a preaching of false doctrine that leads to a weak watered down Christianity where there is no repentance and thus no true salvation, or into a harsh and cruel Christianity that leads people to believe God is simply here to punish us for things we cannot control. This is the idea that we will see James is specifically seeking to combat in his letter at the moment, but the point stands that we as believers should be cautious not to be decieved in any direction so that we might be ready to combat wrong teaching wherever it might arise. It is our duty as Christians to know our God, who He is and what He does, so that we can teach truth and push back against false teaching not being deceived by the world. This false teaching that prevails in the world is an utter disrespect of our God and should truly anger us righteously as it is misrepresenting God and leading souls astray from His church.

Now what truth specifically is James wanting us to be aware of here?

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

There are a few things that we need break down in this verse starting with where all that is good comes from. All that is good number one is not described as a wage or an earning but simply as a gift. Gifts are not something that we deserve or earn but something that someone gives out of their good grace. James here says that all that is good comes from God and none of it is deserved. We immediately think first of religious things such as Christs death for us and salvation, which is the most ultimate good that God has given to us. This is important to keep in mind as nothing else on earth no matter how good or bad could ever compare or overshadow Christs great gift of His very life for ours but we will talk more of this later. This is not however where the goodness of God stops. We also see what we call in theology common grace. God has provided for us all of the necesities of life such as the sun to rise in the morning or the air we breathe in the day the food we eat the ground we stand on is all provided to us out of Gods graciousness and is not something that we have some right to in life. We often in our culture have this entitled sense of what is owed to us just on the basis of being human but in all actuallity we are owed nothing and it is only through God that we are even here.

Necesity is again not the extent of His generosity though. All that is good on earth pleasure and happiness is all given to us by God. The joy I feel when I see my sons face light up when I come home from work is a great gift from God. The joy you feel when you are playing a sport, competing in a competition, or even just resting and relaxing at home are all gifts from God. Now you may have a bit of confusion in you at the moment as we are talking about how pleasure is a good gift from God yet what you have likely heard of Christianity is that it is about the denying of pleasure. There is some truth to that as we are called by Christ to deny ourselves, but it is not to deny all pleasure but to deny a corruption of the pleasure God has given to us. The example that is easiest to use without seeming inappropriate would be with food. I am sure we can all agree that food tastes good right? We all likely have a favorite food that we feel like we could eat without stopping. For me it is dessert. I like regular food, but a good dessert I feel like I just can’t turn it down. You see there is nothing wrong with having one desert. God has given food a great flavor and my tongue the ability to taste it for a good reason not just to make it more difficult for me to resist temptation but for me to enjoy the food. It is when I take that pleasure and corrupt it and eat far beyond what was right that we tread into gluttony and sinfulness.

This same concept of corruption of pleasure can be applied to all sin, C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about the problem of sin in this way that it is not in itself a thing but rather a corruption of what God has given us to be used for good into something for wicked intentions. Either we refuse to put limits on the pleasure and over induldge leading to addiction and dependence on something other than God or we misuse the pleasure in circumstances and situations that we are not yet called to have the pleasure in.

The next thing we want to understand is the title ascribed to God here. Anytime we see in scripture a title given to God it is important in understanding who He is and what He does. Here we see Him called the Father of lights. There are two senses that this is true and makes sense. The first is in a literal sense that God created the very light that enables us to see which then leads to all other manner of good things around us that we enjoy. Were the whole world in physical eternal darkness then nothing would be accomplished. The second sense is in a metaphorical sense. God is not only the generator of physical light but also of intelectual and spiritual light. Through God’s great generosity He has given us minds capable of reason and logic and creativity. We are able to have the greatest of philosophers, leaders, and artists all because God has illuminated their minds and enabled them to see clearly. This intelectual light though pales in comparrison to the spiritual light that He has shined through His word. The word of God is a lamp unto my feet. It is what guides me in a dark an wicked world and helps me to live as Christ has commanded so that I am able to enjoy more of the good pleasure that God has given to me.

The final part of the verse we need to analyze is God having no variation or shadow of turning. We have talked about this concept before but we will continue into it. God is what we like to call immutable. This means that He does not change and never has changed. The same God that created Adam is with us today. This is important for several reasons. We all have people in our lives I am sure that we love dearly and trust wholly, but did you know that studies show that within ten years a person changes and develops so much that they are nearly a different person all together. As a Christian we hope that those changes in us are always for the good constantly improving but in the world we cannot depend on any human in the long run because humans are ever changing. God however is the constant of the universe. He has never changed nor will He ever change and so I can always depend on Him to be the same. Now because He is immutable this means I have an expansive track record for who God is as I can see that the God of Moses in fufilling His promises, the God of David in slaying giants, or the God of Daniel in deliverence from lions is the same God that I serve today. His great power and faithfulness and again generosity have never wavered or changed and that same God is the one whom I serve and have devoted my life to which is a great reassurance for the believer.

Now as we move into verse 18 we are going to circle back to that greatest gift that God has given.

James 1:18 “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

First we see that James is clear how we got here as believers. It is not by the will of man nor the works or heart of man but solely by the will of God that we have been brought forth as sons and daughters in His kingdom. As we mentioned common grace earlier which all humans may enjoy this is what is called special grace which is only enjoyed by the believer. We have done nothing to earn our own salvation our own justification, but because God is gracious and merciful He has brought some of humanity into the kingdom of God and out of the kingdom of darkness that surround us and it is done by the word of truth which is the greatest truth of Christ crucified, of Christ resurected, of Christ paying for the remission of sins for the believer and the freedom that He has purchased for us. This is the greatest gift that God has ever given to us. As pleasureable as the world is as wonderful as riches and joy can be on earth nothing compares to the great gift of peace that I have knowing that my relationship with the Father is patched and that I am not at war with the God of the universe.

Now here James also tells us a purpose of God in our election unto salvation and that is to be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. We as Christians are intended by God to be His pride and joy. God has elected you, has chosen you, out of misery to redeem you and shine you up and polish you so that He can display His great power and mercy through you. You have a purpose in life and that purpose is to be God’s prized posession cherished and loved by Him. It is our job then to live up to that role that God has given us. Look to all we have just talked about, the great generosity of God in all areas of life but especially regarding our relationship with Him. Though we could never possibly repay God for what He has done for us it is still our duty to act according to this calling and live rightieously in an unrighteous world so that when others see us they see the prized posession of God and not just another unpolished unwashed stone of the ground.