James 1:18

"By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” ()

James shows us here that God is the Author of every good and perfect gift including the chief gift, the new birth.

By his own choice,

Because He willed it.

God didn’t need to save anyone, He was under no obligation to save anyone, He chose to.

This excuses us and our merit.

We couldn’t do anything in advance to catch His eye or oblige Him to rescue us.

It was His own choice.

Purely by the good pleasure of God, the bent in the heart of God to do good to ill deserving creatures.

"In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,” ()

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” ()

he gave us birth

Here in lies the work of grace upon our souls!

Similar to "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” ()

"because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.” ()

v23 is completely an act of God giving the life,

v3 is what this work of grace wrought upon our souls if that living hope!

by the word of truth

God’s word is the instrument. , . . . .

It’s through Jesus Christ, who is the eternal uncreated Word of the Father and by Him all things are made: (; ; -15.

Jesus, through the word of truth, in the gospel God mercifully grants the new birth!

so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

In Israel’s sacrificial system, the first produce of the land was considered devoted to the Lord, since He claimed them (; cf. ).

Here the spiritual birth of believers is the first stage in God’s cosmic plan to remake the entire universe.

Let’s consider a few things with regards to v18.

Consideration 1.

That which engaged God to the work of regeneration was merely His own will and good pleasure. (v18; )

God’s will is the reason of all His actions; you will find the highest cause to be will, love, and mercy.

God can have no higher motive,

nothing without himself,

no foresight of faith and works;

He was merely inclined by his own pleasure: , ‘You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you;’

Listen to the reason why God loved Israel in .

"“The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. "But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” ()

God is the spring and rise of us all!

We apply this several ways:

(1.) To stir us up to admire God’s mercy.

Nothing but God’s own will is what inclined Him to save us.

Whomever He desires He saves. Read

(2.) It informs us that God acts on His own.

The Potter is free to shape the vessels on the potter’s wheel any ol’ way He desires.

The Holy One of Israel must not be limited or confined to our human thoughts.

Psalm 50:21 CSB

21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.

"You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.” ()

"“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. "“For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. "For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, "so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”” ()

We should not attempt to reduce God’s works for our salvation to an explanation that we can understand. His ways are higher than ours (v. 9).

Consideration 2.

The calling of the soul to God is a new birth.

There was a new making because all was out of order because there was no active influence from us that contributed.

In grace is called “a new creation” which is from God (2 Co. 5:18).

In that old creation (old self) there was chaos and a vast emptiness. (Read 3)

Empty, dark, watery depths.

This reveals to us a few of things:

(1.) Our Depravity.

To need a new birth is to imply that we were dead before being brought to life by God ().

Mending and repairing wouldn’t do.

Read

Those two notions of creation and resurrection solemnly set apart by the Spirit of God to express the new birth. (; Eph. 2:1-5)

(2.) We were passive in conversion.

Using “birth” to describe our salvation shows us that we’re as passive in our second birth as we were our first birth.

Did you choose your parents?

Did you choose when you would come into the world and where?

Did you choose if you were going to be a male or female?

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” ()

(3.) Shows us the two features of conversion:

1st. The effect of Regeneration is life.

There will be life; the effect of generation is life. Natural men are said, , to be ‘excluded from the life of God;’

they are altogether strangers to the motions and operations of the Spirit.

There will be life; the effect of generation is life. Natural men are said, , to be ‘alienated from the life of God;’ they are altogether strangers to the motions and operations of the Spirit. But now, when the soul is begotten, there will be acting, and moving, and spiritual feeling; the soul will not be so dead towards God.

But now, when the soul is birthed,

there will be acting, and

moving, and

spiritual feeling;

the soul will not be dead towards God.

"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. ” ()

2nd. There will be a change.

2nd. There will be a change.

At first, God brings in all the seeds of grace, thus making a change, from:

Carnal, careless hearts, and are made into spiritual and heavenly, and holy.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light—” ()

There’s a vast difference between darkness to light.