Expositional Study of James
GOD IS A GREAT GIVER
Scripture Reading: James 1:16-21 (KJV)
"Do not err" – make no mistake about it, be quite sure of it. It is not easy to decide whether this verse should be linked with what precedes or with what follows; but perhaps we may spare ourselves the trouble of a decision by linking it with both. Either way, we may be certain of God's mind concerning both the evil of the previous verse, and the good of the succeeding one.
"My beloved brethren" – a phrase that can become hackneyed, formal, and meaningless, or real and full of meaning. Who can doubt that the scattered Hebrew Christians to whom James writes were brethren indeed, and sincerely beloved? It is truly a happy thing to be "among brethren."
In the previous lesson, prevailing circumstances were briefly considered, circumstances that, in essence, were not that different from our own, circumstances of trial and temptation. Now we are occupied with the grand fact of the Overshadowing God – atop all of life's circumstances and able to lift us so that we need never again be "under the circumstances." And this God is a giving God. There is a legend told of an ancient kingdom whose sovereign died and whose ambassadors were sent to choose a successor between two twin infants.
They found the little fellows fast asleep, and looking at them agreed that it was difficult to decide, until they happened to notice a curious little difference between them. As they lay asleep, one had his tiny fists closed tight, the other slept with his little hands wide open. Instantly they selected the latter; and, sure enough, the legend very properly concludes with the record that as he grew up in his high station he came to be known as The King with the Open Hand. It is no legend, but sober fact, that our God is not a close-fisted deity, but a God with an ever-open hand – He is a great Giver. John 3:16 forever reminds us that "God so loved...that He gave His only begotten Son." Romans 8:32 enquires, "how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Let us look into some of those "all things," as indicated by our passage – revealing Him as, The giver of benefits.
Here we have a Statement of His Benefaction – "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down..." In other words, everything that is good comes from Him; nothing but good comes from Him. How wide and all-embracing is this statement. Truly, His gifts are showered down on us; and gladly will we obey the Psalmist's exhortation, "forget not all His benefits" (Ps. 103:2). We will remember them even if we cannot count them.
Our attention is invited to a Statement of His Being – His Being is the explanation of His benefaction. The familiar description has a beauty all its own. Of course, "The Father of lights" is an astronomical figure. Studying this Epistle, one notices that its author is a great hand at illustration. Here, in order to elucidate his point, he calls the heavenly orbs to his assistance. The Maker and Giver of those rolling spheres is the lavish Benefactor of all who dwell beneath their golden radiance. As there are many "lights" up there, so there is need of many lights down here – the light of "wisdom" for which we have already been encouraged to ask (v 5); the light of comfort, healing, guidance, understanding, good cheer, and the light of lift. All such come from Him, "with whom is no variableness." With that Great Light up yonder there is unceasing alternation between sunrise and sunset; but with Him who, in John 8:12, announced Himself as "the Light of the world" – it is unchangeably always noon-tide. He is always the same – for all times; and, also, for all people. He does not vary as between rich and poor, young and old, gifted and simple. He shows no change, "neither shadow of turning" – shadow caused by turning. Any shadow that comes between Him and us is not of His making, but of ours. An eclipse of the sun is no fault or failure of the sun; that darkening shadow is the earth's doing. So do we creatures of earth often cause a shadow that God Himself could throw is something different, something wholly and beautifully beneficent.
Grace is like the lights which God has set in the firmament to give light upon the earth; it is a sun which never sets. Where it shines, it is always high noon, neither waxing nor waning; and where it rests, there is no shadow on the dial. What boons the sun imparts to needy earth, as well as needy man; and what greater and deeper benefits does the Father of lights bestow upon our souls.
"Do not err, my beloved brethren" – truly, God is a great Giver. He is The giver of birth. That is true of the natural birth – the truest account of it is that it is God's gift. It always brings a smile to occasionally read the announcement of a new arrival with such words as, "The gift of a son" or "a daughter." It is such a happy way of telling the world. However, it is the new birth that is dealt with in verse 18.
Something that has actually happened; an accomplished fact – "begat He us." All need it; both the bad and good – even a man as good as Nicodemus. To him the Master said (John 3:7), "Ye must be born again." It surprised him because spiritual life, Christian life, heavenly life, eternal life (call it what we will), when compared with ordinary life, is not something that is different in degree, but totally different in kind. If a fish desired to become a man, and tried its very hardest to be better, it would only succeed in making itself a better fish: it would still fail to become a man. There is only one way, "Except a fish be born again it cannot enter into the kingdom of man." If a man desires to become a Christian, he will not accomplish it by being a better man; he must be different – "a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). A man who is not a Christian, no matter how good he may be, would feel out of place in heaven – just like a fish out of water. Yes, indeed, we all need this new birth. Returning to our passage, we note they had it, and it would only have come to them by the one way, even as it does to us – the way of Romans 6:1-8. No matter how hard we may try, we can never accomplish this for ourselves – the Lord does it. If ever we are to be saved (born again), it must be, can only be, His doing.
Let us briefly consider The Sufficient Cause of the new birth in this verse – "of His own will." Not our merits or work, not our rights or efforts, but His Sovereign Will, is the sole originating and effecting cause – "not of yourselves," “but God” as we learn from Ephesians 2:4-10. We could never have been regenerated unless He had willed it so. What we somewhat loosely call conversion (though we mean regeneration) is a matter of will. It is not wrong to work on the emotions of someone, because emotion almost always leads to motion. One may preach in such a way as to move someone to the front of the congregation, but all is valueless unless one has the will. Actually, it is a matter of two wills: first, foremost, and fundamentally God's Will, and then our will. God says, "I will if you will." In a marriage service that is the essential feature. In answer to the challenging question, the man says, "I will;" and, when the woman adds her "I will" to his, the wedding is an accomplished fact. So is it with our regenerating union with Christ, as part of His bride – our own "I will" is essential; but it would be useless if God had not long, long, ago said, "I will." Yes, the grace of God is certainly wondrous and we should always keep in mind that when we believe in Christ, it is only because of the grace of God; when we repent of our sins, it is only because of the grace of God; when we confess His name before men, it is only because of the grace of God; when we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins, it is only because of the grace of God. Everything pertaining to the new birth is because of the wondrous grace of God.
Let us now briefly consider The Mighty Instrument – "with the Word of truth." Whenever a Christian gives testimony regarding the way in which Jesus Christ was found, one sooner or later hears about a Bible text that touched the heart and led the soul to the Lord. Perhaps it was John 3:16, or Acts 2:38, or Romans 6:1-8, or some other – a "Word of truth." Man's word may be helpful to the seeking soul, but it is God's Word that does the work. That suggests to Christian workers a special rule: in all our personal work we should lead souls to the "Word of God," the Bible – always leaving one resting on and contemplating that "Word." We will never make much of a soul-winner, unless we learn how to use the Bible to that end.
Another truth in this new birth verse is The Great Purpose – "that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." Perhaps that means that these early Christians were the beginning of the ingathering of precious souls, perhaps that they were to be an example of what all subsequent gleanings were to be. In any case, it is certainly true that those who have been begotten of God should yield their all to Him for His praise and service. Matthew Henry says, "Christ is the firstfruits of Christians; and Christians are the firstfruits of creatures."
What a marvelous verse. Consider again, "Do not err" – let us make no mistake about it, let us be quite sure that we have received Christ, God's great gift of birth. Nothing could be more important than something upon which hangs our eternal welfare. Having settled that, we are now ready to consider God in another aspect of His giving love, to see Him as The giver of breeding.
Evidently He purposes that we should not only have life, but life of a fine quality – happily healthy, well-nourished, attractively influential, having all the marks of spiritual good-breeding: Heaven's gentlemen and gentlewomen. This is the theme that the Holy Spirit now leads James to enlarge on in the closing three verses of this section; and we will observe that breeding is linked up with the Book. This James is a rare man for the Bible.
He teaches us that if Holy Scripture is to have this saving and sanctifying effect on us, we must give it Careful Attention – "swift to hear." Here is a picture of the eager learner, even listening for the Spirit's voice in these inspired pages. Do we come thus longingly to our Bibles day by day – hurrying to hear, because we love the One who speaks, and because we know both the sweetness and the importance of what He says? How greatly He rewards such careful attention. Then, on the other side, "slow to speak." We have two ears to one mouth – we are not to be silent Christians; we are, as occasion offers, to bear a testimony; "let the redeemed of the Lord say so" (Ps. 107:2). The teaching then proceeds, "slow to wrath." The learner becomes the teacher; but the teacher must not become the angry partisan. Yet we note that "wrath" is not entirely eliminated – "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." In other words, there is a godly anger, a righteous indignation – "ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Ps. 97:10). Of course, we must beware of confusing temper with this noble trait: let us not hypocritically excuse and dignify our petty rage by calling it righteous indignation. Here is a fairly safe rule: if what has roused us is something that has been said or done against us personally, we may be sure that our excitement is just sheer temper. "Wrath," then, has its proper place – but, "slow to wrath," even as He whom the prophet reveals as "slow to anger" in Jonah 4:2. Be assured that these "slow" things will look after themselves if we give careful attention to the "swift" thing.
The fine quality of spiritual life that God wants us to exhibit also demands Due Preparation – just as a rich and beautiful harvest must be prepared for by a clearing the field of all that is harmful and noxious. "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word." Moffatt's translation puts it this way, "Clear away all the foul rank growth and make a soil of modesty" for the Word. The wickedness of our heart can so easily nullify the Seed sown. Breeding requires seeding; but there must first be weeding. And then must come Actual Reception – the Seed given, which is the blessed Word of God, must be given a welcome to the heart. "Receive with meekness the engrafted [implanted] Word." Meekness is not weakness, as anyone may easily discover by trying to be meek. The essential meaning of it is no self. Such an attitude toward the Word of God is bound to be immensely fruitful; and this Word, thus received and obeyed, "is able to save your souls" – not from damnation only, for he writes to those already thus delivered, but from damage, which they are in danger of suffering from trials and temptations with which they were and we are surrounded and of which he has earlier spoken.
We close this brief lesson as we began it – by saying that God is a great Giver. The gifts of ordinary life, spiritual life, and beautiful life: all come from His blessed Hand, and His gracious Heart.
