James 1:16–18
Anchoring to God's Unchanging Character
James 1:16–18
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
If the goal of our lives is to look more like Jesus - or as James puts it, to be “whole,” not double-minded - then the only logical response is to anchor ourselves to the one true constant: God Himself.
He does not change. He is pure light and glory - majestic in every way. Just listen to this beautiful phrase from James: “…he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
What does this mean?
It means that salvation begins with God’s sovereign grace, not with our human effort. The grace of God comes at a great cost - but not to us. In love, Jesus paid the price on our behalf. This spiritual birth - our being “brought forth” or born again - is entirely God’s work. It’s a miracle, and it happens through hearing the Word of truth: the Gospel.
We, as God’s people, become the firstfruits of His new creation - set apart and consecrated - pointing toward the fuller redemption of all creation still to come.
If we look back at the previous passage, we see James contrasting the destructive lure of temptation with the unwavering goodness of God. God doesn’t tempt us. Instead, He offers us the beautiful and perfect gift of eternal life with Him.
On a daily basis we’re faced with two simple choices. We can either listen to ourselves and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He’s accomplished for us at the cross. Far too often we choose to passively listen to ourselves. We sit back and let our view of God and life be shaped by our constantly shifting feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. - C.J. Mahaney
