James 1:9-18

Trusting God in His Goodness

Intro 

Good evening, my name is Tom Didier and my family and I have attended Verse By Verse Fellowship for a while now. I’m glad to be here tonight and am looking forward to studying James 1:9-18 with you. Let’s pray as we get started.

When I was a child my mom would use this phrase when she had a grievance to resolve with me. She’d say, “I have a bone to pick with you.” I dreaded that phrase because I knew there was a tough conversation to come. It was even worse if she threw my middle name in there.

Before she got to the meat of complaint with me though, she would do something interesting. She would typically preface her correction with a couple of sentences about how much she loved me and whatever she had to say wouldn’t change that. I, of course, completely missed this well intended preface as I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I had done wrong so I could prepare an ironclad defense. But there was a reason she was communicating her love before moving to correction, and that reason was to frame her correction in light of her care and concern. She saw a character deficit that needed to change and was willing to subject the relationship to a difficult conversation to get there.

And this week we’re going to see James do the same thing. God, through James, has a number of “bones to pick” with his readers. But in Chapter 1 he’s prefacing these instructions with some context in order to make it easier to receive the instructions that are to come. The practical, applicable instructions that the book is known for. And what we learn in this preface, Chapter 1 of James, is important. Let’s not be like the childish version of me and miss it. In the first chapter, James first lays out the process for spiritual maturity in verses 1-8, which Adam taught last week, the process of growing in our faith through trials. Tonight in verses 9-18, we’re going to learn that God offers the strength to embrace this process. The strength to trust God in that process. Why we should accept and even embrace a process, these trials, tests and temptations, that is often long and difficult. And the answer is that we can trust God because he is good. He’s good in our situation, he’s good in our struggle, and good in giving us a Savior. So with that let’s begin in verses 9-11…

Verses 9-11 Riches as transient. Riches as trial 9:09

09 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 

10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 

11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 

These verses begin by making a distinction between the lowly and the rich. James tells us that these two groups should have different responses to their situations. 

For the lowly he states that they should boast in their exaltation, and for the rich they should boast in their humiliation. Then James gives a reason for the rich to respond with humility. He says that the rich will pass away in the midst of their pursuits.

James instructs both groups but only gives a reason “why” to the rich. He does this because the purpose of these verses is to explore the transient nature of riches, the passing nature of riches, the fact that riches are temporary, and eventually he will contrast spiritual riches with worldly riches.

Riches as transient

James’ gives the reason why the rich are to boast in their humiliation: ”they will pass away like a flower.” 

Flowers are representative of the beauty and the flourishing of life. I recall the first time we saw a field of bluebonnets when we moved to Texas. The pasture was like a beautiful blue carpet. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining and the light filtered through the flowers in such a way as to make them look like they were glowing. There was a row of trees behind the field that framed the pasture perfectly. The whole scene just felt so alive. As I beheld that scene, I recall a distinct desire to preserve that moment. It was so unique and sublime. Before those flowers bloomed the field looked like every other grassy pasture. Average, unremarkable, likely brown. It seemed like a shame that the field couldn’t be in bloom all the time. The capability was there. The material was there. The nourishment in the dirt was there. But the flowers from the previous years had long since faded and as you can predict the next time we drove by that field the flowers were wilted, and faded, and instead of their impressiveness and vitality of the first time, the whole thing was a little sad. A memorial of sorts to better days that were more beautiful, and more unique. Instead of vitality, the now average field was a witness to death and decay instead of its previous glory.

Flowers are like that, aren’t they? They don’t last very long. They are easily trampled. They really are quite humble little plants. [and for this reason I refuse to buy my wife flowers for any reason]. And here in James the rich are being likened to a flower. Here today, living life, thriving. Today we see these “flowers” in full bloom, in full glory. But James is reminding us that as we behold riches and the result of them - we should be struck not by their brilliance, but by their transience, their ultimate meaninglessness. That’s the humiliation of riches - they don’t last. The world suggests that we boast in the exaltation of riches. James corrects that view with the truth that riches are temporary. They fade. They aren’t lasting. 

After all, the sun brings scorching heat. The grass and the flowers cannot withstand the heat brought by the sun and they wilt and die beneath it. The heat brings death to the flower and the grass just as aging and the fragility of life serve as the heat that brings the death of the rich. The humiliation of riches.

Riches as trials

Now, recall that these verses appear In the context of trials and the very next verse states that those who remain steadfast under trial are blessed. James is recognizing that riches present testing, or trial. They are alluring. They can lead us away from following the things that really matter. James wants his readers to consider how to respond to this temptation.

1 Timothy is instructive as we consider riches. Note how Paul addresses the rich in 1 Timothy 6:17, 

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

Paul instructs his audience here to be careful of the stumbling blocks that riches can be. He mentions two “trials” that accompany riches. The first is haughtiness, or pride, and the second is the temptation to trust in riches and what they can provide instead of trusting in God.

At the time we’re possessing and appreciating them, riches seem so tangible, so permanent. They seem like they are a trustworthy source to meet our needs. And in this way riches are probably the easiest place to misplace our hope, and become our hope. Financial advisors call this “financial security,” and it’s easy, perhaps natural, to seek this false “security.” This security promises a future free of worry, free of the burden of work and stress of bills. Riches seem like a secure foundation for the future. 

Additionally, riches can say something about who we are, what we’ve done, and what we stand for. For many, they are feedback for a job well done and have the tendency to become a measuring stick of value. They reflect capability. They are a natural outgrowth of giftedness. A measure of competence. It’s a way to compare one another and become proud. 

But Paul reminds his readers that there’s something bigger than their riches, and it’s the one who provides the riches. The source of the riches. And instead of taking pride in their abundance, recognize that He’s the one who has provided us with everything. 

Also, Paul reminds his readers that riches are by nature uncertain, and contrasts a trust upon riches with a trust in God, who is certain. Riches aren’t the security they seem to be. He’s urging them not to find hope, identity, and their future, in what the world provides. Paul is stating plainly what James said using flowery language: that riches are transient. Their ultimate worth is zero.

So what’s the answer to facing the pride and hope that so often accompany riches? How can the rich keep these temptations at bay? Continuing in 1 Timothy, note how Paul instructs Timothy how the rich are to conduct themselves to resist the natural tendency of riches: 

“(The rich) are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

“That which is truly life.” Paul is getting the heart of what James is talking about. That real life exists in the future, not now. That we are to store up for ourselves a good foundation for eternal life instead of this life. For it’s not only our riches that fade like a flower, but our life itself. Riches are deceiving because although they may satisfy the flesh for a time, they don’t provide the security they appear to. Or lasting satisfaction. That which is truly life is that which truly satisfies - our hope in God.

And the solution, the response, the answer to pursuing “that which is truly life” according to Paul, is to be generous. To share. To serve others in good works. God has given the rich good things in order to share that goodness and enjoyment with others. In this way, they are to foster the spiritual life by restraining the physical life. [repeat] This helps maintain a perspective that looks not to the present but the future. And for those that have an abundance, they have the opportunity to bless others in their abundance with generosity. Their stumbling block becomes a tool for obedience. They parlay temporal satisfaction for eternal reward. In this way, we’re to hold loosely to riches in order to loosen their hold on us. Then, the rich reflect who God is to others in their generosity and with God, provide good things for others to enjoy, while making a stake in that which is truly life, eternity. 

For God is the source of true abundance, riches that doesn’t fade or wilt. In him is provided everything that riches promise. But we don't experience the fulfillment of that yet. We have a time of lowliness during which we express our faith in the promises of God to come. 

The lowly should boast in their exultation. The rich in their humiliation. In this we’re reminded that true riches and lasting abundance is found in God and that God is good in the midst of your situation, whether rich or lowly (point #1). James comments on this lowliness next as we move to verse 12…

Verse 12 - Blessed to be steadfast 3:57

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

In verse 12 we see that for the one who remains steadfast in the face of trials, they will receive the crown of life. If verses 2-4 taught us that trials help us grow in Christ, these verses expand our understanding of enduring challenges with the promise of a crown as a reward for faithfulness.

Before we examine this crown, consider the wording in this expanded translation of verse 12:

“Spiritually prosperous is the one who remains steadfast under trial, because after he has met the test and has been approved, he shall receive the crown, namely, that crown which has to do with the eternal life, which he promised to those who love Him.”

Let's make a few observations here. First, note that there is an offer of a crown. James has just finished emphasizing the worthlessness of riches, and in the very next verse he mentions an item of value that represents wealth. A crown. But this is different. This is not an item we can purchase.

He’s offering a contrast to the worthless worldly riches he mentions in verses 9-10 by offering an example of true riches in the form of a crown. A reward which is actually worth pursuing and the reward of which will be lasting. A crown is greater than flowers.

By mentioning a reward usually associated with riches, he’s spurring his listeners to change their perspective. Change what they consider valuable. Change what they pursue. Change how they spend their time. Instead of pursuing rewards earned today, he wants their viewing horizon to be much further out in the future. 

Secondly, note that the crown is not granted to everyone. To receive the crown we need to meet certain criteria. We are subjected to a test. Nobody undergoes an exam without knowing what is on the test, and this is no exception. Just as an examination has a list of objectives that will be tested, so there’s an objective to measure here as well. 

The test given is one of trials or difficulties, including the trials of riches we spoke about previously. The test is passed by being steadfast. This steadfastness reflects a love of God. He’s appealing to his readers to persevere. They are to stand firm, to be obedient, to display their love of God through their attitude in difficult times. His upcoming instructions later in the book are difficult to hear and will require intentionality and sacrifice and a change in the attitude and behavior of his hearers. By emphasizing that something is at stake, that their response matters, and that their love must be on display in order to be rewarded, he prepares in them a heart of responsiveness. After all, whatever we give up by resisting what the world has to offer pales in comparison to what God offers by our obedience and submission to him. Take that trade every time.

So then we see that God grants reward, here, a crown, the crown is a worthy object to pursue, and that not everyone will receive the crown.

Let’s pause a moment and consider what this means. Consider the two objects of glory that are used in these verses. The first a flower - glorious while they are in bloom but temporary, and then gone. He’s contrasting that with another symbol of glory. A crown. A crown that will last. 

So, how do we position ourselves so we pass this test? Well, first of all, riches in and of themselves are not bad. Having riches isn't sinful. But, they do present some unique challenges and temptations. And it's up to us to ensure that we're not becoming proud, we're not haughty, and we're not placing our hope in them. And the right response to what we have in this world will be different from person to person. The Holy Spirit may ask you to do something different than what he's asking me to do. We're all given different resources by God and we're all to use those resources in whatever way he calls us to. But in order to do that we need to be teachable, we need to be responsive to what the Holy Spirit is asking of us, which means we need to hold loosely to material possessions so that we qualify for greater things, namely, an eternal crown and approval from our master, the Lord. 

We’re making a few observations regarding verse 12, and now we’ve come to our third observation: Thirdly, if God is granting the crown, if he’s giving a reward, it’s reasonable to conclude that God is the one administering the test. He is granting trials. He knows what is on the test, permits the trials and he also judges the outcome. 

This prompts the questions, if God is giving the test and the tests include trials of various kinds, and those various kinds include temptation, is God the one tempting us? Does God lure us with sin? Does he offer separation from him by offering us sin in ways we can’t resist?

The answer here matters. It matters because If God tempts us, we can’t turn to him in our struggle. We can’t seek refuge in Him. Instead, we need to be wary of what he gives us. We need to be hesitant in each situation. This is the issue James addresses next.

Verses 13-15 Temptation 12:41

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 

So James has moved from an encouragement to be steadfast under trial to addressing an objection that comes about from the presence of trials in our life. The very fact that we face trials and tests brings about numerous questions. The question that is addressed here is regarding temptation and where it comes from.

After all, every trial offers enticement to sin. Every difficulty offers a path of obedience or an option to seek our own way or to doubt God. So, if God is administering these tests, these trials, to what do we attribute the temptation within the trial?

James begins by establishing that God cannot be tempted with evil. And this seems like a strange way to begin to answer the question. At first it seems like God’s relationship with temptation is not related to our own experience with it. The fact that God is not lured by evil seems disconnected from our experience of constantly struggling to abstain from participating in sin. 

Let’s consider sin and temptation to see if we can find a way to tie these ideas together. In order to do so we need to understand the origin of sin described in verses 14 and 15 and we’ll use the truth contained there to help us understand why God cannot be tempted and why he does not tempt us.

Desire-Sin-Death

In verse 14 we see that the origin of sin is desire. Note that desire is distinct from sin. They are mentioned separately. They are unique. Desire is not sin, for sin is mentioned next. James says that this desire must “conceive” to “give birth” to sin. Then, when sin is “fully grown,” it leads to death. James likens the process of sin to that of reproduction. There’s a process here, a progression. Conception-growth-maturity. Desire conceives and results in sin. Sin grows and matures, and once it's fully grown, that maturity takes the form of death. Let's take a look at this progression more closely.

In order for desire to progress to sin it needs to conceive. This means that desire needs to be mated with an object or action in order to “take on flesh,” or result in some kind of action, whether a thought or a deed. Desire by itself is a motivator, but unless it is paired with an “object of desire,” there’s no sin. Desire alone is not sin.

Look how he describes the workings of desire though. He says that each person is tempted when they are lured and enticed by their own desire. 

And we are the same way. We desire. Those desires are often called “drives,” because desire moves us to action. Desires push us, they make us move. The desire to eat drives us to think about food, the desire to learn drives us to study, the desire for relationships drives us to engage each other.

How we direct those desires determines whether we sin or not. The desire to eat can drive us to overeat, the desire for control can lead us to be unkind, and on and on. Uncontrolled and misdirected desires lead us to sin. 

Our dog is prohibited from going upstairs. We have tile downstairs and carpet upstairs, so we have trained her not to step foot on the stairs. However, she loves the carpet, especially when we’re all upstairs. In those moments she stands in front of the stairs and looks up. She gives her puppy dog eyes and watches us. The desire is palpable. It’s enticing, it’s luring. But there is no correction for the desire. She is welcome to desire to be with us or to desire the carpet. 

The correction comes when she lifts that front paw off the tile and slowly places it on that first step. In that moment her desire has been mated with action. She has placed her paw on the stairs, her forbidden fruit. It is only at that moment that her desire has given birth to “sin.” And depending on what happens on the carpet, death. Now, dogs cannot sin and there's some limits to how far we can apply this example, but it does demonstrate the strong influence of desire.

Take a look at verse 14, at the words lured and enticed. In the Greek, there is some wordplay here. The end of the words sound the same and in that way they rhyme in a sense. If I were to translate it in English I may say, “but each one is tempted when they are lured with judgment obscured.” 

This technique uses the interplay of the words to demonstrate the dynamic of desire and our response to it. Lured here means to “drag away” or remove. The role of desire is to pull us somewhere. Its goal is to move us toward sin. The picture that this word suggests relates to fishing, when a fish is caught on the line and is being dragged toward the fisherman. The luring pulls, it drags, it exerts itself to have an effect on the fish and on us. It is active in moving us somewhere.

But that’s not all. We’re also “enticed.” We’re “lured with judgment obscured.” This obscured judgment is our inability to discern what satisfies, it's our lack of self control when faced with temptation, it's us running to sin. The luring pulls us toward sin, but we naturally go there anyway. Sin entices, it’s appealing, it’s attention grabbing. Enticement is seeing something that’s appealing and running to it as it pulls us toward it. We move toward sin as it drags us towards it. 

Once desire conceives, it gives birth to sin. Uninterrupted, desire leads to sin. We’re enticed and give in in some way. There’s some area that we’re drawn to and as we yield to it, it becomes easier and easier to give into it. It becomes an increasing part of who we are, what we do, and how we spend our time.

And in this way, sin naturally grows, it matures. It develops. It develops into more sophisticated forms and becomes a larger part of who we are. It takes root and as long as it has what it needs to grow, desire and attention, it eventually becomes “fully grown.” 

As “Sin becomes fully grown,” it bears fruit through this natural progression. And the progression leads to one place. Sin unrestrained will inevitably end in death. Sin is the opposite of life. Don’t miss this. Sin lead to death in the garden, it is said to lead to death in the cycle we’re talking about, and it leads to death in every context you find it. It might take time and it might not look deadly, but this is the natural and unchangeable result that James is speaking of.

Now, we should note that we are all born into sin and the wages of that sin is death. Sin is naturally unrestrained in the sense that we are bound to sin in our spirit. This natural state manifests itself by the desire-sin-death cycle that James speaks of. We are sinful and we express our desires in sinful ways.

When we become believers the Holy Spirit indwells us and instead of being spiritually broken, we are renewed. We are no longer bound to sin. We are no longer slaves to expressing our desires in sinful ways. However, our flesh, and its desires, are still present. So believers are still subject to this desire/sin/death cycle just as unbelievers are. In the believers life though, sin doesn’t lead to eternal death and we’re not bound to this cycle. We can resist it. However, it can still result in consequences that lead to physical death and spiritual poverty. 

So that’s the desire-sin-death cycle. The origin of sin is us, our hearts, our desires.

Sin is deceptive, God is not deceived

We’re in the midst of looking at why God isn’t tempted and he doesn’t tempt us. We’re looking at sin to understand how we can be subjected to trials and temptations in order to grow in Christ, yet not be tempted by God.

Now, sin at its core is deceptive. It promises results it cannot deliver. Sin advocates for seeking satisfaction on its own terms, apart from God. Instead of seeking God’s ways and his perspective, sin offers an alternative. 

And it makes a pretty good case for doing things its way. Satisfying the demands of sin do carry a reward of sorts. Our flesh hungers and sin offers to feed. We desire and sin fulfills. But the rewards and fulfillment that sin delivers are hollow and fleeting, always. Always always.They simply aren’t lasting. They may offer temporary satisfaction, but we’ll always find ourselves hungry again. And if we turn to sin again and again we’ll find that hollow satisfaction and then emptiness again. The end of the road of sin is always death. It’s a dead end. It’s false advertising. Sin is snickers saying that “snickers satisfies,” a beverage company saying, “joy will take you further,” or how about this one in light of verses 9-11?: “a diamond is forever.” It's a deception, it’s not true, and it can’t deliver what it’s selling.

So how does this relate to God? God is not vulnerable to succumbing to false advertising. He does not give in to the lie. He does not have “judgment obscured.” The literal wording of the verse here is, “God is without temptation.” There is nothing that sin can offer that would add anything of value to who God already is. After all 1 John tells us that, “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” God sees perfectly the deception that sin is. He sees that the end of the road of sin, the end of the cycle we talked about above, is a dead end, literally. God has no need for the satisfaction that sin promises because he is fully satisfied in himself. His perfection is already complete. Said another way, he has no desire that leads to sin. God has no desire that would lead to sin.

Earlier we said that the desire-sin-death cycle ties sin to death. In many ways sin is death not yet fully realized. Sin leads to death. The end of sin is death. Therefore sin is the opposite of life. 

But God is life. He is the opposite of death. And he’s the source of life for us. Just as God is light and life, so he offers us satisfaction in himself, apart from sin.

We see this in Jesus, who tells us that he is the “good shepherd” who offers life to the sheep, us. He says in John 10, “the thief comes only to kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Since Jesus came to give life, he does not come to us offering death in the form of sin. [Repeat] Therefore, we can rest securely knowing that any temptation to sin in the midst of any trial does not originate from our good God.

[So then, how do we understand the temptation that accompanies our trials, as well as the natural desire toward sin that we continue to fight?

Well, we aren’t alone in our struggle. Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

Jesus had the same desires that we do. He faced the same issues that we face today. Yet, his desire was never mated with actionable sin. It was never conceived. He knows the desire to sin but was able to overcome it at every opportunity. Therefore, he is able to sympathize with us and offers us mercy and grace in the midst of our own temptations and weaknesses. 

So, seek the comfort that is offered in weakness. Draw near to Him in prayer and in submission in the midst of temptation. Train yourself. Don’t reflexively give into desire. When we’re weak and want to yield, I think we naturally yield to something. 

Let’s train ourselves to yield to God in those moments. In order to do that though, we must be able to endure pain. We must be comfortable with our desires demanding to be fulfilled and yet standing firm in that moment.]

And this is the key to James’ assertion that God is not the source of our temptation. He isn’t the author of our sin and isn’t compelling us to fail in any way. Instead, in permitting the temptation in the trial he’s training us to seek his mercy and grace in the face of pain or discomfort. He isn’t our adversary, he’s advocating on our behalf. He offers a path out. The path of life. Because we are not alone.

In this we are to seek to see our temptations as God does. For God is not the author of evil. He is good in the face of our struggles. He offers mercy and grace in our temptation and he offers mercy and grace in our failure. And when we do fall to temptation, see that fall the way God sees it. He’s training us to stand firm and find our joy in him. So get back up, respond with perseverance and practice your yielding skills - by yielding to Him in repentance and then in steadfastness. For God is good in your struggle. And Goodness is next on James agenda…

Verses 16-18 God Gives Good Gifts

16      Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 

17      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. 

18      Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 

God is the source of good

So James tells his audience that God is not the source of temptation. He isn’t the source of evil and he doesn’t wish evil upon us. He is not the source of sin. He is not the source of death. So don’t be deceived. Don’t misread your circumstances and come to wrong conclusions about God. The word for deceived here has the sense of being misled, or led astray. James is talking about having a correct understanding of who God is. If we allow ourselves to be misled about the goodness of God, it’s going to be more difficult to obey him. We’re going to miss his goodness in our lives because we’re looking for the next tripwire he set for us.

So don’t be deceived, because God isn’t evil. In fact, not only is he not evil, he is the source of “every good gift” and “every perfect gift,” James says. These good gifts are given by the “father of lights,” or the “father of heavenly lights” as some commentators have suggested. Notably, this title, “the father of lights” is not used anywhere else in scripture. 

The phrase father of lights is referring to God as creator. He is the maker of the sun, moon, and stars. These are the sources of literal light for us. And in the same way that these give us light to see, God is the source of light for us spiritually. He is the one who shares his light, or goodness to us. This light takes the form of the good gifts mentioned above. 

God is reliable/unchanging

Additionally, in God's goodness there is no variation or shadow due to change. Unlike God, planets, suns, and stars are all in perpetual motion. They vary in their position and in how their given light is perceived. Sometimes they are bright, sometimes they aren’t visible, and sometimes they are obscured or cast shadows. In contrast, the light, or goodness, that God gives is steady, consistent, and reliable. We can delight in God’s good gifts because we don't have to fear that his good gifts will be taken away or degraded in any way. His good gifts are consistent and predictable. They last forever. 

Now, Father of lights is an interesting way to describe God’s goodness in light of his description of riches back in verses 9-11. Recall that “the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.” There we saw a source of light, the scorching sun. In those verses this light “coming down from above” brought death, decay, and loss upon the flowers, causing the flowers to wilt and die. The light from above, which represented the natural course of life, led to the end of something, flourishing flowers.

Here, God as the Father of Lights doesn’t send scorching heat to destroy, but instead his light brings good gifts. Unlike the flowers which bloom and then die in concert with the seasons, the light that God brings here is not subject to the seasons or rain or the sun. His gifts bring light and life, not heat and death. And the good that results from God does not come to an end.

We are God’s firstfruits

And what are these gifts, specifically? James gets specific in his description of the best of his good gifts by explaining that God “brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” 

The phrase “word of truth” is used four other times in the NT and each time it’s used to refer to the gospel, or the saving work of Jesus to gain for us eternal life. So God brings us forth, or births new life in us through the sanctifying work of Jesus. 

Above, we saw the metaphor of reproduction to describe the desire-sin-death cycle. In that example, desire conceived, birthed sin, and at maturity led to death. The primary actor in this process is mankind. Mankind’s evil desires, mankind’s sin, and man’s death. We were the source of death through our desires applied. We saw that we naturally produce death through our sin.

In contrast, verse 18 presents a different scenario here using that same metaphor of reproduction. In fact, the verb “gave birth” in verse 15 (desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin) is the same verb used in verse 18 for “brought forth,” (Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth). The primary actor here is not humanity though, it’s God. And what does God bring forth? He brings forth life instead of death. And this life is brought forth through the word of truth. Instead of evil desire leading to sin and maturing to death, grace conceives to bring forth eternal life, which fully matured leads to fruitful life in God. (Repeat)

And in this we are a “kind of firstfruits of God’s creatures.” Firstfruits generally mean the first and/or best portion of a harvest. It’s used in numerous places throughout the Bible. Deuteronomy 26 contains instructions regarding the offering of firstfruits to God as a reminder of the provision of God and his faithfulness. Though all of the harvest belongs to God, firstfruits were to be offered to God to recognize God’s role in faithfully providing for the people and to recognize their dependance on Him. In the NT, believers are called firstfruits figuratively to represent the initial or first step in God’s redemption of all of creation. 

In James, there are two options for interpreting the use of “firstfruits” here. Either believers are the firstfruits of God’s creatures in the sense that they are the pinnacle or best of God’s creation, or believers are the first of a larger “harvest” of a comprehensive and fuller redemption to come, which encompasses all of creation. 

Since this passage is illuminating the good gifts given by God, I would suggest that James is demonstrating that God’s saving work in us is only a foretaste of the good gifts he has yet to give and therefore we are only the start of the complete redemption of all of creation. We are the initial harvest that results from the goodness of God. In the future, we ourselves will be fully redeemed in our bodies, all of creation will be renewed, sin will be abolished, and those crowns will be handed out. God has innumerable gifts yet to give.

So, what can we take away from this? For one, We can be further comforted that God is not aligned against us in temptation but has offered us good things - he offers eternal life, a lasting crown, and a redemption plan to come that will dwarf any attempt to replicate it through our earthly efforts.

In this, God is good. He’s good in his gifts - especially in the gift of new life through our savior.

So, if you have ever been taught that God is in some way waiting for you to mess up so he can bring judgment upon you, if you have a dysfunctional relationship with your earthly father and struggle with seeing God as a source of love, comfort, and life, if you have been a part of a church that offers condemnation and a works based salvation, let me reassure you that those messages are wrong. They are incorrect. They are the opposite of who the Bible tells us God is. 

What if you struggle with the idea or argument that God is good? You’ve had pain,_(pause)__, maybe pain that is unmentionable. Maybe you’ve experienced loss or heartbreak in ways I haven’t and you know that. You hear what James is saying and you hear what I’m saying but it sounds trite and unbelievable in light of what you’ve been through.

If you’re in that headspace right now, you’re in a tough spot. I don’t know your struggle and I can’t understand your hurt. But I can tell you what the Bible tells us about who God is and offer you an opportunity to reevaluate how you think about God. I can tell you that you’re in the middle of your story and it’s difficult to see how God may be working until you’re at the end and can look back and see that God did care, he was there, and he did provide. And that’s the essence of our walk with Jesus, a walk dependent on faith, the belief that he cares, that he knows best what we need, and that in the end we haven’t suffered for no reason, but are better, and know God better, and are lead to a better place with Him.

There’s much more to explore here, but I’d like to tell you that God provides a way for us to have peace with him. And that peace is found in Jesus. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died for our sin, and was resurrected. And he tells us that we only need to believe in him in order to have eternal life. He’s shouldered the burden of our sin, he’s paid the price for it. His goodness has made a way. So if you haven’t placed your trust in him I’d like to invite you to do so tonight.

And for those of us who have believed in the saving work of Jesus, his work that brings us peace with God, if you struggle with the message that God is good, I encourage you to turn to God and ask him to align in your heart what we’ve learned tonight. We have the offer to enter into a relationship with a good, trustworthy father. If you’re interested in learning more, come see someone after the service. We’d love to share more. 

Conclusion

Nothing in creation represents the character of God better than a mature, growing believer. Nothing shows God’s grace, his kindness, his faithfulness and provision more than the process of redemption and then sanctification. And nothing should turn our hearts to worship and humility like this good and perfect gift. God isn’t the origin of temptation, or evil, or darkness. Rather, as the Father of Lights he has birthed new life in us so that we can be lights for Him.

And, given the knowledge of his kindness in granting us this joy amongst other good gifts, we better see that the process, the process Adam talked about last week of facing trials and responding with patience, the process of growing in the grace and knowledge of God is also a gift, even if the process isn’t easy. We’re presented with trials, and tests, and temptations. We experience loss, loneliness, pain, and emptiness. But we’re not deceived. We know who God is despite the darkness around us. Like children who trust their parents to guide them lovingly toward maturity, we persevere in love no matter the trial, looking to eternity, that we might receive the crown of life.