The Nature of God (James 1:16-18)

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James now gives us his idea of God: no evil can come from him for he is the source of every good gift. In verse 17 we are told that his gifts are both good and perfect since they make us whole. They come from above, directly from him. James also describes God as the “Father of the heavenly lights”. Literally, that refers to the fact that he created the sun, moon, planets, etc. But, of course, metaphorically, light represents goodness and knowledge and truth as opposed to darkness which brings fear and evil.

Of course, someone without modern science would observe the heavenly bodies and think they changed continually. Unlike them, James insists that God never changes and identifies him with stability. He is immutable, unlike “the shifting shadows” created by the sun. In the next verse, James writes that God gave “us birth through the word of truth” which refers both to our original creation by God (since God is truth) and to our new creation in Jesus through his sacrifice for us. The Christian community (and notably the recipients of the letter) are the “firstfruits of all he created”. The little community James knows is the first product of God’s new creation that will grow to encompass all humanity. They are only the beginning of something extraordinary that God is doing.

To sum up, James tells his readers that God gives them all the good gifts they receive for he is the source of all goodness – there is no evil in him. Christians are the new chosen people of God. However, if they want to persevere and gain “the crown of life” mentioned in verse 12, they must lead their lives as God would want. To truly accept the new life that God has given them, they must lead that life as he intends. Our lives, our behavior should reflect Christian values and what this entails will be one of the main subjects of this letter.