James 1:18—First fruits
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. James 1:18
After establishing pure doctrine concerning God, His person, and the truth about trials and temptations, James sums up his thoughts by stating why God chose to intervene in human lives in the first place.
The apostle explained that God entered the earth through His Son to establish a kind of first fruits among His creatures. In other words, it was His desire to do something wonderful and brand new in the lives of anyone willing to receive His Son.
In the exercise of His will…
God deliberately and intentionally planned to deliver you from the dominion of darkness and to translate you into the kingdom of His dear Son (see Colossians 1:13). He left no stone unturned when He embarked upon this intricately detailed special ops mission to rescue you. Before time began, He strategized and prepared this plan. All through the ages leading up to Christ, through the entire earth life of His Son and His agonizing death and triumphant resurrection, and then on throughout the rest of history, the Father watched over and worked His plan—extending it even into your life. And He did it because He wanted to rescue you—since way back before the foundation of the earth.
He brought us forth…
The new, never-before-seen thing that God inaugurated on the earth was to prepare the way for men and women, boys and girls—born with the fallen nature of the human species—to be made entirely new creatures through faith in Christ. The King James Version says that He “begat” us. This is absolutely accurate, because the Greek word used here, apokyeō, means “from the womb” or “to give birth to” (see <http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G616&t=KJV>). Therefore, God executed His plan by paving the way for new birth to take place within the spirits of already-living human beings. This was radical, out-of-the-box thinking. No other religion or philosophy on earth has ever been able to claim the same.
Even Nicodemus, a spiritual leader in Israel, could not fathom what Jesus was saying. He asked the Lord, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (See John 3:4.) Jesus adamantly replied, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:5-7). Jesus knew His purpose was to fulfill God’s determined purpose to “beget” sons and daughters for Himself through the raw material of human lives rescued from sin through faith in Christ.
… by the word of truth…
It is by the Word of truth that you are born again. Jesus is the Word (see John 1:14). He is also the Truth (see John 14:6). As you profess your faith in Christ and receive Him as your Lord, you are begotten of the Father by the Word of truth, and you become a brand new creature. Mission accomplished.
…so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
God’s heart and purpose was to create from among men and women a kind of first fruits. You are among His first fruits if you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. What does this mean about you as a new creature? According to the Blue Letter Bible online, the term “first fruits” is “used of persons consecrated to God for all time” (see <http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G536&t=KJV>). Matthew Henry wrote of the first fruits, “We [are] God’s portion and treasure, and a more peculiar property to him” (see <http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Jam/Jam_001.cfm>).
God’s express purpose from the beginning of time was to bring you to saving faith in Christ and to make you a new person, born again by the Word of truth. As a result, if you have received Jesus as Lord, you are “consecrated to God for all time” and are His “portion and treasure and a…peculiar property” of the Living God. That’s you!
Praise God for this unique new life He has given us!
Dorothy
…He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
Read MoreJames 1:17—Good and perfect gifts are from God
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17
Three great big truths about God are packed into James 1:17. They are:
- God gives good and perfect gifts.
- God is the Father of lights.
- With God there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…
Just before this important truth, James wrote, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:16). He obviously felt that it was necessary to warn his brethren that what he was saying could be twisted or undermined by those who did not rightly divide the Word of truth.
He openly stated without apology that good things and perfect gifts come from God. How could such a clear doctrine be twisted? One method is to twist the word “good”. Have you ever heard someone say that cancer was good because God used it to teach something? How about a person who lost a loved one being told to view the death as good—God needed “another angel”? Could cancer or untimely death truly be good or perfect gifts?
One of the first sermons I heard as a young believer stated boldly, “God is a good God; the devil is a bad devil. Good means good; bad means bad.” I learned then that John 10:10 is an excellent standard—even in church—by which to measure information categorizing what is good or bad. This Scripture says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Is something in your life stealing, killing, or destroying? Then it is from the devil—do not be deceived. When you hear that a bad thing is good, beware—something’s not right. Just because it’s taught by an “authority” doesn’t make it so. Dive into the Word and pray; the Lord will bring discernment. I have had to stop listening to different individuals who pushed a warped perspective of good and bad.
…coming down from the Father of lights…
Last week I told you about a counterfeit twenty dollar bill that came into the church when I was on the offering team. I thought something was wrong with it, so I looked at it closely. I felt it. I smelled it. I still couldn’t tell squat about it. But when I held it up to the light, the truth was revealed—the bill was counterfeit. Likewise, when counterfeit “truths” are brought before the Light, they are quickly exposed.
James wrote that God is the Father of lights. His Son Jesus is the Light of the world (see John 8:12). His Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (see Psalm 119:105). Therefore, truth and light are in Him alone—not in philosophy, spiritualism, or the multitude of religions that cling to a form of godliness but deny the power. Do not be deceived—there is no other Way, Truth, or Life outside of the One who has come down from the Father of lights. It is His light that reveals the true nature of all things—including every good thing and every perfect gift.
…with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Have you ever heard someone say, “You never know what God’s going to do”? Perhaps you can’t guess the details of how He will work, but you can bet your bottom dollar that He will not violate His Word—ever. With God, there is no variation. Yes, God is limitless in depth, and He is multifaceted beyond our ability to imagine, yet He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t change His ways or His Word to keep up with the times or to fit in with a progressive generation. His standards are timeless, applying to all mankind, forever.
In the Father of lights there are no…shifting shadows. Here on earth, shadows appear wherever there is light, but with the Father of lights there are no shadows. Why is that? Shadows occur when light is blocked by another object, creating a darkened area. In the Father, no light blockers can be found; He Himself is the light, and in Him there is no darkness (see 1 John 1:5). Not only that, but shifts are created by changes in position. We change position; people and objects around us change positions, but the Father never does. He will not shift in any degree, nor does He need to. He is everywhere present, always bringing light to anyone wise enough, humble enough, or desperate enough to seek. And to everyone who seeks, He will be found (see Matthew 7:8).
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren:
- God gives good and perfect gifts.
- He is the Father of lights.
- With Him there is no variation or shifting shadow.
And He will remain this way forever and ever.
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 1:16—Do not be deceived
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. James 1:16
I once read that Abraham Lincoln said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” According to James, the responsibility to see to it that you’re not deceived belongs to you and to you alone.
Eve told the Lord, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (see Genesis 3:13), obviously blaming the devil for tricking her and causing her to sin. However, God did not buy into her assertion that she was clear of blame. He held her accountable despite the fact that she had been deceived; you can read about her consequences in Genesis 3.
God is a bottom line God, and the bottom line is this: Each one of us is accountable for what we believe and don’t believe. If you hear twisted, distorted information or teaching, you are responsible to discern truth from error. You don’t have to fend for yourself in this, however; the Holy Spirit continually prompts and directs you into all the truth (see John 16:13), and the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (see Hebrews 4:12). Judge everything—even the “good stuff” you hear—by the Word. On top of all that, Jesus said this: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life” (see John 8:12). When you pursue Jesus with all your heart, He leads you away from the darkness of error and into the light of His truth.
Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and Jesus Himself, you are armed and dangerous to the deceptions that abound. When you put first things first, you more clearly see through the lies intended to deceive you.
Several years ago I was counting the offering at church and noticed a twenty dollar bill that seemed odd. It was the right shape, size, color, and had the correct design and mug shot of Andrew Jackson. But something just wasn’t right. I felt the bill, scrutinized it, smelled it, and put it up to the light. And then I knew—I was holding a counterfeit! We called in an associate pastor, and he called in one of the local police officers on security duty for the church, and sure enough—we had received a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. When the officer asked me how I knew it was a fake, I smiled and said, “I’m very familiar with the real!”
What does it take to spot a counterfeit in the spiritual realm? Just be very familiar with the real—the Word of God, the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and maintaining an authentic relationship with the Light of the world, Jesus Christ!
Two big truths about God
When James wrote, do not be deceived, however, he sandwiched this warning between two great big truths about God. This indicates that we must maintain a particularly high truth quotient in reference to what we believe about the Father.
Belief #1: God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He ever tempt you. Do not be deceived. When you are tempted, it is due to your own lust. You can’t pin it on God; you can’t even pin it on the devil and say God let him do it. As long as you are blaming temptation on God—or on God letting the devil tempt you so He can test you—you will never overcome.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)
Belief #2:
Hold fast to these truths about the Father:
- God gives good and perfect gifts.
- God is the Father of lights.
- With God there is no variation or shifting shadow.
When you major on these truths about the Father and the way He operates, deception will have difficulty finding a foothold in your heart.
More to come next week on James 1:17 and those big thoughts about God.
Don’t be deceived!
Dorothy
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32)
Read MoreJames 1:14-15 Part 2—The lust/sin connection
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14-15
Every bit of Scripture is designed to instruct and encourage you. The phrase “each one is tempted” reveals that the sin dilemma you face in your life is something everyone else has to deal with, too. Temptation hits each one of us, and therefore, when you are tempted, you’re not in a class by yourself. That alone ought to give you some relief.
First Thessalonians 5:23 reveals the three-part anatomy of a human being. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis added).
I am a new creation; on December 29, 1974, I became a new creature in Christ. My spirit underwent both death and resurrection. That which died was my “old man”—or the old me (see Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, and Colossians 3:9)—that which was resurrected was my new, recreated spirit man. My spirit is clean and whole and has been so since the night I was saved. It will remain so throughout my life. Thank God, my sin nature is gone.
That said, I woke up on the morning of December 30, 1974, with the same old soul and body. The power of God had intervened the night before and eradicated alcoholism from my body and mind; but besides that, the rest of my personality, memories, will, emotions, habits, and flesh stayed the same. But I—my spirit man—was brand new, nonetheless.
Since your soul and body are not made new when you receive Jesus as Lord, this causes conflict with your recreated spirit. Paul said, “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (see Philippians 2:12). He knew, as did James, that the reality of who we are in Christ needs to “be worked out” into the soul and the body. In fact, this conflict between spirit and soul is a huge portion of the “consider it all joy” trials we encounter in life!
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Your soul and body arrive on the scene with their own unique assortment of tastes, preferences, inclinations, and desires. You sowed into those things in the past, and by doing so, you developed habits and patterns, some of which violated the will of God. But when you were born again, you were cleansed of all of it. However, many of the habits and patterns remained behind, planted in your memory, mind, emotions, and body. These are the things James refers to as your own lust. Unfortunately, each of us has a set of our own lust imprinted on our soul and flesh due to our unique personal make up and life experiences.
The lust for life is a zealous attitude toward living—a positive thing; on the other hand, the lust James speaks of is an “uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite” or an “overmastering desire or craving” (dictionary.com).
Therefore, lust is often—but not restricted to—sexual desires that are off limits to you due to your particular status in life. A single person—according to the Word of God—is to remain abstinent until he or she marries; a married person is to satisfy their sexual longing with the partner to whom they are married (as specified in the Bible, someone of the opposite sex). If you align yourself with a biblical worldview, you recognize that God has designed this to apply to each one; we sin when we stray out of the bounds He has set.
When you feel an “uncontrolled or illicit desire”, that is your own lust. Don’t be alarmed; James says each one of us deals with these things, yet sin has not been conceived. The objective here is to stop lust in its tracks—whatever it may be—and to overcome it before it conceives.
Here’s the anatomy of the lust/sin connection.
- You feel an illicit desire within you—lust.
- You are enticed and drawn to it.
NOTE A: If you weren’t enticed by the desire, it wouldn’t be lust. Your own lust is something that uniquely attracts or lures you.
NOTE B: At this point, when you are aware of the pull toward your own lust, take note of it and mark it in your mind as something that can trip you up, and then stand guard against the next step in the lust/sin connection.
- You get carried away by the enticement of your own lust.
NOTE C: Being carried away is something you have control over. This stage occurs in your mind, not merely in your body. What happens is this: You start to allow your mind to “go there”, and as it does, you get carried along with it, hence the term, carried away.
NOTE D: If you don’t want to get carried away, break the train of thought. Read or speak the Word of God. Worship. Pray. Jump around and dance. Call a trusted friend or accountability partner.
- You are tempted when you are enticed by your own lust and get carried away by it in your mind.
NOTE E: The good news is that temptation is not yet sin. However, if you want to live an overcoming life in this moment of temptation, now is the time you must act on the Word. You cannot wait any longer without giving in to the temptation. Remember, you are an overcomer, not the overcome.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
- Lust conceives, I believe, in the mind.
NOTE F: Feeling lust is not sin; being enticed by it is not yet sin; flirting with the enticement in your mind is being carried away and you are almost to the point of no return; but lust finally conceives when your will steps in and says “Go for it.” In other words, every conception requires two parties. In this case, your lust, originating from your body—the flesh—unites with your will—in your soul—and conceives. Lust does not conceive until your will forms a union of agreement with it.
NOTE G: Second Corinthians 10:5 warns you to take every thought captive. Once the thought grows to an imagination or a stronghold, it is much more difficult to arrest. You can train yourself by the Word and the Spirit of God to take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ before they grow into imaginations or strongholds. Again, you are an overcomer, not the overcome.
NOTE H: If you turn off the “monitor” within you (your conscience) that says “don’t go there”, then you will no longer be able to resist. And that was your own choice—neither the devil nor your genetics made you do it. Be honest and talk to God about that if this has been your experience. He knows how to help you to redirect a rebellious, disobedient, or lazy will.
- Conceived lust gives birth to sin. You carry out the action that violates your conscience and the Word of God.
- One way or another, once it is accomplished, sin produces death. This death can be physical or within your soul.
NOTE I: How many Christians carry a load of guilt due to disobedience which slowly kills off every bit of joy and happiness in their lives? If you recognize yourself in this description, you can be forgiven and freed from the oppression of your shame. Jesus bore even that on the cross; accept His forgiveness and cleansing, and seek God for the grace to walk free from here on out. He gladly provides you with it.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that lust equals sin. Learn to recognize your own lust when it crops up so that you can thwart it by the Word and the Holy Spirit before it takes over. And know that the grace to overcome all of it has already been deposited within you by the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 1:14-15 Part 1—The sin dilemma
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14-15
Probably the most disappointing, confusing, and potentially debilitating obstacle I’ve faced in my life is the inclination to sin. Yes, I said it, and I’ve chosen not to be ashamed of it.
Before you call out the righteousness cops, please hear me out. When I was born again in the evening of December 29, 1974, I became a brand new creature. The old had passed away, and to my amazement, I was brand new. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.) I felt and looked different; a weight had lifted off of me and I noticed a glow to my face when I looked in the mirror immediately after. My addiction to alcohol had also left the premises. When I returned to college after break, my drinking buddies were alarmed at the change, ostracized me, yet still hovered near whenever I got ready to go to Bible study, smugly looking me up and down as they drank their cheap vodka and Coke.
But I had found Jesus, and I had a peace and a power I had never known, so their intentionally obvious disdain didn’t intimidate me.
Alcohol addiction had vanished from my system in an instant; but other nagging tendencies did not suffer the same fate, much to my dismay. And since my faith in Christ was very real, this contradiction between righteousness and falling repetitively into sin patterns was a dilemma about which I often cried out bitterly to the Lord.
I would like to say that with some prayer and meditation on the Word, it all changed rapidly, but that would be dishonest. The truth is, I would seemingly conquer one sin pattern only to realize I’d opened the door to another. As I focused on that one, what do you know, but the other “conquered” pattern returned with a vengeance! It was as if I was stuck on the set of the “Three Stooges”, trying to close the drawer on one sin while two more drawers popped open, knocking me down. And yet, I still loved Jesus and was still a new creature. What gives? I would cry again and again in despair.
Trust me; I didn’t develop my love for the Word of God because I am so awesome. I absorbed the Bible into my system and wrapped myself up in it due to my abject inability to live the Christian life—even as a born-again, delivered-from-alcohol, Holy Ghost-filled young woman of God. And as I grappled with the sin question, the love of my life, Jesus, led me to verse after verse to comfort, cleanse, encourage, and instruct me. One of those portions of Scripture was James 1:14-15.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Through these two verses, the Lord instructed me concerning the anatomy of the lust/sin connection and how it worked. Understanding this helped me to shake the failure mentality that had started to enshroud me as a young Christian and gave me some important tools to operate as soon as I noticed I was being tempted.
Tomorrow I will be writing about the lust/sin connection, and it is my heart’s desire to encourage, strengthen, establish, and equip you to effectively defy the patterns of your past and live your life as the new creation you really are.
The truth will make you free!
Dorothy
…Jesus was saying…“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32
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