James 1: 16-18

James 1: 16-18


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


Verse 16 is a warning that few of us realize when "we" have won a victory or "we" have "earned" some wonderful gift or "we" have impressed someone with "our" talent.  Because verse 17 reminds us that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father . . . ." We have won no victories, or earned anything, nor have we impressed anyone with our talent.  All of these good things are gifts from God and we should be thankful and overjoyed that God has blessed us with these things.  In verse 18 we are reminded that the reason we have been given these good and perfect things is because of our rebirth in Christ (the living "word of truth").  And because of our rebirth through Christ we have also become living gifts ("a kind of firstfruits") of all he created.