BIG IDEA:
THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD BLESSES US FROM START TO FINISH
INTRODUCTION:
Rather than God being the source of tempting us to evil, He must be recognized as the giver of every good gift and the one who has sovereignly granted us spiritual life.
I. (:17) GENERAL GRACE: EVERY GOOD GIFT COMES FROM GOD (WHO IS GOOD AND IMMUTABLE)
A. Nature of General Grace
1. Look at Grace from the perspective of the act of giving
“Every good thing bestowed”
2. Look at Grace from the perspective of the result of that act, the gift itself
“and every perfect gift”
Zodhiates: “All of God’s gifts have as their end the accomplishment of God’s purpose in our lives, and that is perfection.”
B. Source of General Grace
1. Lofty Heaven — “is from above”
2. Majestic God — “coming down from the Father of lights”
reference to His creative activity over all of nature
C. Immutable Nature of God
1. “with whom there is no variation”
completely consistent; never changes; can be counted on
2. “or shifting shadow”
Zodhiates: “The heavenly bodies change, they move about in space, and their benevolence to us varies, but not so with the One who is light, who is space, who is time, who is the Creator of them all, and no one can cast a shadow on Him… There is no night so dark that His light cannot shine upon you. ‘I am the Lord, I change not’ (Mal. 3:6). ‘God is light, and in him is no darkness at all’ (I John 1:5).”
Luck: “But these physical lights are subject to alternations of light and darkness. Even the shining sun has its ‘spots.’ But there are no spots–no variableness–within the perfect light of the great Creator.”
Baltz: “And so we are encouraged by these words, because we understand that God will not change. He will continue to give us good gifts. He will never take back what He has given us. His rules will never change. His promise will never be forsaken. Our salvation through Christ can never be revoked or pulled out from under us. God is our benevolent Father, our unchanging Creator, and our anchor, which is firm and secure, even in a world that is changing so quickly.”
II. (:18) SOVEREIGN SAVING GRACE: SPIRITUAL LIFE COMES FROM THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD (WHO IS GOOD AND POWERFUL)
A. His Sovereign Decree
“In the exercise of His will”
Manton: “That which engaged God to the work of regeneration was merely his own will and good pleasure: ‘Of his own will begat he us;’ Rom. ix. 18, ‘He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.’ God’s will is the reason of all his actions; you will find the highest cause to be will, love, and mercy. God can have no higher motive, nothing without himself, no foresight of faith and works; he was merely inclined by his own pleasure: John xv. 16, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you;’ “
B. His Creative Power
“He brought us forth”
C. His Instrument of Regeneration
“by the Word of Truth”
D. His Goal of Spiritual Life and Ownership
“that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures”
Zodhiates: “In the Old Testament the first fruits, therefore, were the peculiar possession of God. Among His entire creation we are peculiarly His possession, for we were not only created by Him, but also re-created. A little boy who had lost his toy boat found it for sale in a store, and when he bought it, he took it in his hands and hugged it, saying ‘My little precious boat, you are now twice mine; once I made you and once I bought you.'”
Tasker: “The Christians living in James’ day are described as a kind of first fruits of this new creation, probably because there would be a greater harvest to come as a result of subsequent Christian missions.”