As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
16Do
not be being deceived, my beloved brothers. 17Every good giving and
every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, from
Whom there is no shifting or hint of change.18Purposing, He gave us
birth by a word of truth, in order that we might be a kind of first fruits of His
creatures.
As I studied this, one of the first things that caught my
eye was v16 “Be not deceived …” I have been aware for years of vv13-15 on the progress of sin and I’ve certainly been aware of verse 17, “Every good and perfect
gift comes down from the Father of lights.” What I’ve never noticed before is the
fact that this v16, “Be not deceived” falls in between. Any time the Lord tells
us “Be not deceived” obviously He thinks we’re in danger that we will! And
obviously, in this case, the deception is that we might find ourselves in
vv13-15 (somewhere in the process of being tempted) and need to believe
vv17,18. Again, the "Be not deceived" of v16 falls in between. If I’m not making sense, go back and read vv13-18 as a unit. I think
you’ll see what I mean. I’ve never before seen the logical flow through the
entire section.
In what are we in danger of being deceived? I think, from
the text, the answer is that we are in danger of being deceived concerning this
matter that “every good and perfect gift comes from God.” Note the “every.” Every
good gift comes from God. That’s what we are in danger of forgetting.
Why would we be in danger of forgetting that? Most
commentators go all the way back to v13 and say it is because we are so prone
to blame God for our sins. They go on and see how in vv17,18, so much of the
goodness of God is emphasized. They would suggest the flow of thought is, “Don’t
be deceived into thinking God is to blame for your sins. That is not possible
because He is a good God.”
All they are saying is true and that is certainly a
legitimate take on the passage. However, what struck me was something more
immediate in the text and something I personally found more immediately
helpful.
Rather than going all the way back to v13, I would suggest
we only need go as far as vv14,15, to the anatomy of sin, to the process of
allurement. In those verses we were reminded that temptation is something that
plays with our “wanter” as I like to call it. Temptations only “work” on us because
they find in us desires. Once again, a stick on a hook won’t get a second look
from a fish, but a big, juicy, wiggling worm is almost sure to land him in your
frying pan. We “give in” to sin because there is something we “want” and because
temptation has succeeded in convincing us we can get it.
What is going on? Temptation is convincing us there are “good
and perfect gifts” to be had if we will only push God aside and take them by
force. We imagine there are “good and perfect gifts” to be had and I can get them for myself. The very
essence of an unregenerate life is believing I simply don’t need God “to be
happy.” I can get it myself. A believer knows He’s there and that we need Him,
but if there is something we “want” badly enough and we perceive He might “get
in the way” we can conveniently ignore the voice of conscience, conveniently “go
on” not allowing ourselves to stop and ask whether what we’re doing is truly
good. Whether lost or saved, we convince ourselves we don’t need God to obtain
the “good and perfect gifts” of life.
And what is James’ assertion in the middle of this kind of
thinking? “Be not deceived, … every good and perfect gift is from God.”
And again, note the “every.” What is he saying? I believe James would have us
know that one of the greatest bulwarks to protect ourselves from temptation and
sin (and the death it will bring), essentially one of the walls to stand
between us and our own self-destruction, is believing that every good
gift is from God. Every good gift. Sin and satan show us “all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor” and promise us “All this I will give
you …” Like the fish, all we can see is the alluring, voluptuous worm; the hook
is carefully hidden from our view.
But, before we bite, we would be protected if we would
remind ourselves, “Wait a minute, good gifts come only from God. There has to
be something wrong here whether I see it or not. I’d better not bite on this. I’d
better step back and somehow wait for God to give me the good gift I so desire.
Regardless of what I think I’m seeing, I know and am convinced that good gifts
come only from God. Sin cannot possibly deliver what it seems so convincingly
(and alluringly) to be promising me.”
How many families would still be together if a husband or
wife would have remembered this when that special “someone” lured them away?
How many young girls would have never gotten pregnant, would have never married
that godless young man, if they’d remembered good gifts come only from God? How
many young men would have never gotten involved with that hot (but godless)
girl who ended up breaking their heart and wrecking their life? How many
fathers would have kept their work and home in balance if they’d have
remembered this when “big bucks” and “success” lured them into being “gone all
the time?”
We can go right down the list – whatever are your own particular
allurements, the things that seem to “work” most on you – and they would all
lose their power if we would but keep in mind, “Wait a minute. Good gifts come
only from God” – if we’d not allow ourselves to be deceived.
The goodness of God is or should be or could be a wall to
stand firmly between us and the inevitable wages of sin – death. “He that
cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). “A rewarder.” The Lord encouraged Abraham
telling him, “I am your shield and your exceeding great reward” (Gen 15:1). One
of Jesus’ responses to temptation was, “Man does not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).
For myself, I don’t (at this point) feel it helpful to be
reminded of God’s goodness for the purpose of helping me not to blame Him for
my sins. I do find it very helpful to see that He is the exclusive provider of every good
and perfect gift, that they can and will come from nowhere else.
I could make a lot of comments particularly about vv17,18. There
is obviously a literal ton of deep theology expressed in these two simple
verses. But there are many, many excellent commentaries out there which have
already done exactly that. So I think I won’t take the time – except to note
that vv17,18 and the point of this passage reminds me why it is so important to
study theology. The wall we’re talking about will only help us to the extent we
actually do know God, to the extent we understand Who He is, that He is good
and what that means. Doctrine and theology are not and should not be “dry”
subjects. As we see in this passage, Who God is and whether I know it has
everything to do with whether I can live in this world successfully or instead
be deceived and endlessly self-destruct. The study of theology is only dry if
we fail to connect its profound truths to the everyday lives we all live.
My wanter – my problem. My good God – my wall of
deliverance. "He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not also graciously give us all things” (Rom 8:32). Jesus went to
the Cross to buy us out of hell. May I never lose sight of His loving gaze. May
I never believe someone or something else can do me good.
“Every good and
perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights.”
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