1. Every Perfect Gift is from Above James 1:16-18

2. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17Every 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. 18In 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.

3. “Do not be Deceived” “deceived” – planáō - a wandering, lead astray. The words “do not be deceived” prohibit an action that is in progress. We could say, “stop being deceived.” The same “do not be deceived" expression occurs in 1 Cor. 6:9; 15:33; Gal. 6:7; and 1 Jn. 3:7. God definitely is not the author of deception. Knowing the scriptures and how the life of Christ is in us, is a key part to overcome the temptations (deception) of the sin nature. 2 Tim 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth”. James 1:16

4. “Beloved Brethren” “beloved” – agapētós – Beloved, dear, but spoken only of Christians as united with God or with each other in the bonds of holy love. “brethren” – adelphós – believers understood as one’s own siblings in God’s family. James knew of instances where his brothers in the faith were being deceived and is setting out to correct their doctrine by pointing them back to the Lord and His Word. James 1:16

5. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift …” giving - dósis - gift, the act of human or divine giving gift - dṓrēma - to make a gift. The thing given. The suffix -ma makes it the result of dósis This phrase has a poetic cadence in Greek. It is literally, “every good act of giving (dosis) and every perfect gift (dōrēma) is from above.” Both God’s giving and his gift are a part of what is in view here. It’s the connected pair of the act and the thing. God is the giver of good gifts (Ps 85:12), and each gift from Him is perfect in quality. James 1:17

6. The Gifts of God Henry M. Morris has a paper called – “The Gifts of God” that is a great study in this area: http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_tgog/ James 1:17

7. “Coming down from the Father of lights” Father - patrós - A father, spoken generally of men and in a special sense of God. One who combines aspects of supernatural authority and care for his people. lights - phṓs - light, in contrast with darkness, usually in relationship to some source of light such as the heavenly luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars etc.’ One of the first recorded acts of God in scripture is that He created light (Gen. 1:3-5). This is also the first occurrence of giving. “God placed the great lights in the heavens "to give light upon the earth" (Gen. 1:15). Light is the basic energy by which all creation functions but, so far as the earth is concerned, it is the particular light from the sun which energizes all earth's processes. God Himself is the Light (Gen. 1:3; I Jn. 1:5; Rev. 22:5) and that light antedates the sun, but He made the "lights;" He is the Father of lights.” – Henry M. Morris James 1:17

8. “No variation or shifting shadow” no variation - ouk parallagḗ- no change or variation in the nature or character of something—‘no change.’ shifting - tropḗ - A turning, turning back as of the heavenly bodies in their courses shadow – aposkíasma - the shape or shade cast by an object which blocks rays of light—‘shadow.’ The Lord is an everlasting God, whose plans and purposes have been set forth from before the foundation of the earth. God is not a man that He should lie. By His faithful character we have been given theses gifts. James 1:17

9. “In the exercise of His will” “…in the exercise of His will.” – boúlomai - to desire to have or experience something, with the implication of some reasoned planning or will to accomplish the goal—‘to desire, to want, to will.’ God’s all-encompassing will is a part of what James has in mind in the next part of the verse. Nothing is outside the scope of God’s sovereign rule. All our gifts, no matter what they are, flow from the exercise of the Creator’s rational will. Ephesians 1:11 – “…(He) works all things after the counsel of His will” James 1:18

10. Characteristics of God’s Decree The decree: …is a single plan encompassing all things. (Eph. 1:11) …was formed in eternity past but is manifested in time. (Eph. 1:4) …is a wise plan because God Who is wise has planned what is best. (Rom. 11:33-36) …is according to God’s sovereign will – He does as He pleases. (Dan. 4:35) …has two aspects: Directive Will. (Isa. 45:18) Permissive Will. (Gen 17:6; 35:11) …is purposeful in that it glorifies God. (Eph. 1:11-12) …man is responsible for sinful actions. (Acts 2:23) …contains aspects that are carried out by all people. (Acts 16:31; Jas. 1:18) James 1:18

11. “He brought us forth by the word of truth” “He brought us forth” - apokuéō - to swell, be pregnant. To be brought into being as something newly created—‘to bring into being, to cause to exist.’ “by the word” - lógos - the content of what is preached about Christ or about the good news. “of truth” - alḗtheia - the content of that which is true and thus in accordance with what actually happened. God’s supreme gift to us is the new birth. James continues with “birth” imagery from 1:15. See earlier NT references: Jn 3:3; 1 Pt 1:23. James 1:18

12. “A kind of first fruits among His creatures” “first fruits”- aparchḗ - a foretaste and pledge of blessings to come. To believers in general consecrated to God from among the rest of mankind. “creatures” - ktísma - to create, form, that which has been created – specifically human creation. James 1:18

13. First Fruits Literal Bring the firstfruits (Exod. 23:16; Lev. 23:10–14; Deut. 26:10; Neh. 10:35) firstfruits at the Feast of Weeks (Num. 28:26) honour the Lord with the firstfruits (Prov. 3:9) firstfruits belong to the priests (Num. 18:12; Num. 18:13; Ezek. 44:30) honey and leaven acceptable as firstfruits (Lev. 2:12) an offering of roasted grain as firstfruits (Lev. 2:14) Metaphorical Israel was the firstfruits of his harvest (Jer. 2:3) Christ is risen, the firstfruits of those who slept (1 Cor. 15:20; 1 Cor. 15:23) that we should be the firstfruits of his creatures (Jas. 1:18) the redeemed are firstfruits (Rev. 14:4) the household of Stephanas were the firstfruits of Achaia (1 Cor. 16:15) we have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom. 8:23) if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole lump (Rom. 11:16). James 1:18

14. Expanded & Explained 1.16 - Stop being deceived by the idea that God tempts us, beloved Christian brothers; members of God’s family. 2.17 - Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from the heavenly dwelling place of the very Creator, the one who spoke the light into existence in the beginning; who never shifts or changes in His perfect character. 3.18 – God, in his perfect sovereign will and plan for His creation, chose to give us (believers) birth into eternal life through the giving, hearing, and believing of His true gospel message. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession. James 1:16-18