SERMON: “Children Tempted, but Children of Truth” (James 1:16–18)
“Children Tempted, but Children of Truth” (James
1:16–18)
Series: “James:
True Faith Works” #6 Text: James 1:16–18
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date: November 10, 2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
Martin Luther, the great defender of the faith, who passionately loved the doctrine of justification by faith, once grew so thoroughly out of temper with the opponents who quoted the apostle James against him, that he almost threatened to rend his Epistle out of the canon, because he supposed that James fell foul of Paul upon the matter of justification by faith alone. It is, however, very clear to us that James, like the other apostles, never doubted that every good thing that can be found among mankind is a boon of pure grace, the gift of God.[1]
What we see in this passage are truths which might as well
be from the Apostle Paul (as, they are all ultimately from God). Remember that we’ve been talking about trials
and temptations. Last time, we
specifically considered how temptation can take hold of us. James doesn’t just remind us that temptations
exist, but like the Apostle Paul, he also points us to the good gifts of God’s
grace.
This passage gives those who are tempted truths about
ourselves which we need if we are tempted.
When dealing with trials and temptations, it’s important to remember
three truths about ourselves. We are
born of love, not deception (v. 16), of light, not darkness (v. 17), and of
sovereignty, not self (v. 18). Let’s
consider the first of those.
II.
First, We are Born of Love, not Deception (v.
16)
Do not be
deceived, my beloved brethren.
James warns believers, “Do not be deceived.” The Greek verb here means “to wander” or “to
be led astray.” It’s the same word used for sheep that drift away from the
flock. This reminds us of what we read
back in v. 14, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by
his own lust.” We don’t want to be subtly
pulled by their own desires.
That brings us to a
strange aspect of this command — it’s a passive command. Those are sometimes weird, but we could read
this as saying, “Do not allow yourself to be caused to wander.” Sin is often deceptive, as Paul reminds us in
Romans 7:7–14 — it blinds and leads to spiritual death. Satan himself blinds the minds of unbelievers
(2 Cor. 4:4), and as Paul also warns, unchecked sin darkens the heart (Romans
1:27). Yet, we must not allow ourselves
to be led down the wrong path.
How does this connect with what we’ve been studying? James’s admonition is a powerful reminder:
God is not to blame for temptation. Often, when we realize we’re on the wrong
path, we ignore our own culpability — we must own when we’ve allowed ourselves
to be led astray so we can repent and correct our mistakes for the future.
James has a firm tone here, but he’s also gentle. He addresses his readers as “brethren” — a
term for brothers and sisters — and “beloved.”
This is a title of brotherly endearment common in this letter (James
1:2, 19; 2:1, 5, 14; 3:1, 10; 4:11; 5:12, 19).
Despite the fact that many people find James to be a harsher letter, his
tone remains warm. Even in his rebuke, James speaks with
familial love.
This is beyond just the love we might have for each
other. He uses the same word for loving
them (agape) that he used back in v. 12 of God. This is a reminder not only are we beloved in
the body of Christ, we’re beloved of the Lord, as well.
As such, we should seek the loving God of truth above our
trials and temptations. We can avoid
deception by staying close to His Word and ways. God’s love calls us to His truth, and it is
this truth that keeps us from wandering.
Even if we find that we’ve wandered, there is a light for our path to
lead us back in Jesus Christ, bringing us to the next point.
III.
Second, We are Born of Light, not Darkness (v.
17)
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.
We have blessings as believers because we have a loving
heavenly Father. There are two Greek
words for “gift” here that somewhat comes out in the English translation. The first part of this verse could be
translated, “Every good giving,” focusing more on the act of gifting. The second part is more objective, the
perfect gift we receive from a loving Father.
Together, these terms convey a sense of all God’s various and sundry
gifts, describing them as the exact quality and nature of gifts that we need.
What kinds of gifts might these be? One resource says that they “are gifts that
affect a person’s soul” such as the gift of new birth (1:18), wisdom (1:5 and
3:15), salvation, the kingdom of God, the sending of His Son, the coming of the
Holy Spirit, and all other good things.[2] Of course, this might also include material
blessings. This contrasts with a person
being deceived and seeking after his own selfish gain.
Such a gift is “from above, coming down.” This is, of course, a reference to heaven,
the abode of God. It’s not that heaven
is literally above us, but it is over us.
Moreover, salvation is from above (John 3:3), for instance. James will go on to say that true wisdom is
from above (James 3:15, 17).
James says above is the Father of lights, one of the many
names for God. Elsewhere, He is the
Father of rain (Job 38:28), the Father of mercy (2 Cor. 1:3), and the Father of
glory (Eph. 1:17). If God is the creator
of all, and nothing existed before Him, then He defines and originates all
things. This includes the molecules that
comprise the water of raindrops, the concepts of mercy, glory, lavishing love
on another person, and the photonic energy of light. Concepts like mercy and goodness cannot exist
outside of Him, and those who experience such blessings do so only because of
God’s loving choice to gift them.
Just as the celestial luminaries are above us, so is
God. Scripture affirms God created light
with the first chapter of Scripture (Gen. 1:3).
The Book of Psalms names Him as the maker of lights (Psa. 136:7). John simply says, “God is Light, and in Him
there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
He created these wonders, and He gives good and perfect gifts to
us. The Father “dwells in unapproachable
light” (1 Tim. 6:16), but one day, we will be clothed in that white light.
There is a domain of darkness. Acts 26:18 says that unbelievers need their
eyes opened “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion
of Satan to God.” In Colossians 1:13, we
read, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son.” We must see
that we are no longer bound by the domain of darkness and now have a Father of
lights.
The Father provides for and guides us. As Philippians 2:13
says, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His
good pleasure.” The Father’s work in the
believer provides both the desire and the power to live a sanctified life, as
He consistently provides for our ongoing spiritual growth.
In cast there was any question, we read that “there is no
variation or shifting shadow” with the Father of lights. John says, “God is Light, and in Him there is
no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). As
MacArthur notes, “From man’s perspective, the celestial bodies have different
phases of movement and rotation, change from day to night, and vary in
intensity and shadow. But God does not follow that pattern — He is changeless.”[3] The term is immutable, for Malachi 3:6 says, “For
I, the Lord, do not change.”
There’s peace in this.
Temptations can cause us to wander like planets through the night sky,
but God will not be moved. He can give
us light to help us find our way.
We must recognize the need to bow to His guidance,
though. He rules over us. That brings us to the final point:
IV.
Third, We are Born of Sovereignty, not Self (v.
18)
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.
When we are faced with temptation, our primary thought might
be with what we want. We are not always
thinking about what God wants. Yet, James
reminds us that our spiritual birth is by God’s sovereign will.
The Greek term here indicates an intentional, powerful act
of God’s will. The ESV translates this,
“Of his own will,” and the NIV,
“He chose.” This emphasizes that we are reborn not
by human effort but by God’s choice. As
John 1:13 says, we were “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of
the will of man, but of God.” James
emphasizes the same thing that Paul does, that salvation is 100% of the Lord.
This is an important reminder that we are not our own. James then moves on to discuss regeneration,
new birth. This is in contrast to the
birth of sin in v. 15; we are born of the will of God. As 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,” and v. 23 there says, “for you have been born again not of seed
which is perishable but imperishable, that
is, through the living and enduring word of God.”
We are born again (a good gift) of the will of God. Salvation is of the Lord, but it never comes
apart from the preaching of His Word (cf. Rom. 10:14–17). We are not saved outside of the Word of
God. A person must hear the truth of God
in some form in order to come to faith.
Those who claim to be children of God who believe in something other
than the Word are not, of truth, children of God.
Paul defines the “word of truth” as the gospel (Col 1:5; Eph
1:13). The word of truth is to be
learned by believers and divided accurately (2 Tm 2:15). It can sanctify or cleanse us (John
17:17). James means to contrast what he
said in v. 15. No one leads God astray,
as He is never tempted. His choices are
pure and holy. And when He conceives and
creates something, it’s not death, but life.
Yet, to reiterate, James refers not to human creation but spiritual
recreation (see notes on John 3:3–8; 1 Pet. 1:23; cf. Ezek. 36:25–27; John
1:12, 13; Eph. 2:5, 6; 5:26). This
gospel truth not only initiates our spiritual birth but also sanctifies us,
guiding us toward maturity.
James calls us “first fruits,” a term that recalls the Old
Testament offering of the first and best of the harvest (Exodus 23:19). In the New Testament context, Christians are
God’s first fruits of a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We belong to God, set apart as holy,
anticipating the day when all creation will be renewed. As a believer, you are
part of that foretaste of future glory—a testimony of God’s redeeming work in a
fallen world.
V.
Conclusion
At this point, we have just completed James’s introduction
to His letter. He concludes here with a
call to remember these important truths in the face of temptation. We are God’s children, born of His love,
light, and sovereign will. Unlike the
fleeting desires of sin, which lead to darkness and death, God’s gifts lead to
life and growth in Him.
As we face trials, let’s not be deceived, but hold fast to
the unchanging goodness of our Father. Rest
in His sovereignty, trust in His light, and know that you are His beloved
child, destined for holiness. May we
live as His children of truth, a reflection of His glorious light in a world
that desperately needs it..
[1] C. H. Spurgeon, The
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 1911, 57, 529.
[2] J. Harold Greenlee, An Exegetical Summary of James, 2nd ed., (Dallas, TX: SIL
International, 2008), 39.
[3] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word
Pub., 1997), 1927.
