James now defended God before those who doubted His goodness or reliability or who had given up hope in a time of testing and had concluded that this was their "fate."55
1:16 James wanted his readers to have no doubt about God's purposes and methods in dealing with His children. The same "Do not be deceived"expression occurs in 1 Corinthians 6:9; 15:33; Galatians 6:7; and 1 John 3:7. God definitely is not the author of temptation.56
James clarified God's purposes and methods in the following two verses (cf. Gal. 4:7). Verse 15 warns against yielding to temptation by reminding us of the judgment of God, and verse 17 warns us by reminding us of the goodness of God.
1:17 Every act of giving (better than "good thing bestowed") and every gift given has its source in God. This does not include temptations. God created the sun and moon by which we see variation in light. However there is no variation in God's dealings with His creatures. He always does everything for His own glory and His creatures' good.
"From above"is the translation of the same Greek word (anothen) Jesus used in John 3:7 when He told Nicodemus that he must be born "again."There the new birth is the good gift from God that is in view.
1:18 The greatest of God's gifts for believers is the gift of new life in Christ. God's initiative provided this gift for us, and His special revelation communicated it to us. This verse along with the preceding one shows clearly that James believed that eternal life was a gift of God's grace. We need to keep this in mind when we read James' discussion of faith and works that follows in chapter 2. James also agreed with Paul that our salvation springs from the sovereign volition of God (cf. Rom. 4:21-22; 2 Cor. 4:6). He initiated it.
The "first fruits"probably refer to all Christians who persevere in spite of trials. All believers will bring glory to God's name, but believers who remain faithful to Christ will please Him greatly, as the first fruits in Israel were a special offering to God. The Greek word translated "first fruits"(aparche) refers to what is first in honor as well as to what is first in order. The biblical writers used it "of persons superior in excellence to others of the same class."57
The point of these verses (17-18) seems to be that God's intention for all people, and believers in particular, is invariably their blessing. Rather than viewing temptations to depart from the will of God as heaven-sent, we must see them as the potential enemies of spiritual growth. Instead of caving in under their weight we must brace ourselves against them. We can do so knowing that the effort will make us better this side of the grave and it will yield a wonderful reward the other side of the grave.
