James 1:16-18

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James 1:16-18

James tells his readers that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change".  He says this warning his readers not to be deceived.  This means that they were being deceived and what James now tells them is true in contrast to what they were previously believing.  I guess that means that they might've believed that some good gifts were from someone or something other than God.  We might be misled as well.  Perhaps we believe something to come to us from good luck or good fortune.  Maybe we may believe that the goodwill of someone was the cause of a good gift.  However, that isn't the full truth.  A good gift may be rightly due to someone's kindness, but it is ultimately from God.

Does this apply to trials?  We are supposed to "count it all joy" when we "meet trials of various kinds".  Does this count as a good gift as well?  It probably does, though it may not seem like one at the time...

God is described here as "the Father of lights".  I'm not entirely sure why this is, but light is not a foreign concept when talking about God.  We know that in 1 John 1 it tells us that "God is light and in him is no darkness at all".  James continues to speak about the Father, saying "there is no variation or shadow due to change".  It is from him that come all good gifts and this doesn't change.  He never changes and he is always the same.  He himself is perfect and from him are all good and perfect gifts.

James goes on to remind the reader that we were brought forth "by the word of truth".  NLT translates it as "He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession".  His giving birth to us is done by the giving of his true word.  I'm not entirely sure what is meant by this verse, but it seems to be now pointing to us.  If he was talking about good gifts, then we now look to all that God has done for us and through us.  As a result of what he has done, we are now his "prized possession".