16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 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. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome back to James. If you’re just joining us, I’ve been preaching through a letter written by Jesus’ brother, James, to a group of Christians who had been driven from their families and homes because of their faith in Jesus.
James’s readers were, as are so many of God’s people around the world today, steeped in trials. They had chosen to follow Jesus and a hard life was made harder because of it. James loved them and wanted to help them navigate the hardships of life in a way that would honor God and be good for them and the world.
To those ends, he’d already helped them to see that rather than counting their hardships as a source of self-pity, they ought to count them as all joy, since God works in every hardship among all of His people for their good. But James knew that rightly counting hardships as joy requires a great deal of heavenly wisdom. For that reason, he again sought to help his readers by telling them where to find that kind of wisdom. It is found, James wrote, in God alone, but God always gives it generously to those who ask Him for it.
Another hardship that was ever before James’s readers was that of being mocked for their lowly condition. Their persecution led to financial and physical hardships. Many derided them for those hardships. James once again wrote to help them frame their lowly condition and the response of others to it properly. He did so by reminding them that in the kingdom of God (unlike the kingdom of this world) it is the lowly who are exalted and the exalted who are made low.
In addition to the trials that come from living in a fallen world and among fallen people, James’s readers’ own sinful desires were constantly ready to give into temptation if they were not careful. This too, James sought to help them to navigate in faith. And he did so by reminding them that their temptations to sin were never from God and that God grants the crown of life for those who resist in faith.
That’s where we’ve been so far in James—the first fifteen verses.
As you can easily see, a great deal of James’s message was counter to that of the world and even that of common sense. For those reasons and more, James felt compelled to warn his readers to be constantly vigilant, constantly on the lookout, for deception. The world, the devil, and even their own flesh were continually whispering lies to them—especially about the trials and temptations that came their way. That’s our passage today.
In vs.16-17 James warned that on one hand, his readers were vulnerable to being deceived that their trials were in vain and that their temptations were from God (that God might do them harm). On the other hand, James warned that they were vulnerable to being deceived that good might be found in anything but God and that God would give them anything other than good.
In all of this is a sweet picture of the love of God, a sweet display of James’s love for these people, and real help for every Christian to guard ourselves against believing lies. Let’s pray for ears to hear and the conviction and strength to turn our hearing into doing.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED (16)
The opening line of our passage serves as a transition between the negative side of James’s argument (vs.12-15) and the positive side (vs.17-18). In it (v.16), James commanded his readers to refuse to allow deception (on either side) to overtake them.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Why did James feel the need to write this? Why issue this warning to this people? I think there are two primary reasons and both were amplified by the kinds of hardships they were enduring. James commanded his readers to not be deceived because: (1) We are easily deceived, and (2) Being deceived is always dangerous.
We Are Easily Deceived
For all kinds of reasons, we are easily deceived.
Satan is continually speaking lies which we are often hard-pressed to recognize and refute. (Look to Matthew 4:1-11 for a perfect example of how to do this.) We are selfish and prone to want to believe lies that conform to our liking. There are mysteries in God and His plan which we tend to try to solve by our own wisdom. Seeing clearly is related to our Christian maturity and all of us have a long way to go before we’re fully mature. Sin’s very nature is deceptive. The current of life on earth runs continually and swiftly away from spiritual truth and toward spiritual lies. We cannot passively discover or live by truth. We must seek it out and guard it with vigor. If we do not, we will certainly remain in or fall back into deception.
All of these things (and more) are always at work to make walking in truth difficult and deception easy. It was for these reasons that James so emphatically instructed his readers to be on guard against being deceived.
Let us therefore be humble, prayerful, and diligent in our search for truth. And let us be careful to stay away from everything that might lead us into error. To those ends, let me ask you a few practical and diagnostic questions that you might not be merely a hearer of this warning against being deceived:
- Where do you go to find truth? Or, where do go to get advice when you need it?
- How many of the things you believe about God, yourself, and the world can you root in God’s Word?
- What happens when God’s Word contradicts your beliefs or desires?
- What do you do when someone questions your understanding of things?
- Do you pray for your pastors and teachers to know and proclaim truth only?
- In what ways are you actively seeking to root out deception in yourself, your kids, and your church?
Grace, we are easily deceived. Consequently, we need to be vigilant in our guard against deception and constant in our pursuit of knowing and walking in the Truth of God’s Word. This is as true for us today as it was for James’s readers.
Being Deceived Is Dangerous
Again, as a transition verse, v.16 points both backward and forward. James did not want his readers to be deceived about what he just said (that God never tempts His people to sin) or what he was about to say (that God only gives good gifts to His people). To get either of those things wrong is to put yourself in a dangerous spot. Being deceived is not merely a matter of inconvenience, it is always dangerous and often deadly.
To be deceived into believing that God tempts His people to sin leads to all kinds of trouble. It calls into question the goodness of God. It produces doubts about our salvation. It makes our responsibility for our sin confusing. It fills us with a special kind of resentment when we do sin. And it makes it really difficult to trust God.
Likewise, James warned, that to be deceived into believing that God gives something other than good gifts to His people leads to its own set of problems as well (which we will consider in a moment).
Grace, we must settle firmly on the fact that in the end life and joy come only from truth, while only death and misery come from lies.
In the short term, you might be glad for your doctor to lie to you about your cancer diagnosis. “Everything looks great, Mr. Smith. You have nothing to worry about.” Those are the words we all want to hear when we get the results of our tests. Conversely, no one wants to hear, “I’m sorry to tell you that you have cancer and apart from aggressive treatment, you’ll only have a few months to live.” Why, then, wouldn’t we just want our Dr. to lie to us about our results? A lie would cause us to leave our appointment relieved and light, while the truth would fill us with sadness and dread.
Consider the same principle from a different angle. “Yes, of course you can lead that aspect of ministry at Grace Church” sure feels more affirming and loving than, “Unfortunately, we don’t think you’re ready to lead in that area. In fact, we’re not sure that will ever be a good fit in light of the gifts God has given you.” Everyone wants to hear the first report and almost no one wants to hear the second, so why not just tell a little lie to make people feel better?
Maybe one of the clearest ways to see the dangerousness of deceit, is in the way of evangelism. It is almost always really awkward (for you and the person you’re talking to) to tell someone that they are sinful and stand condemned before God to eternal, conscious torment. We’d all rather hear that God loves us and is happy with us just the way we are.
Remember, James’s principle under consideration is that being deceived is always dangerous. Even though it’d temporarily feel better to be lied to about your cancer, doing so will kill you as it would keep you from getting the treatment you need. Likewise, being allowed to lead a ministry you’re not qualified for will feel better immediately, but it will also immediately begin to harm your soul, the health of the church, and the name of Jesus. And to lie to someone about the true nature of their standing before God gives temporary relief, but everlasting misery.
Grace, every lie you believe robs you of joy and some rob you of being reconciled to God. Deception can feel good for a time, but it is always dangerous. The truth can hurt for a time, but it is always the only path to joy and life.
To help you not merely hear this principle, but to apply it, let me ask you a few more questions. Is there anyone in your life that has the green light to say anything to you that they think needs to be said, and is spiritually mature enough that it’s likely to be true? Is it more likely that a truly godly person who attempted to address some suspected sin in your life would leave feeling welcomed or wounded? More importantly still, are you consistently praying through the Bible, asking God to reveal and repair deception in you and in the Church? These are the kinds of measures we need to take if we are to truly heed James’s warning.
Finding and Sharing Truth in Love
We are all easily deceived and being deceived is dangerous. Along with those inescapable truths, let’s not miss the simple fact that James wrapped all of this in love. Why did James instruct his readers to look out for deadly deceptions? Was it because he was a picky, critical dude? Did he just like highlighting people’s problems? No. It was because they were his “beloved brothers [and sisters]”. He cared deeply for them. He did not want them to walk in misery or fragility or ignorance or instability or double mindedness or pride or failure or deception or death. Instead, he wanted them to walk in joy and completeness and wisdom and stability and exaltation and steadfastness and hope and holiness and on the way to being crowned with the crown of life. And all of that because He loved them. He longed for what was best for them, and went to some lengths to secure it for them.
May it be so for us as well. May we be people who speak the truth, who long to drive out deception wherever it is found, and may we do so because we are filled with love for God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the world.
This is a good time/place to pause and ask yourself why you do (or do not do) what you do in relation to the church or religion. Is it ultimately because your parents tell you to? Is it ultimately out of a sense of guilt? Is it ultimately as a simple act of obedience? Is it ultimately an attempt to earn God’s favor? Is it ultimately because that’s what you’ve always done or are most comfortable with? Or, is it as Jesus commands and James models, ultimately out of overwhelming love for God and others?
We are easily deceived. That deceit might feel good in the short-term, but it is always dangerous and often deadly. The truth might offend, but lasting life and joy are found only in the truth. We ought to know these things and, in love, share them with everyone we meet. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
GOD’S TWO-SIDED COIN (17)
That leads to our second verse for the morning. As I said, James wanted his readers to avoid being deceived about God as tempter (which He is not), and also, as v.17 teaches, as the giver of good gifts (which He is). In the beginning of v.17 he wrote,
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…
The Two Sides of the Coin (17a)
In this declaration, James offered a two-sided coin to his readers. On the first side he meant to help them understand (and therein avoid deception) that every good and perfect gift comes only from above; that is, from God. Jesus taught that “No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). In other words, all the goodness in the world comes ultimately from God. He is the only source of goodness. In this way, He is the Father of goodness (as He is, which we will soon see, the “Father of lights”). Genuine goodness is never found outside of God. Goodness, therefore, is God’s alone to create and disperse. Truly, “every good and perfect gift is from above…”. That’s the first side of the coin.
The second side of the same coin is that only good and perfect gifts come from above. Good only comes from God and nothing but good comes from God to His people. Grace, this means what you think it means. Whatever God gives His people is good, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first. Do not be deceived. God will never give evil things, like temptation to sin. Therefore, it is silly and dangerous to reject that which God gives. And it is wise and safe to receive with all joy whatever He does give, even trials and hardships.
Together, these two sides to James’s coin keep us from pride. They remind us that anything good we are or have, was given to us. They keep us from coveting. It is God who determines the specific measure of good gifts each of us receive. And they keep us from grumbling. There’s no room to complain when we recognize the fact that God never withholds good gifts from us.
One coin for all Christians, two sides: every good comes from God, and everything that comes from God is good. Don’t miss this, Grace, and therein fall into a dangerous deception.
The Coin Belongs to God (17b)
There’s one final principle that James offers us. I think the principle is well introduced by something I was reminded of earlier this week. I was reminded of an exchange that took place in a political philosophy course I took way back in the mid 90s. At one point in the semester, the professor mentioned that a social contract was the only reasonable way to establish moral norms. Under a social contract, an agreement made by people in a particular society, murder is wrong because no one wants their life taken away unjustly so everyone agrees to outlaw murder. When morality is determined by social contract it is able to truly reflect the will and consent of the people.
As a new Christian, I didn’t know much, but I knew that any meaningful morality must run deeper than that. I asked my professor about why it wouldn’t be better to root morality in something more transcendent—in God’s authority. In that sense, murder would be wrong because God declared it to be wrong. The professor suggested this wouldn’t work because if that were the case, nothing could keep God from simply changing His mind, willy-nilly. At least if people did that through social contract, it would represent the majority opinion. How trepidations would it be, he wondered, to live in a world where God could declare, apart from any human consent, that murder was wrong one minute, right the next, and then wrong again a while later?
I didn’t know how to answer my professor then, but I do now. The problem with his reasoning (and my question) was two-fold. First, morality is tied to God’s nature before it is tied to His words. God is just and God is life, therefore He declares murder to be objectively and universally wrong. And second, one aspect of God’s character is being unchangeable. Murder will always be wrong because God will always be life and just.
I tell you that story because that is almost the exact reasoning of James in the second half of v.17.
17 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.
Why should we fight against deceit? And why should we especially fight against it to believe in the universal goodness of God toward us? And how can we find hope and help in times of difficulty by believing that?
The key, James says, is that God does good and gives good because He is good. And we can trust this because God has always been and will always be good. He does not change. That is, James rooted the two sides of this coin and the help that they bring in two aspects of God’s nature. God’s people ought to trust that God does not tempt His people to sin and that every good and perfect gift comes from God, because God is (1) the Father of lights and (2) without variation or shadow due to change.
On one hand, “Father of lights” is a simple expression of God as creator. It is God who made the heavenly lights—the sun and stars. For that reason, all physical light comes from God. He is the “father of lights” in that sense. But those lights exist in large measure to help us understand God as the source of a more profound kind of light.
The apostle John wrote about this kind of light in his first letter (1:5), “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” The more significant kind of light, which God is also the father of, is moral light—holiness and righteousness. God is the Father of all that is pure. Indeed, more than just that, God is only moral light; there is not a single speck of moral darkness in Him. Because that’s who God is, because He is perfectly good in every way, because He is the Father of light, His people never need to wonder if God will bring evil or fail to bring good. He will always give good and perfect gifts from above because that’s all that is in Him.
And, once again, we need not worry that this will ever change because, as James says, in God’s essential nature there is no “variation or shadow due to change.” God’s nature does not waiver. Therefore, His disposition toward those who love Him will never change—He always, only blesses because He is always, only good. Our sinful desires (v.15) come and go and are usually unpredictable. But God is not like that.
Only God gives good gifts and God gives only good gifts because God is eternally and unchangeably good. We must not be deceived about these things. Rather, we must build our lives upon them.
CONCLUSION
In v.18, as we’ll consider next week, James extends his argument even further. There, he describes the greatest gift of God—eternal life—and reasons that if He doesn’t withhold that from us, He will not withhold anything good.
As we transition into communion, then, let us remember that all of this is only because of Jesus. God is always, only, and eternally good, but we only have access to that because Jesus took upon Himself all of our sin and death. God’s love is upon us and He directs His goodness to us, not because we deserve it, but because Jesus does and by grace, through faith, we are united with Him. It is through Jesus alone that our eyes are opened, our deceit is revealed, and our sins are cleansed. Let’s keep that in our minds as we now take part in the Lord’s Supper.