Introduction. James
has written much about trials, testing and temptations.
It is a heavy theme,
but necessary to those who had been surprised by the
weight of the cross and the hostility of the world.
Then, with wise affection, James says to these dear
saints,
"every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is
no variableness, neither shadow of turning". 1:17
Don't find
yourselves, taken up with the same spirit of discouragement,
which the world has. How disappointing life has turned
out.
Consider all
that you have, the blessings of the goodness of
God, which you share with all men, and then consider
the gifts of redemptive grace, which have been heaped
upon you as Christians. They all come from God!
Having pointed
them to the "Giver of Perfect Gifts" James
goes on to speak of the greatest gift that a person
can receive from a loving and a gracious God, the gift
of the "New Birth which places one into the family
of God.
V
18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
KJV
The subject before us
is "Regeneration" the imparting of divine
life through the "Word of Truth".
The word "Regeneration"
appears two times in scripture.
1) Matt 19:
27 Peter said to the Lord" Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we
have therefore?
And Jesus said
unto them, V 28
"Verily I say unto you, That
ye which have followed me, in the regeneration
when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory,
ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel".
In this verse
the word "Regeneration" means a
"New Order" referring to the
millennium, the Lord’s kingdom on earth.
2). The Apostle Paul uses this
word in reference to the spiritual aspect of this kingdom.
Titus 3:5 Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Regeneration is a new order,
a new creation, whereby God bestows on the believing
sinner new life. God Himself is the giver and the believer
is just the recipient. This life is God’s own life.
God being good,
and the Father of Lights, has shown to us His redemptive
goodness in the way of salvation. God has brought us
forth by His word. Literally it means to make new or
to make over.
A little boy, fascinated by the mystery
of change in a man's very nature, asked his father to
explain it. The response was "All I can say is
that it is the power of God." Then he added, "The
Creator is also the re-creator."
The
Perpetuity of the New Birth
"Of
His own will begat he us"
God takes the
initiative in this act. The New Birth is all of
God from beginning to end. James tells these New Testament
Christians, that the Father of lights chose to give
them birth. If God did not will to save us, we could
not possibly be saved.
"Salvation is of the Lord" The
new birth is wholly rooted in God.
1
Peter 1: 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Does God’s
foreknowledge mean, that he saw in advance those
who of their own free will would repent of their sins
and believe? Then through His foreknowledge of the facts,
He would decree that these people would be saved?
This would
be unsatisfactory for it places the Creator in the
hands of the creature. It places Salvation in the sinner’s
hand and not in the hand of a Sovereign God.
It makes the Grace
of God dependant on the will of man, and once Grace
depends on anything it is no longer Grace. The very
essence of Grace is that it is free, independent and
Sovereign.
That God, of His
own free will, should choose us to be heirs of eternal
salvation through faith in His Son, is the greatest
marvel of all time.
God fashioned
and finished Redemption by His own will, but the
sinner does not receive God’s life until he says
"I Will"
John
1:12 But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13 Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.
God
loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to
leave us that way.
God willingly brought us forth out
of death unto life.
The Apostle Paul says,
"He loved me and gave himself for me" Gals.
2:20. He is the God who gives himself to
every believer.
Eph
1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein
he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph
1:7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace;
God has bestowed great
dignity on those who are now His people, but privilege
and responsibility go hand in hand. Gratitude of heart
should be the hallmark of every Christian.
Redeemed by Precious
Blood, Raised to Spiritual Life, and eternally secure
in Christ. Let us put on the garment of Praise
and bless the Lord, let His praise be continually on
our lips.
When
God wanted to defeat sin, his ultimate weapon was the
sacrifice of his own Son.
In
Loving Kindness Jesus came
My
soul in mercy to reclaim
And
from the depths of sin and shame
Through
Grace He lifted me.
The
Perpetuity of the New Birth
"Of
His own will begat he us"
The
Production of the New Birth.
Of his own
will begat he us with the word of truth,
We deserve death, but
God acts in mercy to a countless millions of sinners
and gives to them a new birth.
How does he
do it? It is clear, from what James says here, that
God's intention is to bring sinners into contact with
"the word of truth."
"He
brought us forth with the "Word of Truth"
It is God himself
- the Father of the heavenly lights - who determines
to bring the word of truth to men and women, in the
form of a sermon, or a friend who speaks to them, or
in a tract, or a booklet, or in a text on a wayside
pulpit.
"He
begat us with the word of truth"
The Apostle Peter
says to the Saints in his first Epistle
1
Peter 1:22-23 seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth
Being
born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abides forever.
(KJV)
Peter
describes the Word of God as a Seed.
Illustration.
A wise old professor of biology stood before his class of eager students. The Professor
held a little brown seed in his hand. Quietly he spoke
to his class.
"I know
just the composition of this seed, " It has nitrogen, hydrogen,
and carbon. I know the exact proportions. I can make
a seed that will look exactly like this one.
But if I plant
the seed that I have made it will come to naught;
its elements will simply be absorbed into the soil.
But if I plant the seed,
which God has made, it will become a living plant, because it contains the mysterious
life Principle.
The
Word of God is incorruptible seed, which contains
the mysterious life principle.
Plant it in good ground,
and it will demonstrate its life giving principle by
germinating, growing, and bearing fruit.
Only living things can produce life, the Bible is a
life-giving book.
"Faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
THE PROPERTIES
OF GOD'S WORD
1. God's
Word is a Divine word
It has always faced the
attacks of men, the false prophets, who are under the
control of Satan, and has defeated them. Listen to the
challenge the Lord brings to the false prophets in Jeremiah's
day.
Jeremiah
23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a
dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word
faithfully. What <is> the chaff to the wheat?
saith the LORD. (KJV)
There is nothing
that could depict more clearly, the message of
the false prophet, than chaff. It is the symbol of dryness
and of deadness, the chaff of another gospel.
In this day of spiritual
declension and confusion, we need to be able to discern
between the chaff of the false prophet and the wheat
of the Word of God.
2.
God’s Word is a Dynamic Word.
The Bible is the great
weapon which the Holy Spirit uses to bring, light, life,
and liberty to men in darkness and death.
It is the Gospel alone,
which is the word of truth. It tells us the truth about
God, the truth about man, sin, death, heaven, hell,
and the need for repentance.
It
was by God’s Word at last my sin I Learned
Then
I trembled at the Law I had spurned
Then
my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.
3.
God’s Word is a Durable Word.
1
Pet 1:24, 25 for all flesh is as grass, and all
the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away:
But
the word of the Lord endureth forever.
The "Word
of Truth", is a living word, a lasting word,
and an enduring word. It is Divine
in its nature, Dynamic
in its power, and Durable
for it is settled in heaven.
The "Word
of Truth" is Distinctive,
1 Pet 1:25 and this is
the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you.
The Word of Truth
is
1.
The Medium for Spiritual Life.
1
Pet 1:23 being born again, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth forever. (KJV)
James 1:21 Therefore
lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which
is able to save your souls. (NKJ)
Rom 10:17 so
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.
We must be born again
if we are to share in the glory of the presence of God
for all eternity.
As in the garden
of paradise of old, God walks in the Holy Scriptures,
seeking man.
W
S Plumber writes, The annals of world history
do not tell us of one instance, where a sinner was converted,
sanctified, filled with the hope of heaven, made willing
to suffer in the cause of God, and enabled to
triumph over the world, the flesh and the Devil,
over fears, temptations, and death itself, except by
the Word of Truth as revealed in the Gospel of Christ.
Salvation’s
operation is through the word of truth. Which is, Completely,
Convincingly, Constantly, and Convertingly True.
2.
The Method for Spiritual Cleansing
1
Pet 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit (KJV)
The Psalmist
says, Wherewithal shall a young
man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according
to thy word. Psa 119:9
Jesus said to His
own, now ye are clean through the word which I have
spoken unto you"
He prays to the Father
" Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word
is truth.
The Word of Truth
is
3.
The Means for Spiritual Growth.
Pet 2:2 as newborn
babes; desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may
grow thereby:
Paul prayed
for the Church in Collosse, that they might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding; Col 1:9
God’s Word is the
means for Spiritual Growth. It’s the milk,
bread, meat, and the honey, which give sustenance
and satisfaction to the believer at all stages of spiritual
development. Heb 5:12-14
The
word of Truth is a priceless possession.
"More
to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb".
Ps 19:10(KJV)
The
Word of Truth is, The
Charter of all true liberty and the guide of history.
It is the Illuminator of darkness, the up rooter of
sin, strength in weakness, and the escape from temptation.
The word of Truth is the answer to the
deepest human heart hungering, the begetter of life,
the star of death’s night, and the revealer of
God.
- W. Tozer
God did not write a book
and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by
unaided minds. He spoke a book and lives in his spoken
words, constantly speaking his words and causing the
power of them to persist across the years.
W. E. Sangster—Centuries of experience
have tested the Bible. It has passed through critical
fires no other volume has suffered, and its spiritual
truth has endured the flames and come out without so
much as the smell of burning.
The
Perpetuity of the New Birth
"Of
His own will begat he us"
The
Production of the New Birth.
Of his own
will begat he us with the word of truth,
The
Purpose of the New Birth.
V
18 "that we should be a kind of first fruits
of His creatures"
God's intention in the
new birth is now presented. The word of God is the seed
that brings forth fruits.
The
First fruits -- The background for this expression
is in Leviticus 23:10
Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when
ye are come into the land, which I give unto you, and
shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring
a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the
priest:
And
he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted
for you:
There are two significant
facts regarding the first fruits:
1.
The First fruits were sacred and belonged
to God. So too, believers are the special possession
of the Living God and we are very precious to Him.
1
Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that
ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
2.
The First Fruits were also indicative of
a greater harvest, which would follow among His creatures
-- This may be a reference to all those who will come
to believe after these first century tokens of an amazing
harvest of Christians to follow.
The believers, to whom
James wrote, were just the beginning of a great multitude
who would come to believe. Paul uses the same
picture, when describing the Risen Christ as the first
fruits of those who have fallen asleep in the Lord.
1
Cor 15:20 but now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the firstfruits of them that slept.
3.
The First Fruits may also refer more broadly
to creation. The entire creation is going to undergo
a transformation as a result of the finished work of
Christ. These believers are just the beginning. Rom.
8:18-23
4. The First Fruits, was an act of Consecration
when the worshipers acknowledged all that they had had
come from God and therefore belonged to Him.
All good and only good
comes from God. That is clearly demonstrated
in the fact that He sovereignly chose to give us salvation;
and not us only, but also to a great multitude who would
follow in coming generations.
In fact, the entire creation
(excluding unbelievers) will be redeemed by His grace.
The first fruits remind us of
1. The Believer’s Dignity—they
are part of a crop that have been set aside by God.
Titus
2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.
2.
The Believer’s Delight.
A heart that is filled
with Gratitude, because of what the Grace of God has
done for us.
Paul exhorts
the believer to be rooted and built up in him, and
established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving.
3.
The Believer’s Desire –
Is to have a Life that
is filled with Godliness. Reminding His ancient people
of the blessing that they had known, God said,
Jer
2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and
the firstfruits of his increase.
The Believer should be
marked by holiness which distinguishes him from the
rest of mankind. God is properly thanked for His goodness
by our godliness.
4.
The Believer’s Duty---
Is the propagation
of the "Word of Truth" we have been Saved
to Sow the seed.
Sowers
must sow Faithfully
Eccl
11:6-- in the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening
withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether
shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they
both shall be alike good.
Sowers
must sow Liberally
He who sows sparingly
shall reap sparingly, but he who sow liberally will
reap a bountifully. No force is so potent for good,
as the hand that sows the "Word of Truth".
Sowers
must sow Confidently
Gal
6:9-- and let us not be weary in well doing: for in
due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Mary Warburton---
Expressed her confidence in the Word
of Truth when she penned the following.
I
sow and keep on sowing
The
book that is God’s word
The
word that tells of Jesus
The
Lord who is the Word
I’m
sowing and believing
There
must a harvest be
The
Seed that is life giving
God
trusted this with me.
James 1:18
of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The more we ponder this verse, the
more our hearts should be drawn out in grateful praise,
and the more holy we should be.
Almighty God Thy
Word is cast
Like seed into
the Ground
Now let the dew
of heaven descend
And righteous fruits
abound.
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