James 1:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

NASB: 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.

CSB: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

NLT: Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

In the previous verse, James urged his readers not to be deceived. Emotions and sinful thinking can trick us into turning away from God. It's important to cling to the truth, which is that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. In the midst of our trials, we are tempted to change our opinion of the trustworthiness of our God. We start to make lists of all the things we think we are missing in our lives, of all of the things we have lost. If God were good, wouldn't we have those things?

This attitude leads to even more temptation. We begin to look elsewhere for the good things we think we're missing. "If God won't provide them," we think, "we'll have to go and get them for ourselves." We attempt to take control. We struggle to find our own satisfaction.

Now, however, James urges us to flip the typical human script. He calls us to make a new list: all the good things we do have. Where did all those good things come from? James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change. He doesn't go from being a good God to a bad God when our trials began. He is still the source of all the good in our lives; He never changes.

James also uses a play on words in this verse, referring to God as the Father of lights, or "of heavenly lights." He is the source of the light. The sun can never be in shadow. At times, shadows may fall on us, but He is ever and always light. If we turn away from Him, we go only deeper into shadow. Turning from God in order to escape hardship is as ridiculous as hiding from the sun in an effort to escape darkness. When faced with ordeals, we should seek the one who can make all things new.

What does it mean to remain faithful in hard times? It means continuing to acknowledge that God is the source of what is good in our lives, and what will be good in the future.

James 1:2–18 begins with a challenging command for Christians. We are to classify hard things in their lives as ''joyful,'' because those ordeals help us develop a deeper trust in God. Christians who trust God also seek wisdom from Him—and not from ungodly sources. We continue to trust Him through difficult experiences, in part, to receive the crown of life promised to those who don't stop. We don't blame Him for our desire to sin, but we do credit Him for every good thing in our lives.

How important is it for Christians to trust God? It's so important, James writes, that we should call our worst moments joyful things, because trials help us trust God more. People who trust God ask Him for wisdom—and then take what He gives. People who trust God make a bigger deal about their rewards in the next life than their wealth in this one. People who trust God don't blame Him for their desire to sin; they give Him credit for all that is good in their lives. They look into His Word, and they act on what they see there.

This first chapter in the book of James sets the course for the rest of his letter to Christians worldwide. God wants us to trust Him more, and more deeply, as we learn more of Him. This is so important to God that He calls on us to find joy, even in hard times, because hardship helps us trust God more. Those who really trust God will ask Him for wisdom, will be excited about their status in eternity, will recognize Him as the source of all good in their lives, and will work to act on what they find in His Word.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.