Commentary on Verse 16
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
The apostle has argued with them about God being the author of sin; now he warns them against this blasphemy. There is no difficulty in this verse.
Don't be deceived. Do not wander. This metaphor is taken from straying sheep. Sometimes it indicates deviating from the Word as the yardstick of truth, which we most often express by the term "error."
My dear brothers. Speaking to them about an error, he is very meek with them, and therefore his request is loving and sweet.
Notes on Verse 16
Note 1. It is not good to brand things as errors until we have proved them to be so. After he had argued the matter with them, he said, Don't be deceived. (1) Loose slings do no good. Only fools are afraid of hot words. Facts do far better than invective. Our Saviour never denounced anyone without giving a reason for it. (2) This is an easy way to soil the holy truths of God. How often the Papists call us heretics. "These men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand" (Jude 10). If disputes were settled by argument rather than prejudice, there would be fewer differences.
Application. So we should be less passionate and more thoughtful. We should condemn things through reason rather than through abusive language. General invectives only make superficial impressions. Identify and name the error.
Note 2. We should be as careful to avoid errors as to avoid vices. A blind eye is worse than a lame foot. Indeed, a blind eye may cause lameness; without light, you are apt to stumble. Some opinions seem remote and theoretical, and yet they influence us; they make the heart foolish, and then life will not be right. There is a link between truth and truth, just as there is between grace and grace. So speculative errors do influence us. Some false teaching seems to encourage discipline; but when it is correctly evaluated, it greatly discourages discipline. So then, beware of false teachings in case your spirit is engulfed by them. People think nothing is to be avoided that is not an evil action and clearly wrong. But remember, there is contamination of the spirit as well as contamination of the body (2 Corinthians 7:1); a vain mind is as repugnant to God as an evil life. Error and idolatry are as dangerous as drunkenness and prostitution; therefore, you should carefully avoid everything that entices you into error, as well as those things that draw you into sin. Because error is the more plausible of the two, it is more deceptive. I am sure that many people toy with ideas because they do not know their danger. All false principles have a secret but pestilent influence on life.
Note 3. Don't be deceived. That is, do not be mistaken in this matter. It is a hard thing to see how God condones the act and not the evil motivation behind the act; however difficult this is to understand, Don't be deceived. Where truths are not plain to see, people tend to deviate from them. Many truths suffer a great deal because of their intricacy. False teachings may be so similar that it is hard to distinguish them. Human nature is prone to error; and, therefore, when truth is hard to discover, we content ourselves with our own prejudices.
All truths are surrounded with such difficulties, so that those who want to doubt easily stumble: "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (that is, understand it) (John 6:60); and then (verse 66), "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." When there is something to justify our prejudices, we think we are safe enough. God leaves such difficulties as a stumbling-block for those who want to be offended.
Truth is presented in such a way that though it is clear enough for those who want to know, it is obscure enough to harden other people in their own unbelief. People want to be spared the trouble of prayer, study, and discussion. They are loath to "cry aloud for understanding" (Proverbs 2:3); they love an easy, short route to truth, and therefore run with those mistakes that come to hand, vainly imagining that God does not require belief about those things that are difficult to understand. They do not look for what is sound and solid but what is plausible and at first sight coincides with their thoughts and understanding.
Application 1. You see, then, how necessary it is to pray for gifts of interpretation for your ministers and an understanding heart for yourselves, that you may not be discouraged by the difficulties that surround the path of truth. Pray that God will give ministers a clear spirit and a plain expression and yourselves a right understanding. This is better than to grumble at the dispensation of God, that he should leave the world in such doubt and suspense. Chrysostom observes that saints do not pray, "Lord, make a plainer law," but, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law," as David does (see
Psalm 119:18). It is an unreasonable demand for blind people to desire God to make a sun so they can see. It is better to desire gifts of the Spirit for the minister, that the Scriptures might be opened; and the grace of the Spirit for ourselves, that our understanding might be opened, so that we may come to discern the mind of God.
Application 2. This shows how much people who make the things of God obscure are to blame. Many people have the ability to raise a cloud of dust with their own feet, and so darken the brightness and glory of the Scriptures.
Note 4. Note the importance of the matter. The mistake is so dangerous that James is all the more earnest. Don't be deceived. Note that errors about the nature of God are very dangerous. There is nothing more natural to us than to have wrong thoughts about God, and nothing is more dangerous. All behavior depends on keeping the glory of God unstained in your understanding. You see in Romans 1:23-24 that they "exchanged the glory of... God" and then "God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts." Idolatry is often expressed by prostitution; bodily and spiritual uncleanness usually go together. Wrong thoughts about God harm the spirit and make people lose their sense and their desire for piety. Do not let the glory of God be tarnished in your thoughts; abhor whatever comes into your mind or may be suggested by other people if it tends to eclipse the divine glory in your thinking.
Note 5. My dear brothers. A gentle approach best shows people their errors. It is said that we must speak to kings with silk words. Certainly we need to be very tender toward people who differ from us, speaking to them with silk words. Where the matter is likely to cause displeasure, the manner should not be harsh; pills should be sugared, so that they may be easily swallowed. Many people have been lost through harshness because you make them go over to the other party. Tertullian, when he had spoken favorably of the Montanists, was forced to join their fellowship through the harshness of the priests of Rome. Meekness may win over those who are not committed. Men from another party will think everything is spoken out of rage and anger against them. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. I would to God we could learn this wisdom today: "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25).
Commentary on Verse 17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James follows on from the former matter, which showed you that God was not the author of sin, to show you that God is the author of everything good, especially the spiritual gifts and graces bestowed on us. Here is a hidden argument: the author of everything good cannot be the author of evil. Every good and perfect gift is strengthened by an allusion to the sun as James represents God, in the latter part of the verse, as essentially and immutably good.
Every good... gift. The Vulgate has "the best gift," which fits the sense but not the original words. The gift is called good either (1) to exclude Satan's gifts, which are harmful: "blinded... minds" (2 Corinthians 4:4); these gifts from below are not good; or (2) to show the kind of gifts that he is speaking about-not common mercies but good gifts, which the apostle elsewhere calls "every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1:3). It is true that all common gifts come from God's bounty; but the apostle here intends special blessings, as is partly indicated by the attributes good and perfect. It is true that some people distinguish between the two words, making good imply earthly blessings and perfect imply heavenly or spiritual blessings. I think this is too fanciful. The two words indicate the same mercies.
And perfect gift. These gifts lead to our perfection. This includes initial grace, all progress in the spiritual life, and perfection and eternal life itself. All are the gift of God. Though eternal death is a reward, eternal life is a gift; and therefore the apostle varies the phrase when he compares them in Romans 6:23. So not only the start but all the gradual steps from grace to glory are gifts and from God's free mercy.
Is from above. That is, from heaven. Heaven stands for God, as in Luke 15:21-"I have sinned against heaven and against you"; that is, against God and his earthly father. I suppose there is some special reason why our blessings are said to be from above, because they were designed there, and heaven is their goal where they are perfectly enjoyed. Therefore, in Ephesians 1:3 we are said to be "blessed... in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing"; therefore James says, from above because blessings originate and are fulfilled there.
Coming down. Not "falling down"; this shows (says Aquinas) that we do not have blessings by chance, but through the normal channels.
From the Father of the heavenly lights. That is, from God. The word "father" is often used for the author or first cause, as in Genesis 4:20-21: "the father of those who live in tents," "the father of all who play the harp and flute"-that is, the author and founder. God is elsewhere called "the Father of our spirits" (Hebrews 12:9), because they are not from human descent but are created directly by God. So what is meant by Father of the heavenly lights? Some conceive that it means no more than "glorious Father," as it is usual in Hebrew to put the genitive for an epithet and the genitive plural for the superlative. But I think that God is likened to the sun, which gives out its light to all the planets; and so God, being the author of everything that is signified by light, is called here the Father of the heavenly lights. It is normal in the Scriptures to attribute light to God and darkness to the devil—as in Luke 22:53—"This is your [that is, Satan's] hour—when darkness reigns."
Who does not change. This is an astronomical term, taken from the heavenly bodies, which have many revolutions. The heavenly lights have their vicissitudes, eclipses, and decreases; but our sun always shines with the same brightness and glory.
Like shifting shadows. The allusion continues. Stars, according to their different light and position, have various shadowings. The nearer the sun is to us, the less shadow it casts; the farther off, the greater the shadow. So we know the sun's movements by its different shadows. But with the Father of spiritual lights there is no shadow of turning; that is, he does not change but always remains the same. This is a sun that does not set or rise and cannot be overcast or eclipsed.
Notes on Verse 17
Note 1. All good things are from above; they come to us from God. Evils do not come from God, because he is good. God delights in being the sole author of all our good, and therefore cannot endure that we should give that honor to another. When God was about to work miracles by Moses' hand, he first made it leprous (Exodus 4:6). Noting that God is the author of all the good that is in us prevents many corruptions, such as: (1) Glorying in ourselves. Who would glorify himself in what is from above? We think it wrong for a person to take credit for another person's work; the apostle says in 2 Corinthians 10:16 that he would not boast about work already done in another man's territory. So all the good your hand accomplishes is heaven's bounty to you. It is not your work but God's.
(2) Lording it over others. Ungodly and weak spirits feed their evil desires with their enjoyments. The more you place on top of a straight pillar, the straighter it is; but a pillar that is bent bows under the weight it supports. So the more God puts on ungodly people, the more their spirit is perverted.
(3) Envying those who have received most. Our eye is evil when God's hand is good. Envy is a rebellion against God himself and the liberty and pleasure of his dispensations. God distributes gifts and blessings as he wills, not as we will. Out duty is to be content and to beg grace to make use of what we have received.
Note 2. Whatever we have from above, we have as a gift. We have nothing but what we have received, and what we have received we have received freely. There is nothing in us that could oblige God to bestow it; the favors of heaven are not for sale. When God invites us to his mercy, he does not invite us as a host but as a king—not to buy, but to take; the most welcome are those who have no money (Isaiah 55:1)—that is, no confidence in their own merits. Merit and desert are improper ideas to express the relationship between the work of a creature and the reward of a Creator; and they are even more incongruous since the fall. Sin, which indicates how undeserving we are, makes mercy even more of a gift, so that now in every giving there is some forgiving. Grace gives us even more, because in every blessing there is not only bounty but a pardon. Oh, that we were aware of this, that in all our actions we might have a sense of love and have God's glory as our goal.
Note 3. Out of all the gifts of God, spiritual blessings are the best. These are called here good and perfect because these make us good and perfect. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11). The parallel passage in Luke 11:13 says, "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" That is giving good gifts—to give the Holy Spirit. "There can be nothing good where there is not the Spirit of God" (Augustine). One may become tired of other gifts. An estate may be a trap; life itself may become a burden. But you have never heard of spiritual blessings being a burden. Ungodly spirits prefer soup to a birthright, vain delights before the good and perfect gifts. David makes a wiser choice in his prayer: "Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people" (Psalm 106:4). Not every mercy satisfies David—only the mercy of God's own people; not every gift satisfies us—only the good and perfect gift. A similar prayer is in Psalm 119:132, "Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name." Note that these are not the mercies that he bestowed on the world, but the mercies he bestowed on his people. Nothing but the best mercy will satisfy the best hearts.
Note 4. God is the Father of the heavenly lights. Light is often used to indicate the essences and perfections of creatures as they come from God. The essence of God comes in 1 John 1:5, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." There light indicates the simplicity of the divine essence. It also shows the glory of God: "He lives in unapproachable light" (1 Timothy 6:16)—that is, in inconceivable glory. So Jesus Christ, in that he received his personality and subsistence from the Father, is called, in the Nicene Creed, "Light of light, and very God of very God." The creatures also, since they derive their perfection from God, are called lights. An angel is called an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14); the saints are called "the people of the light" (Luke 16:8). Rational creatures, as they have wisdom and understanding, are said to be lights; Christ is "the true light that gives light to every man" (John 1:9), and all the candles in the world are lighted from this torch. In short, reason, wisdom, holiness, and happiness are often expressed by light, and they are all from God.
As the stars shine with a borrowed luster, so do all the creatures; where you meet any brightness and excellency in them, remember it is only a ray of the divine glory. As the star brought the wise men to Christ, so should all the stars in the world bring your thoughts to God, who is "the Fountain and Father of lights." "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise" not you but "your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). If you see a candle burn brightly and purely, remember it was set alight by God. If there is any light in others, a sense of the mysteries of the Gospel, if they are burning and shining lights, if they give out the flame of godly conversation, remember that they are only revealing that luster and glory that they received from above.
If God is the Father of the heavenly lights:
(1) You must apply yourself to God. If you want the light of grace or knowledge or comfort, you must be set alight by his flame. We are dark bodies until the Lord fills us with his own glory. How devoid of comfort we would be without God! In the night there is nothing but terror and error; and so it is in the soul without the light of the divine presence. When the sun is gone, the plants wither; and when God, who is the sun of spirits, is withdrawn, there is nothing but discomfort and a sad languishing in the soul. Oh, pray then that God will shine on your soul not in flashes but with constant light. It is often like this with us in comfort and grace. Holy thoughts arise and, like a flash of lightning, make the room bright; but then the lightning is gone, and we are as dark as ever. But when God shines with a constant light, then shall we give out a holy luster: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). We, like the moon, are dark bodies and have no light rooted within ourselves; the Lord must dawn on us before we can shine. It is the same with comfort: "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame" (Psalm 34:5).
(2) This shows why wicked people hate God: "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light" (John 3:19). Again, they "will not come into the light for fear that [their] deeds will be exposed" (verse 20). Those who delight in darkness cannot endure God, nor anything that represents God. Rachel could not endure Laban's search, nor can the wicked endure God's eye. He is the Father of the heavenly lights; he has a discerning eye and a searching beam.
(3) Children of God should walk in purity and innocence. "You are light in the Lord. Live as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). Walk so that you reflect the glory of your Father; faults in you, like spots in the moon, soon show up. You who are the lights of the world should shine brightly; indeed, in the worst times you should shine brightest, like stars in the blackest night. Therefore the apostle says, "Shine like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2:15).
Note 5. The Lord is unchangeable in holiness and glory; he is a sun that always shines with the same brightness. God, and all that is in God, in unchangeable. This is an attribute that, like a silk thread in a chain of pearls, runs through them all. His mercy does not change—"his love endures forever" (Psalm 100:5). The same is true of his strength, and so he is called "the Rock eternal" (Isaiah 26:4). So his love is immutable. His heart is the same to us in all situations; we change, but God does not change. So then:
(1) The more changeable you are, the less you are like God. You should hate yourselves when you are so fickle! God is immutably holy, but you have a heart that loves to wander. God is always the same, but you quickly change (see Galatians 1:6). The more you "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of" (2 Timothy 3:14), the more you resemble divine perfection.
(2) Go to him to establish and settle your spirits. God, who is unchangeable in himself, can bring you into an unchanging state of grace, against which all the gates of hell cannot prevail. Therefore, do not rest until you have received gifts from him that never alter—the fruits of eternal grace and the pledges of eternal glory.
(3) Go to God as one who is good and unchanging. In the midst of the greatest changes, see him as the same always; when there is little in the creature, there is as much in God as ever: "They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment... But you remain the same, and your years will never end" (Psalm 102:26-27). All creatures vanish not only like a piece of cloth, but like a garment. Cloth would decay by itself or be eaten by moths; but a garment is worn every day. But God does not change. There is no wrinkle on the brow of eternity; the arm of mercy is not dried up, nor does his compassionate love ever end. This is the church's comfort in the saddest situation. No matter how the face of the creature changes, God will still be the same. It is said somewhere that "the name of God is as an ointment poured out." Certainly this matter of God's unchangingness is like an ointment poured out, the best cordial to refresh a fainting soul. When the Israelites were in distress, all the letters of recommendation that God would give Moses were those in Exodus 3:14, "'I am who I am...."I AM has sent me to you."'" That was comfort enough for the Israelites; God could say, "I am." With God there is no change—no past or present; he remains in the same indivisible point of eternity and therefore says, "I am." So the prophet Malachi says, "I the Lord do not change [or am not changed]; so you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed" (Malachi 3:6). Our safety lies in God's immutability; we cannot perish totally because God cannot change.
An Exposition on the Epistle of James.
Thomas Manton D.D.
1871
In closing, there is no "religious structure" interposed between redeemed believers and our Savior and Creator!
1Ti 2:3-6
(3) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
(4) who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(5) For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
(6) who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
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Having difficulties understanding James 1:16-17
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Originally Posted by micah719
Re: Having difficulties understanding James 1:16-17
Dear Micah719: I have just ordered two books by a well known evangelical scholar about the lives the men who initiated the Great Awakening in America, especially Jonathan Edwards. The fact that this scholar is not of my faith tradition is IMMATERIAL in judging the quality and accuracy of his account. Also, if a friend told me about a good evangelical website, if I avoided consulting it, it might say something about MY lack of confidence in my faith. After all, I like this web site, and nothing I have seen here has shaken MY faith!
to RF, Montini. I'd just like to ask you one quick question. What would you say is necessary for salvation? Basically how is one saved. :) I'm just trying to understand more fully what you believe. Thanks! 
See the following link for flowchart symbols and usage. 
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of his own will begat he us with the word of truth tells us a great truth which is the imparting of divine life through the word so we can more over know some of the "perfect gifts' given which the word is very very significant a gift think where we would be with out it and just take one brief moment to go read the first passages of Genesis ok and so it is very important what James is speaking 
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