God Is Unchangeably Good: James 1:13-18

Introduction

Patrick Schreiner, in his book The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament Books, declares that James “1:13-18 issues a warning about distorted human desire, which can lure people away from relying on God’s providence in their lives, especially during these hard times. They should not think God is tempting them during trials, because God only gives good gifts.”¹ This excerpt from James is essential for Christians because it demonstrates the wickedness and sinfulness of humanity, reminding them that everything evil is from themselves; everything good is from God above, who is immutable. Therefore, James encourages his audience and Christians today to focus on these good things from the unchangeable God, even though such a task is often difficult. However, with help from God, believers can resist temptation and live God-glorifying lives through the redemption of the Gospel.

The following body of this essay will demonstrate and elaborate on James’ profound truth by following the twelve exegetical steps from Andrew David Naselli’s book How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology. The steps are “Genre, Textual Criticism, Translation, Greek Grammar, Argument Diagram, Historical-Cultural Context, Literary Context, Word Studies, Biblical Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology.”²

Text: Genre, Textual Criticism, and Translation

The Epistle of James is categorized as a General or Catholic Epistle and “address[es] specific individuals but not one specific situation… [Thus it was] written to give pastoral advice to the recipients, whatever their specific circumstances.”³ Moreover, this characterization is due to the “epistolary opening of the letter, the intent for the letter to serve as a substitute for the writer’s presence, and the document’s hortatory nature.”⁴ However, James is different from other New Testament Epistles in that there is no obvious occasion for writing, nor are there any individual persons mentioned, nor is there the normative and customary ending of other letters such as the Pauline Epistles.⁵ While there are different classifications of James’ genre, such as categorizing it as Wisdom literature, “‘a diatribe’ (i.e., a series of rhetorical arguments)… [or] as a series of exhortations (paraenesis), a growing preference among scholars is to classify James as an example of protreptic literature. This kind of writing advocates what is true over against what is false, rather than expressing preference for one thing over another for other reasons.”⁶ Because it is difficult to determine James’s genre, “[i]t may be best to understand James as a literary circular letter with affinities to protreptic literature influenced by Jewish Wisdom literature.”⁷ In short, James’s genre is complex and unique.

James’ Epistle has textual variants in several manuscripts. Beginning in James 1:13, ἀπὸ (apo, preposition), translated as “from,”⁸ is written as ὑπό (hypo, preposition), translated as “under,”⁹ in manuscripts such as Majuscule Codex Sinaiticus and Minuscule 81 and 1611.¹⁰ Moreover, there are far more textual variations later in the passage (1:17-18). These variations will be examined in the Observation section. For now, a brief analysis of verse 13 in relation to English translations will suffice. The alternate reading of 1:13 does not obscure the message of the verse insofar as both the English Standard Version (ESV)¹¹ and the New American Standard Bible (NASB)¹² derive their translation from ἀπὸ (apo, preposition) and translate the word as “by.” The King James Version (KJV), derived from Greek manuscripts with the word ἀπὸ (apo, preposition), translates the word as “of.” These textual variations are quite nuanced, as prepositions can be translated in multiple ways depending on the context. Therefore, these are insignificant variations and do not affect the passage’s meaning in a significant fashion.

While “there is near unanimous agreement among biblical scholars that the Greek text used to translate [the] contemporary English versions is very close to the original text of the New Testament,”¹³ some English translations are better than others. Gordon D. Fee and Mark L. Strauss write that “the best [all-around] translation is one that remains faithful to the original meaning of the text, but uses language that sounds as clear and natural to the modern readers as the Hebrew or Greek did to the original readers.’”¹⁴ Therefore, the rest of this essay will utilize the English Standard Version as it approaches the Greek manuscripts with formal equivalence, yet it is understandable to the average reader:

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

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.¹⁵

Observation: Word and Concept Studies and Outline

A return to analyzing textual variants would occur in this section because studying the words in the variants will help readers better understand the passage. While there are multiple variants, this paper will evaluate only one. The text in question is “παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα” (parallagē ē tropēs aposkiasma), translated as “variation or shadow due to change” (1:17).¹⁶ The ESV’s footnote declares that some of these textual variants are translated as “variation due to a shadow of turning.” However, Bruce M. Metzger is almost certain that the former translation is the right one and that the “least unsatisfactory reading is παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα” (parallagē ē tropēs aposkiasma).¹⁷ This conclusion is supported by Majuscules Codex Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Ephraimi Rescriptus, Mosquensis, Porphyrianus, Minuscules 81 and 1739, various lectionaries and Syrian manuscripts, the Latin Vulgate, and other witnesses.¹⁸ Still, the footnote of the ESV may lead some readers to question how to understand the particular phrase. How should τροπῆς (tropēs; noun, genitive, singular, feminine), translated above as “change” and “turning,” be thought of? Because the noun is in the genitive case,¹⁹ a loose translation of the phrase could read this way: “[God], who has no variation or shadow of change.” The NASB reflects this well. It states, “The Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”²⁰ This translation is preferable to the ESV because it is far more precise. God is a God of no change; God is immutable.

James 1:13-18 can be succinctly expressed in four points:

1. The Source of Temptation (vv. 13-14) a. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he [H]imself tempts no one” (v. 13). b. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (v. 14).
2. The Cause and Wages of Sin (v. 15) a. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin” (v. 15a). b. “and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (v. 15b).
3. The Immutable God Reveals Himself (vv. 16-17) a. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers” (v. 16). b. “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” (v. 17).
4. The Gospel (v. 18) a. “Of his own will [H]e brought us forth by the word of truth” (v. 18a). b. “that we should be a kind of firstfruits of [H]is creatures” (v. 18b).

Context: Historical-Cultural and Literary

Scholars debate the author of James’s Epistle, for there are many possible writers known by the name James: James the son of Zebedee, James the son of Alpheus, James the father of Judas, and James the Just.²¹ James the Apostle, John’s thunderous brother, was martyred early on, and “James the father of Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13); he was far too obscure to be this well-known James.”²² That leaves two possibilities: James the Just, Jesus’ half-brother, and James the son of Alpheus. Calvin argues that the latter is the author and, in disagreement with the Early Church, says that James the Just cannot be the author as he was not an Apostle like the other two pillars of the faith are assumed to be (Gal. 2:9).²³ However, this idea can be refuted in two ways: “(a) the writer was not called an Apostle; and (b) this James was not well known enough to sign a circular letter only as “James.”²⁴ Therefore, it is proper to assume that James the Just authored the Epistle with his name.

James’ date is difficult to determine. Because the letter has no mention of post-AD 48 or 49 issues, such as the inclusion of the Gentiles and the controversy of the Judaizers, “it seems the letter was most likely written prior to the Jerusalem Council and therefore prior to Paul’s Letters and perhaps even prior to the Gentile mission.”²⁵ Because of this, the latest date the Epistle could have been written is AD 49. As for the earliest date, James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem around AD 41 or 42 (Acts 12:7), and the Dispersion, initially caused by the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1; 11:19; 12:1-4), was likely continued under Herod Agrippa I (ca. AD 43).²⁶ Thus, the Epistle was written between AD 41-49.

This period “accounts for both the “Dispersion” and the separation between the writer and the audience,”²⁷ which gives the author good reason to compose his letter. However, as previously stated, the Epistle does not seem to have a specific occasion for writing. It rather has a broad purpose: “the encouragement [of those in the Dispersion] to live out their lives fully committed to Christ’s lordship.”²⁸

This purpose can be seen in the text of James 1:13-18. It begins by speaking of temptation, desire, and sin and shifts to the redemption made available in Christ. This passage flows from the problem to the solution to demonstrate and encourage those in the Dispersion that Jesus has made Himself lord over them by purchasing them in His Gospel. The identity that God gives His people as a gift is so they would “be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (1:18). In which this truth is demonstrated that “[the] new birth is a gift that God decided, in his own free will, to give [His creatures]… firstfruits (aparchē) is a customary New Testament designation of Christians (see esp. 2 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 14:4).”²⁹ This redemption enables Christians to live holy lives, and this is a topic James speaks on throughout his Epistle. Because James has characteristics of Wisdom literature, as stated before, it is concerned with the practical application of knowledge, specifically with the knowledge of God, called faith, which leads to good works. Just a few verses past the excerpt, James implores his audience: “[P]ut away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (1:21). This verse not only demonstrates the requirement of repentance but also of faith in receiving the implanted Word, keeping with the message of the entire Bible.

Meaning: Biblical and Systematic Theology

The message of James 1:13-18 is similar to that of Ephesians 2:1-10. Both texts begin by elaborating on the destructive nature of sin (Eph. 2:1-3; Jas. 1:13-15) and culminate in the new life that the Gospel brings (Eph. 2:4-10; Jas. 1:16-18). In the former portion of the passages, the state of humanity is made apparent. It is ruled by desire (Eph. 2:3; Jas. 1:14), “following the prince in the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and in a state of spiritual death (Eph. 2:1, 5; Jas. 1:15). In the latter portions, the work of God is revealed. God brings forth His people (Jas. 1:18) and makes them alive (Eph. 2:5) by the Word of truth (Jas. 1:18), who is Christ (Eph. 2:5). While James does not explicitly call salvation a gift in the same way that Ephesians does (Eph. 2:8), the inclusion of James 1:17 leaves that inference. Of course, this verse refers to the previous section (Jas. 1:13-15) to demonstrate the goodness of God. Still, immediately afterward, James speaks of the Gospel (Jas. 1:18) “as a particularly striking illustration of the good things God gives.”³⁰ Moreover, Ephesians 2 speaks of Christians being “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph. 2:10); James determines that the Word of truth saves Christians to be “a kind of firstfruits of [H]is creatures” (Jas. 2:18). In other words, James states that Christians are new creations through Christ. Christians have been born, ἀποκυέω (apokyeō) by Jesus (Jas. 1:18), translated in the ESV as “brought us forth,” as a ‘parallel by contrast [to] its use in verse 15 (these are the only two occurrences in the New Testament). But this favours a reference to spiritual life as a contrast to spiritual death in verse 15.”³¹ Ephesians 2 makes this same contrast in that sinners were once dead, but now they have been made alive through Christ (Eph. 2:1, 5). Furthermore, the similarities do not stop at Ephesians 2, “the idea of Christians as the firstfruits is [also] paralleled in Romans 8:19-23.”³² Even further still, the language of birth compares to Jesus’ statement: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3, 5-6). John uses a different word for born here, γεννάω (gennaō), yet the meaning is much the same.

James 1:13-18 is significant for multiple systematic topics. While other inferences can be made, such as the connected topic of the new creation discussed above, James 1:13-18 primarily focuses on sin, salvation, and the doctrine of God.

As demonstrated, James 1:13-18 begins with the source of temptation, desire which, when conceived, “gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (1:15). According to James, lust, “a desire so strong that ‘stubbornness’ would be a more appropriate translation,”³³ is the root of sin. He seems to imply that desire is not inherently wrong.³⁴ Still, it becomes sinful when it lures and entices so that the desire becomes inordinate (1:14). However, James denies that these “inward temptations, which are nothing more than the inordinate desires which entice to sin [are from God]… He justly denies that God is the author of these, because they flow from the corruption of our nature.”³⁵ Therefore, James warns his audience not to ascribe their wickedness to God because “this kind of evasion… delivered down to [all people] is from the first man,” Adam.³⁶ Of this mindset, Christians should not be, for they have been saved from Adam’s guilt and original sin by Christ.

James 1:13-18 also includes the systematic emphasis on salvation. While this topic has been demonstrated throughout the previous paragraphs, there is still more to say. In verse 18, James writes that God saves Christians through Christ “of [H]is own will,” and this means that “[Christians’] election before the foundation of the world was gratuitous, so [they] are illuminated by the grace of God alone as to the knowledge of the truth, so that [their] calling corresponds with [their] election.”³⁷ This salvation is undeserving on the part of those whom God saves, and their calling by Christ, the Word of Truth, corresponds with God’s will, not their own. However, when God saves them, their wills will begin to align with His. Regardless, “[Christians] new birth is a gift that God decided, in his own free will, to give [them].”³⁸ How great for God to demonstrate His compassion by saving sinners and turning them into Christians according to His will and plan in the Gospel!

Lastly, James 1:13-18 demonstrates God’s immutability, shown to a small degree in the section on translations. However, again, more must be said. Verse 17 declares, “[e]very 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.” Through writing this verse under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, James reminds his audience that “God, whose benevolent character is unchanging and unchangeable, is the source of everything that is good.”³⁹ His eternal perseverance as good is reliable. Christians can depend on the Lord because He has shown He is trustworthy, as He never changes, always remaining the same good God who gives and reveals Himself as a gift. His immutability complements His aseity. Because God remains the same and has life within Himself, He can provide His spiritual life and goodness as He chooses. He gives good gifts; indeed, He provides Christians with their very life and breath derived from His own.

Overall, James 1:13-18 has much to say in terms of systematic theology. Moreover, the passages discussed in this section provide a comprehensive yet concise analysis, demonstrating the theological depth of James. James’ theology, often neglected, is unified with the entirety of the Scriptures.

Application: Practical Theology

James explicitly commands in 1:16, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” In reference to the previous verses, this verse implores the audience, including Christians today, not to ascribe temptation to the Lord, for temptation proceeds out of sinful desire, not from God. Christians today must acknowledge this truth to be faithful to what God says about their sinful state. Through James’s writing, God declares He is good and the author of all good things, while humanity is depraved and their desires are corruptible. Calvin clarifies, “God is the author of all good; it is absurd to suppose [H]im to be the author of evil. To do good is what properly belongs to [H]im, and according to [H]is nature; and from [H]im all good things come to [all people].”⁴⁰ When someone supposes that God is the author of evil and temptation, they assume He is “mutable like men. But if God is in all things and always like [H]imself, it hence follows that well-doing is [H]is perpetual work.”⁴¹ Therefore, Christians must not be deceived by this lie that is so common today. Moreover, they must be filled with joy towards the Lord, for His immutability and perpetual work in the world is worthy of praise. This specific command of James, and indeed all of James 1:13-18’s redemptive story, “teaches [Christians] that [they] ought to be so affected by God’s innumerable blessings, which [they] daily receive from [H]is hand, as to think nothing but [H]is glory; and that [they] should abhor whatever comes to [their] mind[s], or is suggested by others, which is not compatible with [H]is praise.”⁴²

Second, James 1:13-18 informs Christians that “[i]n the struggle with temptation, God is on [their] side. He does not want [them] to fail and [H]e has provided every possible gift of grace to enable [them] to stand.”⁴³ This should greatly encourage Christians, and they should take it to heart. Despite their wickedness, they should be encouraged because God has shown them grace and enabled them to resist temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit. God has offered several graces to assist in the battle, community with believers, prayer, devotional reading, and the sacraments, and all of these should be regularly practiced, for “James suggests [that resisting temptation] begins with an honest look [inwards] where ‘desire’ lurks and gives birth to sin.”⁴⁴ The practices mentioned previously greatly help in this task as they offer crucial times of self-reflection. In these times, Christians must repent of their sin and “[change their] central disposition by the work of God’s Spirit. [In doing so, they] will conquer temptation and find life (v. 12) and avoid death (v. 15).”⁴⁵

Third, verse 17, although the ending is obscure due to textual variants, “makes it probable that a reference to some sort of astronomical phenomenon is intended… but whether ‘shadow due to change’ refers to the phases of the moon, the shadow cast by an eclipse or the constant alternation of night and day is not clear.”⁴⁶ God is the “Father of lights,” even the source of heavenly things, “possessing all excellency and dignity. And when [James] immediately adds, that there is in [H]im no shadow of turning, he continues the metaphor, so that [people] may not measure the brightness of God by the irradiation of the sun which appears to [them].”⁴⁷ God is like the sun, yet He is infinitely brighter. His immutability is who He is: constant, bright, and thrice holy. Therefore, Christians should be reminded of the Lord, who He is, and His work when they see “the constant changes observed in creation,”⁴⁸ for their God does not change. Such a realization should lead Christians to doxology.

Summary and Conclusion

In conclusion, the book of the Bible known as James, a General Epistle with protreptic affinities and characteristics akin to Jewish Wisdom literature, was most likely written between AD 41-49 by James the Just, Jesus’ half-brother, to encourage the Jews of the Dispersion. James 1:13-18 specifically, despite some textual variations in various manuscripts, is a reliable passage of the Epistle that ridicules ascribing wickedness to God (vv. 13-15), for God is wholly Good, giving Himself as a gift to His people through the Word of truth, Jesus Christ. The passage has similarities to various passages of Scripture, such as Ephesians 2, John 3, and Romans 8:19-23. It is cohesive with the message of the entire Bible, teaching doctrines such as the state of humanity in sin, the salvation of God’s people according to His will, and God’s immutability and aseity. Therefore, the passage should teach and encourage Christians not to be deceived by the doctrine that James judges (vv. 13, 16), to regularly fight sin through the spiritual disciplines and repentance alongside the church, and to worship God, who is worthy in all things with great doxology.

Bibliography

Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Epistle of James. Calvin’s Commentaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.

Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Köstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2016.

Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie. A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.

Metzger, Bruce M., United Bible Societies. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.). London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994.

Moo, Douglas J. James: An Introduction and Commentary. Edited by Eckhard J. Schnabel. Second edition. Vol. 16. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2015.

Naselli, Andrew David. How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology. Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2017.

Nestle, Eberhard, and Erwin Nestle. Nestle-Aland: Novum Testamentum Graece with Critical Apparatus. Edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger. 28th Edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Schreiner, Patrick. The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament. Illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021.

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Footnotes

1. Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament, illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021), 144. ↩

2. Andrew David Naselli, How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2017), 3. ↩

3. Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2016), 811. ↩

4. Ibid. ↩

5. Ibid., 811-12. ↩

6. Ibid., 812-813. ↩

7. Ibid., 813. ↩

8. Henry George Liddell et al., Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1996), 191. ↩

9. Ibid., 1873. ↩

10. Kurt Aland et al., Novum Testamentum Graece with Critical Apparatus, 28th Edition (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012), 685. ↩

11. English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016). ↩

12. New American Standard Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 2020). ↩

13. Naselli, 41. ↩

14. Gordon D. Fee and Mark L. Strauss, How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 29, qtd. in Naselli, 54. ↩

15. Unless otherwise specified, all subsequent Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016). ↩

16. Novum Testamentum Graece, 686. ↩

17. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition, A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 608. ↩

18. Ibid. ↩

19. Liddell, 1826. ↩

20. New American Standard Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 2020). ↩

21. Köstenberger, Kellum, and Quarles, 801. ↩

22. Ibid. ↩

23. John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistle of James, Calvin’s Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 277. ↩

24. Köstenberger, Kellum, and Quarles, 801. ↩

25. Ibid., 809. ↩

26. Ibid., 809-811. ↩

27. Ibid., 811. ↩

28. Ibid. ↩

29. Douglas J. Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, Edited by Eckhard J. Schnabel, Second Edition, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2015), 103. ↩

30. Moo, 103. ↩

31. Ibid. ↩

32. Ibid. ↩

33. William R. Goodman Jr., “Lust,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 830–831. ↩

34. Moo, 100. ↩

35. Calvin, 288. ↩

36. Ibid. ↩

37. Calvin, 288. ↩

38. Moo, 103. ↩

39. Ibid., 101. ↩

40. Calvin, 291. ↩

41. Ibid. ↩

42. Ibid. ↩

43. Moo, 104. ↩

44. Moo, 104. ↩

45. Ibid., 103. ↩

46. Ibid. ↩

47. Calvin, 291. ↩

48. Moo, 103. ↩