James 1 … Consider His Unchangeable Goodness

Originally posted: 10/15/2021

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, (1:17).

We leave Amos behind and move into the book of James. But actually these two books share the same underlying theme; for both these inspired writers speak of genuine faith that results in changed behavior; changed behavior in us because of His Unchangeable Goodness.

Most scholars agree that the writer of the book of James is the half-brother of Jesus, born to Mary and Joseph, after the virgin birth of the Son of God.

He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? ⁵⁵ “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:54-55).

But James did not always believe his half-brother was the Promised Messiah.

For not even His brothers were believing in Him, (John 7:5).

And perhaps it was not until after James saw the Resurrected Savior that he understood exactly Who his half-brother was; and perhaps it was not until after Jesus had Resurrected and Personally appeared to James, that James placed his faith in Jesus as his Resurrected Lord.

and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, (1 Corinthians 15:4-7).

But whenever he came to faith in Christ, James was changed; becoming a respected pillar of the church and called to share the gospel with those of Jewish descent.

and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised, (Galatians 2:9).

James, a pillar of the church and a bond-servant of Christ; so changed by His Unchangeable Goodness, writes to the circumcised, the descendants of the twelve tribes of Jacob, who found themselves scattered abroad, facing various trials.

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
² Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (1:1-2).

These trials were more than mere hassles or aggravations. James was most probably referring to the sweeping persecution against believers in Christ that broke out in Jerusalem immediately following the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7); resulting in Jewish believers being scattered away from the support they knew in Jerusalem.

…And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles, (Acts 8:1b).

New believers, thrust into the unknown, forced to face threats against their safety and very lives. Surely some now found themselves on shaky ground, wondering if this was truly what a Good God intended.

And while the hand these Jewish believers had been dealt certainly felt anything but good, through the writing of James, God gave these challenged converts exactly what they needed, a lesson in His Unchangeable Goodness.

He Is the Father of Lights, the Creator and Source of all that is Light, and there will never be a shift or a shadow with Him. He will never change Who He Is; He will never variate from His faithfulness; and nothing, not persecution nor trials, not temptation nor life’s station, can ever cast a shadow on His Unchangeable Goodness.

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, (1:17).

Consider His Unchangeable Goodness

• In every trial, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  • Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (1:2).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to endure in every trial.
    • knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, (1:3).
      

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• In every dilemma, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  • But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him, (1:5).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to seek His wisdom in faith.
    •  But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, (1:6-7).
      

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• In every station in life, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  • But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation… (1:9-10).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to live for eternity.
    • …because like flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away, (1:10-11).
      

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• In every temptation, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  • Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone^, (1:13).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to detect deception.
    •  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (1:14-15).
      

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• In every gift, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  • 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, (1:17).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to bear the fruit of His gifts.
    • In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures, (1:18).
      

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• In every command, His Goodness is Unchangeable…
  •  This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God, (1:19-20).

• • …and because His Goodness is Unchangeable, He will change us to humbly obey His commands.
    • Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves, (1:21-22).
      

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How do we respond to His Unchangeable Goodness?

Because of His Unchangeable Goodness, God has Provided His Power to change us to Persevere in the Faith, Prove His Promises, and Purge our Piety.

Oh, that we would rely on His Power to Proceed with Perseverance as we trust His Unchangeable Goodness to bring our faith to maturity and completeness.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, (1:4).

Oh, that we would rely on His Power to Prove His Promises as we believe His Unchangeable Goodness, that we would live looking for that day when we will receive the crown of life.

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him, (1:12).

Oh, that we would rely on His Power to Purge our Piety, that we would not practice our faith with empty words and boastful claims; but that we would be changed to live out our faith in actions and ways that follow the example we have in the Unchangeable Goodness of Jesus.

 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world, (1:26-27).

When the trials come, and they will, let us not lose heart as we trust the Power of His Unchangeable Goodness to change us, that we would Persevere in the Faith, Prove His Promises, and Purge our Piety.

And as we wait for that day, when we will be in His Presences and see all of His Unchangeable Goodness, let us live each day in unending and unchanging gratitude for His Unchangeable Goodness!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (Psalm 136:1).

Let’s Grow Together!