James 1:16-18

All Things Come To Men Through The Unchanging Creator Including Our Begetting Through The Word of Truth. Thus Men Should Be Silent Before Him And, Rather Than Speaking Angrily And Unbefittingly, Receive The Implanted Word With Meekness. (James 1:16).

But while temptation may not come from God (James 1:13), all good giving and every perfect gift certainly do so, something which they must not be deceived about. And this in context includes the gift of wisdom (James 1:5). And it also includes the gift of His word through which He has begotten us (James 1:18), and the gift of the sun which causes the flower of the grass to wither (James 1:11), and shines on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45), for He is the Father of lights. In the light of this we should be silent before Him, listening rather than speaking, and eschewing anger which is not consonant with His working, receiving meekly His implanted word which is able to save our souls.

Analysis.

a A Be not deceived, my beloved brothers. All good (beneficial) giving and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:16 a).

b B Coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning (James 1:17 b).

c C Of his own will he begat us (‘brought us forth') by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures (James 1:18).

c A or a You know this, my beloved brothers. And let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God (James 1:19).

b B For which reason, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, (James 1:21 a).

a C Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21 b).

We may see this either as a chiasmus or as comparative successive verses. Treating it as a chiasmus we see that in ‘a' all good giving and every perfect gift comes from above, and in the parallel that they are to be received meekly to the saving of the soul. In ‘b' God is the benevolent and unchanging Father in His splendour and glory, and therefore in the parallel all that is unworthy of Him must be put away. In ‘c' He has acted sovereignly to beget us through His word of truth, and in the parallel we should therefore listen in awe rather than mouthing off and displaying human temper, neither of which assist the word of truth.

If we see it as comparative successive verses we have references to his beloved brothers in each A together with a warning to take heed because His perfect gifts sit ill with our sinfulness. In B God is the benevolent and unchanging Father in His splendour and glory, and therefore in the parallel all that is unworthy of Him must be put away. In C He has begotten us sovereignly through His word of truth, and in the parallel we are meekly to receive that implanted word to the saving of our souls.