Skip to main content

James 1:18

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
(NIV)
Firstfruits is a word that can be used to refer to first parts of a harvest that were offered to God. In a way, we are those firstfruits of His creation. Our lives are a living sacrifice to God. Consider Romans 12:1,
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
I would like to point out the beginning of this verse. It says, "He chose to give us birth..." In the NAS it puts that phrase like this, "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth..."That is probably a better translation of this phrase because of the use of the word will. In the original, that is the word that is used, and it means exactly that. God purposed to bring us forth. It was according to His will.

Whether you would consider yourself a Calvinist or not, phrases like this should not be ignored.

We should also not ignore the phrase "the word of truth" because it is through this that God births us as Christians. We do not get to God any other way. There is no other way, there is no other path to God. Some argue with this, they would say that all roads lead to God, but that is definitely not a Biblical teaching.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous9/07/2007 2:42 PM

    The apostles John & Peter agree with you.[see John 1:1, Acts 4:12]

    ReplyDelete
  2. Matt Harmless9/09/2007 3:59 PM

    Thank you for the additional references. For others who are interested, here are those references...

    John 1:1
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    (Really, almost all of the book of John is invaluable in understanding the role of the Word.)

    and Acts 4:12
    Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please add some additional commentary to this verse. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Ephesians 4:31

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (NIV) This verse might be best served with some definitions. Bitterness - Just what it says, bitterness. It is a bitter root that produces a bitter fruit. Rage - Usually translated as Wrath. It has to do with a passionate anger. This is the person who is fuming. They are bubbling over with anger. Anger - This word has also been translated as wrath. It is most definitely referring to the actions associated with anger. It doesn't have to mean this, but their can also be the association with violence. This is the person who is acting out on their anger, in a sinful way. Brawling - Ok, I just learned something new, this word has to do with making an outcry, or a crying. After I read the definitions, what immediately jumped into my mind was the person who yells when they are angry. He may not do something violent, but he is letting everyone know exactly how angry he is. He is a ye
2 comments
Continue Reading »

Jonah 2:10

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (NIV) Don't you just love fresh starts. They're not always fresh, but they are a start. The God that we serve is a God of fresh starts. My mind goes to the many times that Christ reached out his hand, pulling a lame man to his feet, and saying, "...now go and sin no more." Or the woman caught in adultery, "...neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." Only a God of grace will allow a swallowed man to repent. Praise Him.
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Psalm 136:4

to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. (NIV) If this verse said, "to him who does great wonders..." it would still be a great verse. We could talk about all of the wonders that God does. Everything from the rings of Saturn and the Sombrero Galaxy to the forming of a child inside its mothers womb or even how electrons are spinning around the atoms and not flying off. We could talk about all of those things and marvel at His wonders. But get this, all of the great wonders are His! He doesn't just get credit for great wonders, He gets credit for all of them, because the verse says, "to him who alone does great wonders..." God has no counterpart. He has no arch-rival. There is none like Him, and He is the only one who is doing the wonderful stuff! He is the changer of hearts and lives. He is the redeemer. He is the savior. He is the God who hears and the God who sees. And the most wonderful of all, His love endures Forever!
3 comments
Continue Reading »