“All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
— James 1:17-18
Not sure if v. 16 goes with what comes before or what comes after. Could be a transition thought.
I don’t see at first read how these thoughts go with the idea of a person struggling with sin/temptation and being accountable for his own fall (i.e., don’t blame God). Could be a strong paragraph break but need to read more on James.
NET makes good point that the very act of giving as well what is given comes from God. He is good. He is generous. Next phrase may give some of us pause. “No turning or change.” That’s one of the biggest accusations against God in Bible. Shift from OT to NT or even between passages. Could be that how we experience God changes.
Lights is a planets/stars term. Bodies move and create shadows of darkness/light as they turn. God does not turn. He remains steady/constant. Perhaps one of the most important traits of good fathers: consistency.
And He is sovereign. Gave life to early believers (and by extension us) so we can offer more life to the rest of creation. His plan is always to create and continue giving gifts.
Our plan is sometimes to self destruct. Maybe that’s the connection with preceding thoughts.
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