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he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed". The Lord Jesus emphasized the same
truth when He said;
"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they
defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man;
. . . . ." (Matt. 15: 18-20).
None of these things, or sin in any form, can originate or be purposed by a holy God.
Such doctrine comes perilously near blasphemy.
So far from God tempting men with evil intention, He is the source of all good:
"Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect boon is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom can be no variation,
neither shadow that is cast by turning" (1: 16, 17, R.V.).
All the Father's gifts are perfect and they come from One Who never varies. He
knows what is best for His children and gives without stint, so that every need is
supplied. Not only this, but these Hebrew believers owed their spiritual birth to Him as
He worked upon His own life-begetting Word (1: 18) in their hearts. Thus they became a
`firstfruits' of His kingdom, becoming part of the elect remnant of Israel spoken of in
Rom. 11: 1-5.
In the O.T. God claimed the firstfruits (Lev. 23: 10) and in the same way the faithful
remnant of the Acts period were a `beginning' of His earthly kingdom purposes.
No.3.
pp. 173 - 177
Having stated that the Hebrew believers were `a kind of firstfruits' (1: 18) of the
earthly kingdom ministry that was proceeding during the Acts, James goes on to indicate
the kind of practical walk that should accompany such a calling:
"Ye know this (or know ye), my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of
God" (1: 19 20, R.V.).
Some of the ancient texts read iste, instead of hoste (wherefore) and the former word
can either be imperative (know, or take note of) or indicative (ye know). If taken as
imperative, it would be a command to note the context, and this would make the meaning
more forceful. The characteristics of the new spiritual life resulting from the new birth
must be evident in practice. Believers must be `swift to hear'. They must be constantly
on the alert to hear the voice of God speaking to them through His Word.
On the other hand, they should be `slow to speak', taking care that they first absorb for
themselves this Word of God, before they attempt to teach others and most certainly they