James 1:18

James 1:18

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

a. NLT: He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. Amplified Bible: And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as sons] by [His] Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself.] [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

1. “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth…”

a. [Of his own] will [Strong: 1014. boulomai boo'-lom-ahee middle voice of a primary verb; to "will," i.e. (reflexively) be willing:--be disposed, minded, intend, list, (be, of own) will (-ing).] [Thayer: to will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded.]

b. begat [he] [Strong: 616. apokueo ap-ok-oo-eh'-o from 575 and the base of 2949; to breed forth, i.e. (by transference) to generate (figuratively):--beget, produce.]

c. us [Strong: 2248. hemas hay-mas' accusative case plural of 1473; us:--our, us, we.]

d.  [with the] word [Strong: 3056. logos log'-os from 3004; something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.]

e. [of] truth [Strong: 225. aletheia al-ay'-thi-a from 227; truth:--true, X truly, truth, verity.]

1). We were begotten through the word.

a). 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

b). Romans 10:6-10 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

2. “…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

a. that [Strong: 1519. eis ice a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:--(abundant-)ly, against, among, as, at, (back-)ward, before, by, concerning, + continual, + far more exceeding, for (intent, purpose), fore, + forth, in (among, at, unto, -so much that, -to), to the intent that, + of one mind, + never, of, (up-)on, + perish, + set at one again, (so) that, therefore(-unto), throughout, til, to (be, the end, -ward), (here-)until(-to), ...ward, (where-)fore, with. Often used in composition with the same general import, but only with verbs (etc.) expressing motion (literally or figuratively).]

b. we [Strong: [Strong: 2248. hemas hay-mas' accusative case plural of 1473; us:--our, us, we.]

c. [should] be [Strong: 1511. einai i'-nahee present infinitive from 1510; to exist:--am, was. come, is, X lust after, X please well, there is, to be, was.]

d. [a] kind [Strong: 5100. tis tis an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

e. [of] firstfruits [Strong: 536. aparche ap-ar-khay' from a compound of 575 and 756; a beginning of sacrifice, i.e. the (Jewish) first-fruit (figuratively):--first-fruits.] 

1). The Feast of Firstfruits was the third feast of four spring feasts spoken of in Leviticus 23. Interestingly, the first three feasts took place in the same week. Passover took place on the 14th of Nisan, Unleavened Bread took place on the 15th of Nisan, and then the day after the first Sabbath after Passover is when Firstfruits was celebrated.

a). Leviticus 23:4-14 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.

13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

2). The Apostle Paul wrote that Christ had “become the firstfruits” thus revealing that the resurrection of Christ Jesus fulfilled the prophetic meaning of the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20), just as his death fulfilled Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus rose from the dead the day after the first Sabbath after Passover.

a). Matthew 28:1-6  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

3). Likewise, the firstfruits of the Old Covenant were shadows of images in the New Covenant, none of which had anything to do with money

a). The firstfruits of the Spirit: Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

b). The first people saved in an area: Romans 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

c). “Christ the firstfruits” referring to the order of his resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

d). “The firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”, in Revelation 14:4, refer to the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1. 

4). The firstfruits were to be totally set apart to God as the passage in Revelation reveals and as James writes we are to be a kind of firstfruits. Notice the descriptions tha passage gives. They ‘follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth”, “in their mouth was found no guile”, and “they are without fault before the throne of God.” We need to be like them.

a). Revelation 14:1-5 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.