James 1:18

And because he wanted to help us, he gave us spiritual life as a result of our trusting in his true message. So now we have become the first ones of all the people [MET] that he created to ◄ be totally dedicated to/completely belong to► him.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

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

In Context

17The truth is that God, our heavenly Father [MTY], does only good [DOU] things for us, in order to help us become all that he intends us to be. He is not like all the things in the sky that he created to give light, because they change; that is, they do not shine the same all the time. But God never changes. He is always good.

19My fellow believers whom I love, you know (OR, I want you to now) that every one of you should be eager to pay attention to God’s true message. Don’t speak without thinking, nor get angry easily,

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Cross References

Jeremiah 2:3At that time you Israelis ◄were set apart/belonged only► to me; you belonged to me like the first part of the harvests belong to me [MET]. I promised to punish all those who harmed you, my people, and truly I did send disasters on them. That happened because I, Yahweh, said that it would happen.”

John 1:13We became like God’s children, not because our ancestors belonged to God, or because of someone’s sexual desires, nor because some man desired to have children like himself. Instead, we were caused by God {God caused us} to become like his children.

Romans 4:17What is written {What Moses wrote} in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true. God said to him, “It is in order that you (sg) may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” God guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants. Abraham confidently believed that God would do that,

Romans 9:15God told Moses, “I will pity and help anyone whom I choose [DOU]!”

Ephesians 1:12in order that we(exc) Jews, who confidently expected the Messiah to do great things for us before the non-Jews expected such things (OR, we (inc) who were already confidently expecting Christ to do great things for us) will praise him for his greatness.

Colossians 1:20God our Father caused his Son to rule us, because he decided to reconcile with himself everything that is on earth and that is in heaven by what his Son did, in order that everything might honor his Son; that is, God our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself as a result of his Son’s blood flowing when he died on the cross. [The chiastic material is rearranged below so that the directly related propositional clusters are joined together.] 13 God our Father rescued us spiritually so that we are no longer ruled by the evil one, and God our Father caused us now to be ruled by his Son (OR, the man who is also God) whom he loves. 14a That is, by means of what his Son did, we have been redeemed by God, our Father. 14b In particular, our sins have been forgiven by God, our Father. 20 God, our Father, has done this because he decided to reconcile to himself, by means of his Son, everything that is on earth and that is in heaven, in order that his Son might be honored; that is, God, our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself by means of God’s Son’s blood flowing out when he died on the cross. 15b God cannot be seen by anyone, 15a but his Son reveals perfectly what God—his Father—is like, 19a because it is in his Son that the Father chose 19b that he himself would dwell completely. 15c God’s Son ranks above everything 15d that has been created, 16 because it was by means of God’s Son that God created everything that is on the earth and that can be seen by people, and also everything that is in heaven and that cannot be seen by people. In particular, all types of important spirit beings were created by means of him, since everything has been created by God by means of God’s Son. And his Son ranks above everything, because everything has been created by God, in order that God’s Son might be honored by everything, 17 and because it is he who existed before anything else existed, and since everything is sustained by God by means of God’s Son. 18 And God’s Son ranks above everything because it is he who rules over all believers, just like a person’s head controls his physical body, because he causes all believers to live spiritually. His Son is the first one who rose from among those who have died, in order that he should become more important than everything and everyone.

Matthew Henry on James 1:14-19

Procedure and Results of Sin. ( a. d. 61.) 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no… Read the whole commentary →

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