Tag: apokueo

James 1:18 – New Birth

Having desired it, He brought us forth by the word of truth, for us to be a certain first fruit of His creatures.

Truth to Learn

Our salvation is the greatest example of the goodness of God and His desire to give us good things.

Behind the Words

The words translated “having desired” is a form of the Greek word boulomai. This word refers to “a passive desire, or desirous will” as opposed to the Greek word thelō which expresses “active volition and purpose, or determined will.”

Back in verse 15 we were introduced to the Greek word apokueō, translated in this verse as “brought forth.” It is a medical term for a woman giving birth. It is never used of a man, only of women, inanimate objects (metaphorically speaking), and God.

“First fruit” is translated from aparchē, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” and archomai, meaning “to begin.” This is a reference to the special firstfruits offering that God required of the Israelites.

The expression “for us to be” is composed of the purpose clause eis to along with the infinitive einai, meaning “to be.” So, this could be translated as, “for the purpose of us to be.” James is not saying that it is possible that we will be a kind of first fruits but that it is God’s purpose for us to be a kind of first fruit.

Meaning Explained

James tells us that it was simply because He desired to do it that God gave us birth, and He did so by the word of truth. The birth referred to here is not our physical birth but our new birth (our spiritual birth). This is the birth of which Jesus spoke when he told Nicodemus:

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Our new birth is not the result of us performing some sacred act, nor is it the result of us completing a series of religious classes and partaking of the sacraments. This spiritual birth comes only from believing God’s promise to us that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all our sins.

James is here giving an example (perhaps the best possible example) of a good act of giving that is completely a gift from God. It was by His will (desirous preference) that he gave us the new birth by the word of truth. It was not by obligation, because we did something, rather it was His choice. He chose us so that we would be a kind of ‘first fruit’ of His creatures.

The “first fruit” is a reference to the Jewish sacrifice that consisted of the first born of all animals and the first part of the harvest of the crops. James’ reference to first fruit here is not meant to emphasize the timing (first) but first in importance, the fact that God considers us as consecrated, or set-apart from the rest of creation.

Application

God is the source of all good and perfect gifts, and an example of that is the gift of our salvation, given to us because He wanted to, not because we earned it in any way.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 1:15 – Death’s Birth

Then, desire having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, having been completed, brings forth death.

Truth to Learn

Though we think of birth as the beginning of life, our unrestrained lusts produce a birth which results in death.

Behind the Words

The word translated “conceived” is a form of sullambanō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and lambanō, meaning “to take” or “to receive.” Sullambanō means “to grasp hold of” or “to enclose in the hands.” Figuratively, it is used in reference to conception when the egg grasps hold of the sperm.

“Gives birth” is translated from the Greek word tiktō, meaning “to bear or bring forth in birth.”

The Greek word apoteleō is translated here as “having been completed.” It is made up of apo, used as an intensifier and teleō meaning “to complete.” Hence, it refers to a process that has been absolutely, completely finished.

Finally, “bring forth” is translated from the Greek word apokueō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” and kueō, meaning “to swell or be pregnant.” This is a medical term for giving birth, whereas tikto, discussed above, is a literary term for the same thing.

Meaning Explained

Once again Paul uses a play on words to make his point. What he is telling us is that the child of lust is sin, and the child of sin is death. We were told in the previous verse that we are drawn away and enticed by our own overly strong desire, or lust. Now we are told that when that lust has grasped hold of us it produces sin, which then produces death.

When we give in to those overly strong desires, we do so to gain something: pleasure, power, possessions, accomplishment, etc. Instead of getting what we thought we wanted, however, what we get is death. Physical death is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit and it breaks our fellowship with those we have known in the flesh. The death talked about here, caused by sin, separates us spiritually from all that is holy and is a breaking of our fellowship with God. Just as the Father could not look upon the Son for those three hours as he hung on the cross bearing our sins, He cannot be in fellowship with us when there is sin in our life.

Likewise as Adam and Eve thought they would gain something from eating of the forbidden fruit, they, instead, got death. They died in a physical sense in that they began dying that day, eventually being cast out of the garden. They also died in a spiritual sense, in that they hid from God and were afraid of Him. When we give in to our selfish desires we are putting our own will before God’s will. This is the exact opposite of humbling ourselves before God and submitting to His will. Selfish satisfaction produces separation from God whereas humble submission produces close fellowship with God.

Application

Satisfying our lusts is an act of putting our will and our desires ahead of what God wants for us. It is taking the throne in our own life instead of giving it to the One who truly deserves it. Let us regard God’s will as the most important thing in our lives and He will take care of the rest.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved