James 1:18 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

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.

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "begat", "word", "truth", "should", "kind", "firstfruits", and "creatures". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "begat" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Every good gift and every perfect gift..." into verse 19's "Wherefore my beloved brethren let every man...", so "begat" and "word" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "begat" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.