John opens his first epistle by testifying that he has seen, heard and touched the Word of Life, Jesus. Then he says the message He received from Him is that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. James echoes this by proclaiming that every good and perfect gift comes from that Father and that He doesn’t change; He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We confirm it when we sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
This means the former portraits of a god causing calamity are supplanted by the God in whom there is no trace of evil. This is important because we become what we worship. If we worship a god who is vindictive and kills, we will justify it and do the same. But if we worship the God who would rather die for His enemies when He could easily destroy them, then we will also be compassionate and merciful. May we know the true God and make Him known.
