John Calvin Commentary James 1:18

"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." — James 1:18 (ASV)

Of his own will. He now brings forward a special proof of the goodness of God which he had mentioned: namely, that He has regenerated us to eternal life. This invaluable benefit each of the faithful feels within themselves. Therefore, the goodness of God, when known by experience, ought to remove from all of them any contrary opinion about Him.

When he says that God of his own will, or spontaneously, has begotten us, he intimates that He was prompted by no other reason, as the will and counsel of God are often set in opposition to human merits. What great thing, indeed, would it have been to say that God was not constrained to do this? But he emphasizes something more: that God, according to His own goodwill, has begotten us, and was thus His own cause. From this it follows that it is natural for God to do good.

But this passage teaches us that, just as our election before the foundation of the world was gratuitous, so we are illuminated by the grace of God alone concerning the knowledge of the truth, so that our calling corresponds with our election. Scripture shows that we were gratuitously adopted by God before we were born. But James expresses something more here: that we obtain the right of adoption because God also calls us gratuitously (Ephesians 1:4–5).

Furthermore, from this we learn that it is the unique role of God to spiritually regenerate us. For the fact that the same thing is sometimes ascribed to ministers of the gospel means nothing other than this: that God acts through them. And it indeed happens through them, but He nevertheless alone does the work.

The word begotten means that we become new men, so that we put off our former nature when we are effectually called by God. He adds how God begets us: namely, by the word of truth, so that we may know that we cannot enter the kingdom of God by any other door.

That we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. The word τινὰ, “some,” has the meaning of likeness, as if he had said that we are, in a way, firstfruits. But this should not be restricted to a few of the faithful; rather, it belongs to all in common. For just as humanity excels among all creatures, so the Lord elects some from the whole mass and separates them as a holy offering to Himself. It is no common nobility to which God elevates His own children. Therefore, they are justly said to be excellent as firstfruits when God’s image is renewed in them.