James 1:18

Verse 18

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

Of his own will — Most loving, most free, most pure, just opposite to our evil desire, James 1:15.

Begat he us — Who believe.

By the word of truth — The true word, emphatically so termed; the gospel.

That we might be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures — Christians are the chief and most excellent of his visible creatures; and sanctify the rest. Yet he says, A kind of - For Christ alone is absolutely the first - fruits.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

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John Wesley

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley's writing and preachings provided the seeds for both the modern Methodist movement and the Holiness movement, which encompass numerous denominations across the world. In addition, he refined Arminianism with a strong evangelical emphasis on the Reformed doctrine of justification by faith.Wesley was a logical thinker and expressed himself clearly, concisely and forcefully in writing. His written sermons are characterised by spiritual earnestness and simplicity. They are doctrinal but not dogmatic. His Notes on the New Testament (1755) are enlightening. Both the Sermons (about 140) and the Notes are doctrinal standards. Wesley was a fluent, powerful and effective preacher. He usually preached spontaneously and briefly, though occasionally at great length.... Show more

Produced between 1754 and 1765, Wesley's commentary on the whole Bible has stood the test of time.... Show more

Verse 18

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

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