‘Be not deceived, my beloved brothers.'
He is concerned that his readers as ‘my beloved brothers' are not ‘deceived'. The expression of deep affection stresses the importance of what he is saying. It is something that he really wants them to appreciate. He wants them to recognise that while riches are but temporary and fleeting (James 1:11), God's gifts are what are truly true and permanent. And apart from wisdom as described in James 1:5, and the crown of life in James 1:12, this includes His begetting of His own people through the word of truth, which is a personal ‘begetting' by the Father of the glorious created lights, something which contrasts powerfully with the temptations ‘born of' Madame Desire, and the sin ‘born of' Madame Temptation (James 1:15).