Why does James 1:18 say God "gave us birth by the word of truth"? And why does James write that we are a kind of "first fruits" among God's creation? My father broke my heart when I was growing up. Now I wonder about the meaning of Isaiah 61:1 and how God can heal me. My brother-in-law died last year; near the end, he began to doubt the Bible and maybe his salvation too. His concerns seemed to center on the word "beguiled."