God is good because he caused us to be born again by the Word of the gospel. James makes that very clear. He says, it was his will, just to emphasize that, just to drive it home. It was his will that we are born again, not your will. Did you repent and believe? Absolutely, you repented and believed, but it was because God caused you to be born again. The result of being born again is that you repented and believed. First you are regenerated, then you have faith, then you repent and believe. That was God's will.1
Thomas Schreiner
18 Il nous a engendrés selon sa volonté, par la parole de vérité, afin que nous soyons en quelque sorte les prémices de ses créatures.