If Anyone Among You Wanders – James 5:19-20

James mentions bringing back a sinner from his wandering.  You perhaps can imagine just how sensitive such a quest can be.  You have to be loving and truthful, which may be hurtful.  You have to be patient and definitely sensitive to the Spirit.  It is not an easy thing to do.  This is why James must indicate how important and good a thing it is.  And even if we believe that true believers will always return to the faith, it is still essential that God wants to use His people as the means to bring that believer back.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20, ESV)

Wandering from the truth. It seems so unlikely that the truth that brought you your first real taste of freedom and that rescued your soul would be something that you could or would find yourself moving away from. But James knew and we have experienced just how common that is, enough to make this his final word of warning and encouragement.

The warning is that wandering from the truth is something that happens to those “among” us, people that we have reason to believe are followers of Jesus from all appearances. And yet when they take a path that leads them away from the truth they are on the pathway to death. This likely indicates that either they are genuine believers who are going to be restored to the truth or they are merely professing believers who aren’t really saved, and they may or may not be restored to the truth. And if not, they will be exposed to the death of their souls.

But if we can persuade them to come back to the truth, we have rescued their souls from spiritual death and have covered a multitude of sins, because departure from truth always results in the adoption of multiple sins. It is the truth alone that gives us power and motivation to say no to sin. Knowing that God has saved me means knowing He loves me and births a gratitude in my heart and a longing to follow Him in trust. Leaving the truth behind means I no longer really trust Him or His goodness toward me and I’m working on my own to please Him, or completely deciding I don’t believe in Him at all. All sin springs from the determination that I need to take care of myself.

Are you wandering from the truth? Is there anyone pursuing you to bring you back? Are you a pursuer of anyone who is wandering? Your pursuit is a good one and a necessary one because a person’s life is hanging in the balance.