Wayward Christians

James 5:19-20    
    It is no secret that James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. James is just practical. He closes the book with a fact that is either called false in the religious world, or people don’t take it seriously in their actions. “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20) James says a few things here: 1) he is speaking to brethren, saved christians, 2) he says it is possible for them to stray, 3) in that condition, the christian is in sin and their soul is in danger of death. I’m not going to spend the rest of the article debating once saved always saved, scripture does that quite well (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Heb. 6:1-6; 1 Cor. 9:27; and dozens more). Rather, I want to ask the questions, “Are we taking this charge by James as seriously as we take the great commission?” Congregations of the Lord’s church the world over spend an extreme amount of time and effort taking to the gospel to people who have never heard it, and rightly so! How much effort are we putting into reaching the Christian who has strayed. Is not their soul in the same danger as the alien sinner? YES! People are timid because we live in an anti-confrontational post-modernistic society who attacks anyone who is bold enough to warn someone against sin. But, what did Jesus say? “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” (Matt. 18:15) Christians have taken that to mean, “If your brother sins in a way that you think is a big deal, you might want to say something.” That’s not what Jesus said. Why does a christian do this? The world would teach us that when you tell someone that they are wrong, you are being hateful, or malicious against that person. That is never the intention of warning the erring. Corrections should always be from a place of love and gentleness (Gal. 6:1; Prov. 12:1). There is a time for harsh treatment of the erring (1 Tim. 5:20). We need to put much effort into restoring the straying christian, and when they come back, rejoice as the angels rejoice (Luke 15:10). I love you all!

In His service,
Steven Hugley