James 5:19-20
“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
James continues with the theme of prayer. If the land can be brought back to life from a drought, and those who confess can be forgiven, and those who need healing can find it - then certainly we should be actively praying for those whose souls are wandering, to save their soul from death.
The line from the old hymn rings true, “Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart Lord, take and heal it, seal it for thy courts above.” (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing). Repeatedly scripture refers to people as sheep who wander without a shepherd (1 Peter 2:25) and we all have the tendency to be the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
In the community of faith, we all take responsibility to keep each other from wandering! We tend to “wander from the truth” and are danger of being deceived. In Zechariah 3:2 the Lord rebukes Satan, calling the man “a burning stick snatched from the fire”. As believers we are to be busy saving others from the fires of judgment. “Save others by snatching them from the fire” (Jude 23).
James has written this letter to address many problems: Sinful speech patterns, disobedience, lack of compassion and concern for other people, conflicts and quarreling, the hoarding and misuse of resources, and pride and arrogance. James’ biggest concern is that those who claim to know and follow Christ are not living lives that reflect the values of the kingdom of God. Faith is to be lived out in obedience, in “works” that show evidence of changed lives.
How are we to live as kingdom people? James closes his letter with a call to action - believers are to “do” the things James has commanded them, while also encouraging others to “do” the same.
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