New Life Burbank

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ 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.

Reflect
As we come to the conclusion of James’ letter, we find a final word of encouragement. His epistle has given us numerous directives in living out the wisdom of God. Throughout, James has been laying before us the nature of true gospel life; portraying spiritual wisdom not as an intellectual pursuit but primarily as a relational reality. We must remember that God is not impressed with moral living which helps us pretend we are super-spiritual because we are doing all the right things. Yes, James has summoned us to lives of purity, peace, and gentleness. But what better demonstration is there that we are people full of mercy, good fruits, and without hypocrisy than that we relate to one another in true unity? This means seeking the reconciliation and restoration of our wayward brothers and sisters. In bringing back a person who has wandered from the truth, we are living out Matthew 5:9. We are being the very peacemakers that are called the sons of God! Sons image their father. Are you spiritual? Then you’ll have the heart of your Father and God’s heart is to pursue the one lost sheep and bring him back to the fold of faith. Are we so united to one another the way Jesus desires us to be when he prays in John 17, “I ask…that they may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us.”?

Every time I see one of those daring rescue shows on television, I wonder what it is within those rescuers that enables them to risk so much to save another? I have also wondered why so often during tragic events or violent acts, that bystanders look on and do nothing. James is equating the bringing “back a sinner from his wanderings” with “saving his soul from death.” That´s pretty serious. Are we the rescuer or are we the guy who walks on by assuming someone else will do the saving? The rescuer knows that life and death hang in the balance and that although great risk may be involved, he steps into the fray, the chaos, the uncertainty, and puts it all on the line in the hope of preserving life. On the other hand, the bystander questions her ability, her competency to step into a situation where she might at best look foolish and at worst experience pain herself. The bystander concludes, “it’s too difficult for me and just not worth the potential harm.”

Christ’s abundant love for His people brought him suffering and extreme separation as He risked it all to secure our rescue. Are we called to a lesser love? We are told in I Peter to “Above all, keep fervent in our love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Here James says the same thing: to rescue another or bring him back to the truth results in the covering of many sins. So what does bringing back a sinner from his wanderings look like? The Bible doesn’t give us step-by-step instructions; rather it calls us to genuinely love one another and to live courageously by faith, putting our hope in Christ. As Dan Allender so eloquently describes it, “Bold love is courageously setting aside our personal agenda to move humbly into the world of others with their well-being in view, willing to risk further pain in our souls, in order to be an aroma of life…” We who are spiritual will be such an aroma, as we know, live, and offer true Life.

Memorize
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 wanderings will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Pray
Dear Lord,
Transform us into people who care not merely for our own holiness, but earnestly toil for the righteousness of our brothers and sisters. Make us care so much that we are willing to sacrifice our own comfort and safety to go after such a wanderer. Give us faith that we may risk in order to rescue— for that is your heart, O God. As your people, may we be as obsessed with our unity as you are that when we see beginnings of self-destruction in one another, we would do whatever is necessary to “bring him back” to the truth of who he is in Christ. Thank you for not standing by as we were perishing, but putting aside your comfort to pursue, reconcile, and restore our wayward hearts. Help us to never abandon your truth, but to follow you in the way everlasting. In Christ´s name we pray, Amen.