James: More GraceSample

Now it is your turn!

As James signs off his letter, he calls on his readers to do for each other what has been done for them. He has written to this church which has gone way off course to call them back to humble repentance. Now he wants them to take responsibility for keeping one another safe spiritually too.

• What exactly does James want these believers to do (v. 19)?

Wandering from the truth is an apt de- scription of what has been wrong with this church. These Christians have not stormed out of their fellowship. They do not seem to have embraced major false teachings. These believers are still in church; they are still hearing God’s word. But their hearts are divided and their behaviour is moving further and further away from the truth they claim to believe. They are moving in a very dan- gerous direction, because sin matters; if it is allowed to flourish and become full- grown, it will give birth to death (1:15).

These believers seem oblivious to the danger they are in. But James has seen it, and he has written to call them back to humbly submit to the word planted in them that can save them.

Now James wants these Christians to have a ministry like his, and he isn’t just referring to the elders here. James says ‘someone’ (v. 19) and ‘whoever’ (v. 20); any Christian can bring a wanderer back.

• How important is it to do this (v. 20)?

When a person is doing wrong they do not always appreciate someone trying to convince them to change, however sensitively and lovingly it is done. James’ readers may have felt like that themselves, at least at first! But James loved his dear brothers and sisters and wanted to save them from spiritual disaster, so he wrote to turn them ‘from the error of their way’. Repentance matters that much. So James’ readers too must call back any other brother or sister who wanders from the truth.

It will help of course if we are quick to acknowledge, as James does, that ‘We all stumble in many ways’ (3:2). Every one of us always needs more grace.

But the glorious good news of the gospel is that if believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do turn from doing wrong, God will show ‘favour to the humble’ (4:6). We will not face the spiritual death we deserve. The Lord will graciously cover over our ‘multitude of sins’.

Please keep reminding me!

Pray

Pray you would look out for others in your church family and love them enough to bring them back if they wander from the truth.