INTRODUCTION
1. Open your bibles to James 5:19&20.
2. These two verses bring us to the end of the book of James.
2. In our study of the book of James we have found his five chapter letter filled with multitudes of different instructions and exhortations to try and get brethren to live faithful.
3. Interestingly, the last two verses of James’ book makes a strong appeal to all faithful Christians to do all that they can to reach out and bring back those who have wandered away from God and have not remained faithful.
4. Let’s begin to look at this motivating challenge that James gives us.
DISCUSSION
I. FIRST, JAMES 5:19a, LETS US KNOW THAT THE ONE THAT JAMES IS TALKING ABOUT IN THIS VERSE IS A CHRISTIAN.
1. The very first word in James 5:19 is “Brethren”!
2. Let’s turn back to James chapter one and take a quick glance back through the book of James and notice how many times James uses the word “brethren”.
(1) James 1:2, “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials”.
(2) James 1:16, “16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren”.
(3) James 1:19, “19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”.
(4) James 2:1, “1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality”.
(5) This is enough to illustrate the numerous times that James uses the word “brethren”. Actually, James uses the word “brethren” 15 times in the five chapters.
1) “Brethren”, in this N. T. epistle, is referring to those who are members of the church.
2) The word “brethren” refers to both males and females.
3) The term “brethren” lets us know that the ones that James is talking about in James 5:19 are Christians. They have obeyed the gospel and were saved of their past sins.
II. SECOND, JAMES 5:19a, TEACHES THAT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO IS A CHRISTIAN TO WANDER OR ERR FROM THE TRUTH.
1. Let’s read James 5:19a, “19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders [KJV “errs”] from the truth”.
(1) It follows from this statement that (#1) a brother or sister in Christ may err or wander; (#2) a brother or sister in Christ may err or wander from the truth; (#3) a brother or sister in Christ may sin.
(2) It is not specified whether the sin that one is wandering off into is immoral and sinful practices or whether it is referring to wandering off into teaching and practices that are wrong according to the plan of salvation, the avenues of worship, the organization of the church and or similar "doctrinal” sins.
(3) The book of James deals with all different kinds of sins and I would think that James is talking about any kind of sin – whether immoral or doctrinal.
(4) From what James and many other bible writers teach it is clear that one who is a Christian can sin and stray from the truth. When the backslider wanders from the truth they put their soul in danger of being lost.
2. What James and I have said is what the bible teaches, however most all religious groups teach to the contrary. They teach that sinful conduct does not endanger one’s soul.
(1) Sam Morris, a follower of denominationalism, wrote a tract with the title, Do a Christian’s Sins Damn [Condemn] His Soul? Mr. Morris asserted: “The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul....All the prayers a man may pray, all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he may commit from idolatry to murder will
not make his soul in any more danger....The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul...” (Quoted by J. Noel Meredith, ADL, p.281).
(2) I have read and heard many, many statements very similar to this by those in denominations who believe that “once saved, always saved” is taught in the bible.
3. Let’s turn to just three of multitudes of verses that teach that the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is a false doctrine.
(1) Turn to 1 Cor. 9:27. Here, Paul refers to himself, a truly converted and faithful preacher as having to guard against becoming a condemned backslider. Let’s read 1 Cor. 9:27, “27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” Any Christian, just like Paul could have wandered, can so err or wander from the truth and cease to remain qualified to go to heaven.
(2) Turn to Galatians 5:4. This verse and passage teaches that if one tries to use the Old Law of Moses for their final authority in matters of religion then they will fall from grace. Let’s read Gal. 5:4, “4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”
1) An illustration of falling from grace would be to teach and practice that it is o.k. to use instrumental music in worship to God, based upon the fact that it was o.k. to use instrumental music under the Law of Moses.
2) Since Christ’s death the final authority in matters of religion is the N. T.
(3) Turn to 2 Peter 2:20-22. In this passage Peter states that those who have escaped the world and are living in the way of righteousness can again become entangled in sin and their spiritual situation become worse that before they became Christians.
1) Peter teaches that backsliding invites sure condemnation to the soul.
2) Let’s read 2 Peter 2:20-22, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
4. We have read from James, Paul and Peter and they all emphatically teach that erring or wandering from the truth will bring condemnation to the soul.
(1) I am not going to believe denominational teachers like Mr. Morris.
(2) I am going to heed the warnings of bible writers and do my best to try to avoid being a backslider.
III. THIRD, JAMES 5:19b TEACHES THAT ONE WHO ERRS OR WANDERS FROM THE TRUTH CAN BE TURNED BACK TO THE TRUTH.
1. Let’s read James 5:19b, “and someone turns him back.”
2. This does not mean to convert one who has never had his or her sins removed, or to teach one the plan of salvation and that one be forgiven of all their past sins and become a N. T. Christian. James is talking about converting one who has already become a member of the church that you read about in the N. T.
(1) James is referring to teaching a backsliding Christian and motivating him or her to turn from the error of their way. It is bringing a backslider back from their wanderings. It is to re-establish a backslider in the truth, and in the practice of virtue and N. T. Christianity.
(2) James is not teaching a faithful Christian to think that one man can literally save another. James is teaching Christians to understand that by teaching, encouragement, and assistance, one may turn another back from the way that would bring eternal punishment to their soul.
(3) James is encouraging faithful Christians to encourage backsliders to reestablish their confidence in the truth and live accordingly.
IV. FOURTH, JAMES 5:20a, TEACHES THAT WHEN A BACKSLIDER IS CONVERTED HIS SOUL WILL BE SAVED FROM SPIRITUAL DEATH!
1. Let’s read James 5:20a, “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death”.
(1) “Save a soul from death” refers to saving that soul from spiritual death. The word “death” means separation. When a soul is not guilty of sin, that soul has a relationship with God that is spiritually alive.
(2) When a soul is guilty of sin, that soul has a relationship with God that is spiritually dead.
2. James, in both verse 19 and verse 20, emphatically teaches that one who has been saved from their past sins and that has become a member of the church can so sin, so as to be forever in “spiritual death” and be eternally separated from God.
3. James, on the other hand, in both verses 19 & 20, encouragingly teaches that a backslider that has erred or wandered from the truth can repent and turn back to God.
4. James teaches that a backslider doesn’t have to remain a backslider, but can confess, repent, pray for forgiveness and turn back to God and save his soul from “spiritual death” and eternal separation from God.
V. FIFTH, JAMES 5:20b, TEACHES THAT WHEN THE BACKSLIDER PROPERLY TURNS BACK TO GOD THEY “COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS.”
1. James closes out his five chapter book with six of the most encouraging words that we can read in the bible: James 5:20b declares, “and cover (KJV “hide”) a multitude of sins”.
2. Turn to James 2:10&11. Here, James declares that just one sin is equivalent of a Christian being guilty of all sins. Let’s read James 2:10&11, “10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.”Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
1) An illustration might help: a horse only has the jump over a fence in between two post to be out of the pasture. The horse doesn’t have to jump out of every section of the fence.
2) A Christian has to only willfully break one of God’s commandments and refuse to repent, to become a backslider and be out of God’s grace or pasture, figuratively speaking.
3. Since just one un-repented sin condemns the sinner to hell, James’s use of the word multitude emphasizes the hopeless condition of sinners. Throughout their lives they accumulate a weight of sin that ultimately will pull them down into hell.
4. A mistake that a lot of people make when they read the phrase “and cover (or hide) a multitude of sins” is thinking that James is teaching that the faithful Christian who converts the backslider will have his or her sins covered or hidden.
(1) James is not teaching this, but rather that the backslider will be forgiven of each and every sin that they are guilty of, no matter how numerous the sins are.
(2) To hide or cover something means to put it out of sight.
5. Let’s read a few verses that describe the thorough job that God does in hiding and/or covering of the sins that one properly repents of and turns away from.
(1) Turn to Isaiah 38:17b. This verse reminds us that we can not see those things that are behind our back unless we move them or we move. Isaiah 38:17b teaches that once God puts our sins behind His back He will not ever turn around to look at them, nor will He ever place them in front of Him again. Let’s read Isaiah 38:17b, “…But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” Once our sins are put behind God’s back, God will never look at those sins again!
(2) Turn to Psalm 103:12. This is another verse that teaches that once God forgives us of a sin, that sin will never be remembered again. The writer of Psalm 103:12 uses the distance between the east and the west to illustrate just how far God removes our sins from us once we obey what we should to receive forgiveness. Let’s read Psalm 103:12, “12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
(3) Turn to Psalm 32:1, “1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.” “Blessed” comes from the same word that is translated “blessed” in the beatitudes of Matthew. Here, it is teaching that those have their sins covered, hidden or put out of sight are those that can be happy and have reasons for joy.
(4) Turn to Psalm 85:2. Here the psalmist stresses, like James, that a multitude or all of our sins will be forgiven, when we correctly obey God’s instructions that are given that we might receive forgiveness. Let’s read Psalm 85:2, “2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.”
1) James and these other bible writers should be filling us with excitement, as we hear their declarations telling us that whatever number of sins we might need to be forgiven of, can and will be forgiven of, if we confess, repent and pray.
2) If you have never become a Christian, the commands are still simple and easy to obey: believe, repent, confess that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and obey the command to be baptized.
CONCLUSION
1. Turn to Psalm 40:1-3. The Psalmists was living under the O. T. He was to obey different commands that what we have to obey in order to receive forgiveness of sins.
(1) However, living in sin, for those of the O. T. or for those of the N. T., is a horrible situation to be in.
(2) Also, once any person obeys what God requires to be forgiven, then we can have joy.
2. Let’s read Psalm 40:1-3, “1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”
3. If you are subject to the invitation please come as we stand and sing!
Acknowledgments for a lot of thoughts in the development of all the sermons on the book of James are to go to:
(1) Bob Winton CD Commentary on Matthew 27:50-54. 464 Ridgewood Drive Manchester, Tennessee 37355. If interested in CD covering many O. T. & N.T. books call (866) 753-8456.
(2) Miscellaneous commentaries by numerous others.
