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
We live in a society that encourages everyone to think and act as they feel is right, true, and good so long as it doesn’t violate the common good. It breeds grounds where conflict and accountability become uncomfortable at best and unacceptable at worst. Christian community is counter-cultural in many ways, but one way is how believers must call one another to the Truth of God.*
We must fight past the resistance and fear we feel inside to step across to those we love around us and say, “my friend, there is a better way.”
The truth that James presents includes the message that because sin ultimately and inevitably leads to death, helping another believer return to God in some area saves their life.* Following the truth isn’t just about right thoughts or belief, but it involves right living as well.* The beliefs in our hearts and the way that we live must align with truth, or else we will find ourselves staring death in the face.
Ultimately, the death of relationships, the death of peace, and the death of hope that we may experience in this life from sinful living is merely a foretaste of the ultimate death that awaits those captured by sin who have not yet been freed by choosing to follow Jesus.
The Christian community must help one another to stay close to Jesus, thus staying close to truth.*
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to be brave enough to tell someone you love, “there’s a better way.” Perhaps today God wants you to open your heart to receiving those words from someone else. Maybe today God wants you to see living rightly through the perspective of eternity. Perhaps today God would have you live counter-cultural by embracing His Kingdom culture.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Blomberg, C. L., & Kamell, M. J. (2008). James (Vol. 16, pp. 247–249). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 272–273). Zondervan.
Stulac, G. M. (1993). James (Jas 5:19–20). IVP Academic.
Moo, D. J. (2021). The Letter of James (D. A. Carson, Ed.; Second Edition, pp. 316–319). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Nystrom, D. P. (1997). James (pp. 318–325). Zondervan Publishing House.
Martin, R. P. (1988). James (Vol. 48, pp. 218–221). Word, Incorporated.