My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
How do you tell if someone has wandered from the truth?
What truth are we talking about?
What does it mean to bring them back? Back to what? Where?
I have to admit that being able to turn a sinner from the error of their way sounds like a wonderful thing . Can you imagine the rush that comes from knowing you have saved someone from death? And how easy! Simply turn them from the error of their way!
But what does that mean?
For James, it means comparing people’s behavior to what he knows to be the truth. James grew up a Jew, in a Jewish culture. He also grew up being the half-brother of Jesus. James is uniquely qualified to discern who is traveling the Way and who is not.
For the rest of us, we need to turn to Jesus for instruction. He says, “…first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7: 5) Our walk must be very straight indeed before we tell others where the path is.
James speaks with authority. In his case, it is the authority of an authentic Jew who has been confronted by the authentic Messiah. Moreover, they knew each other. Intimately.
What authority do you and I speak with?
When we work to “turn a sinner,” what tools do we have?
My suggestion is that our best means of turning someone away from sin is to set an example for them. Our first task is to love God above all else. When people see us doing that, they recognize that we are not serving our interests, but Gods. That at least provides some credibility for us. The second thing we can do is to love the sinner as God loves us. When we do that, we embody the love God has for them and give it an expression that they can see.
Can we force people to change their ways?
No, but we can show them what it means to walk the right way.
Application: Look for ways to love your neighbor as yourself. Make your love for God known. These two things combined make for powerful signpost away from sin and towards the right way.
Food for Thought: What is the ”truth” that James refers to in this passage?
The truth of Christ and finding our righteousness and salvation in Him alone. After all, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14: 6) and one reason He came to earth was to testify to the truth. (John 18: 37). He is God in the flesh and He testifies to who God is ((John 1: 17-18).
Thank you Rich, you quickly summed up the truth!
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