Restoring Wandering Christians

As we continue to study James 5, verses 19-20, we recall James’ teaching that it is possible for a Christian to wander from the truth. In today’s post, we’ll see that for every person who wanders from the truth, James assumes there will be “someone” who “turns him back.” In other words, James assumes the church is actively going after those who wander.  

We Must Go After The Wanderer

This truth calls to mind Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. He supposes a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them “wanders” (same word used by James). Jesus asks, “Does he (the man) not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying (Matthew 18:12)?” Jesus concludes the parable with this truth: “It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14).”

James expresses the same concern for the church. He assumes that the church has the same love for wandering members as the man does for wandering sheep—as God does for wandering souls.

Do you love those who have wandered from the truth? Do you know anyone who has wandered from your Bible study? Your Sunday school class or small group? Your worship services? Have you called to check on them?  

Too often, we allow fear or pride to overrule the Spirit’s promptings to reach out to a wandering brother or sister. You can be sure that Satan wants you to just forget about them or to reason, “They had issues,” or “They were never really connected anyway.”  

Fear of confrontation or fear of appearing sanctimonious may also impede the work of the Spirit within us. But if we truly love others, we will not allow our fears to keep us from doing what the Bible teaches.

Someone said, “A real friend is someone who always ‘gets in your way’ when you are ‘on your way down.’” Good words!

It is possible for a believer to wander from the truth, and it is assumed another believer will turn him back. Here’s another truth:

It is a Blessing when a Believer is Restored 

James teaches that the one who “turns a sinner from the error of his way” will invite a blessing. The blessing is the knowledge that God used him to “save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

When a sinner is turned back, his soul is saved from death—spiritual death—final death because his sins are “covered.” His sins are not covered by the one who turned him back but by God. Only God can forgive sins. The idea is that God used the caring church member and worked through him or her to bring about the forgiveness of the wanderer’s many sins.

Since all Christians are to be engaged in the ministry of restoration, we’ll consider how to live out this truth when we return to James next week. Until then, consider how James’ teaching raises a few poignant questions:

• Do you love others enough to go after them when they wander? 
• Do you love them as you love yourself? 
• Are you a real friend—someone who “gets in the way” of another who is “on the way down?”

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 212-213, available in all formats here.