Restoring One Who Falls

“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. ESV).

Unlike Paul who has a benediction to end his epistles, James puts in a final strong word about the responsibility of the church (and Christians) to bring back from error any who wander from the truth. James, wise pastor that he was, knew there would be those who would go after doctrines contrary to what Christ taught. We have developed a term for this: backsliding. In this present time of New Age teachings, it is very important that we weigh heavily the things we hear and evaluate them in the light of biblical truth. We have a responsibility, first of all, to witness to and win the sinner to the Lord. When the sinner accepts Christ as Savior that soul is ‘saved from death.’ Also, a ‘multitude of sins’ is covered. But to bring back the once-saved person who has wandered is a grave responsibility as well. Christians defecting from the church is a common occurrence. A comparison of almost any “church roll” with those who are active, in regular attendance and showing evidences of growing in grace and in knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will indicate how much we need to heed James’ admonition to restore the wanderers.

It is easy to think of the apostate (straying ones) as agents of the devil and therefore dismiss them with little effort to restore them to fellowship. “They should know better,” we often say. But maybe they don’t, or maybe the pull of the world has enticed them so strongly that they need positive, active Christian concern to awaken them. We read in Proverbs 10:12: “Hatred stirs up strife, But love cancels innumerable sins.” Peter must have had this proverb in mind when he wrote: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (Peter 4:8).

We have a saying about such spiritual wanderers: “They come in the front door of the church and leave by the back door.” That is, they lose their enthusiasm and desire to live a Christian life, and neglect soon becomes habit, and habit grows into a way of life absent from a nurturing, vital fellowship in the church. “He who waters others shall be watered also himself” was a well-known adage in the Jewish community of James’ day.

Think about the situation. What joy comes when a family member has been estranged and is restored. We should go after and seek to win back into active fellowship those who have become cold and indifferent. Eugene Peterson in The Message Bible gives these verses and their impact in a very strong appeal: “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” Think of ones you know who need to be restored to fellowship. Begin earnestly praying for them. Then cultivate their friendship and trust and gently “love” them back into fellowship. What a mission!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, October 29, 2010