Thought from today’s Bible reading from James 1-5.
“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
James closed his letter with a reminder of the concern that fellow Christians were to have for one another. In these verses we learn a few lessons about sin.
- It is possible for a Christian to fall away. James said that his brethren could possibly stray from the truth, putting their souls in jeopardy of death. He is not talking about people in the world, but those who had already been converted to Christ. The Calvinistic doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is not a Scriptural concept (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 6:4-6).
- Christians need to try to restore a fallen brother. When a fellow Christian falls away, we are not to be indifferent toward them, but do what we can to try to win them back (Galatians 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
- It is possible to cover a multitude of sins. When an erring brother is persuaded to repent, God is willing to forgive (1 John 1:9). Even if one committed many sins before returning to the Lord, if he is penitent, God will welcome him back, just as the father of the prodigal son welcomed him back with open arms (Luke 15:18-24).
We should never be content with sin, whether it is in our own lives or the lives of our brethren. When our brethren fall into sin, we should try to help them get out of that sin. James reminded us in this passage why this is so important.
Tomorrow’s reading: Acts 15-16
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
