Studies from the Book of James
The Last Word Ch 5:19,20

Preached by Pastor Jack Anderson
Bethel Church Isle of Man

Introduction As we come to the conclusion of James’ letter, it is amazing to reflect on the subjects, which he has covered.

His subjects have included, the Sovereignty of God, the Doctrine of Election, a Faith that Works, the value of trials, the need for Godly wisdom, the need for credibility.

He warns about the danger of materialism, and the danger of quarrels and conflicts developing among God’s people. In our last study he was speaking of the need for effectual fervent praying. The epistle of James is far from being a minor book; it is a treasure house of divine truth.

Let us now look at the conclusion of this letter from James to the scattered saints of God. There are those who would say that this conclusion seems to be abrupt, because there is no salutation or doxology.

I would not agree with this view, for, as we examine these two verses we shall find that they are in keeping with the tenor of the whole epistle, which is a warm-hearted concern for the welfare of the Church of Jesus Christ. James is writing to his brethren in the Lord because he is concerned for them.

Twenty-nine times James addresses his readers as brethren. When he is teaching them, challenging them, encouraging them, warning them or rebuking them, it is as his brethren.

James wanted to identity himself with his brethren in the Lord. He had a practical understanding of their needs, of the needs of the Church and he was concerned for their well being.

Do we have a similar concern for our brothers and sisters, those who are in the body of Christ? It is so easy to develop a critical attitude within the Church, spending our time snipping at each other and highlighting faults.

When we do this, we are doing the work of the Devil, for he is the accuser of the brethren. It is not for believers to provide ammunition for the Devil and the enemies of the cross.

Let us ever keep in mind that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for the Church.

Therefore, it is the duty of every believer to seek to nourish, to encourage, and to help the development of the Church for the glory of God.

Illustration it was E Stanley Jones who said, quote, “I know that the Church has its stupidities, its insanities, and its irrelevancies—but I love my mother in spite of her weaknesses and her wrinkles”.

Beloved, the Church is a Divine institution with which we should identify at every opportunity. An institution about which, we should speak with affection, with love and concern, and we should never offer the unsaved public and unguarded criticism.

The Church is not without its faults and James is aware of the failings of his brethren, as he concludes his letter to them. In the last two verses we see his deep pastoral concern for those who are out of step with the Lord.

We are also reminded of the possibility of falling. James has two things to say to all believers, in conclusion.

1. Be Aware of Danger 2. Be Alert to Duty v 19,20

1. Be Aware of Danger v 19

“If any of you do err from the truth”

James is not writing to those who have never come to know the truth, he is speaking to Christians who know the truth, but have wandered away from the truth, and have fallen into error.

The word err-wander (plan-ah'-o); means to go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way, to roam from safety, truth or virtue.

Plan-ah-o suggests a gradual moving away from the will of God. Jesus used the same word in

Matt 18:12 how think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

How did the sheep wander away? It did not intend to go astray. It saw a patch of grass, so the sheep kept its head down and followed its appetite. Then it moved on to the next patch of grass and then on to the next, and before the sheep knew it, it had wandered away.

There is a danger that faces every Christian; the danger of wandering away from the faith.

We look at some appealing pastures that the world offers, and then following our fleshly appetites and the temptation of Satan, and soon, we have erred from the truth into a backslidden condition. This is one of the greatest tragedies in the life of the Church; the number of backsliders, who have erred into bypath meadow.

1. Backsliding is a Subtle Pathway.

The word “err” does not imply a sudden impulsive U. TURN. It is not an impetuous rebellion or a headlong rush to sin. It is a gradual process. James is speaking of a gentle straying, a slow drifting with the tide, which results in a slow gradual spiritual decline. Backsliding seldom begins with an outrageous sin; it begins quietly, slowly and very subtly.

When prayer is neglected, devotions are no longer important, the Bible study is forsaken, witnessing is no longer relevant, and the assembling with other believers on the Lord’s Day is only, when it fits into our schedule. Backsliding is the easiest thing to do--you do nothing.

The devil will be satisfied with you if you are satisfied with him. People seldom loose their faith by a blowout--it is usually by a slow leak. The Christian walk is much like riding a bicycle; you are either moving forward or falling off.

Heb 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Jesus warned Peter that Satan desired to have him to sift him as wheat; he desired to tempt him away from the faith. Peter failed to heed the warning of the Lord and when he should have been praying he was sleeping. Then he went on to deny the Lord three times. I do not know the man; I am not on of His disciples. Backsliding is a Subtle Pathway.

There are also those, whom we would describe as being backsliders, they used to come to the place of worship, but now they openly indulge in worldly activities, and feast from Satan’s table.

There are also many who are not really backsliders because they were never front sliders. They never had a personal experience of saving faith in Christ. They had never come to the Truth, to wander away from it. They were never truly saved.

Jesus illustrates this type of person in the parable of the sower. The seed that fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured it. Some seed fell on stony places where there was not much earth and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth. But when the sun came up it was soon scorched because it had no root.

James is talking of those who have come to knowledge of the Truth in Christ, but have slipped back and wandered away. Note what he is saying” If any of you do err—wander.

This suggests that this could happen to any believer. No person is so far advanced along the Christian road, or so knowledgeable in the scriptures, or so experienced in serving the Lord that he is beyond the reach of Satan’s treachery, or the wickedness of their own heart.

The permanent presence of the old nature guarantees that, in the life of the Christian, there is no victory without vigilance. 1 Cor 10:12 wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The subtly of Satan should bring us daily to the throne of grace for help and protection.

V 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Backsliding is a Subtle Pathway

Backsliding is a Serious Pathway

Backsliding is not a trivial pursuit; it is a very dangerous deviation from the truth.

It is possible to err Morally by letting standards slip. It is possible to err spiritually from ones identification with the local Church, by wandering away from the house of bread, where the soul is fed, and travelling the road of the prodigal into the far country.

How do these things happen to a believer? It is when we err from the Truth. This is vital to note, for Jesus says He is the truth John 14:6 John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Truth refers to the Living word and the written word. Backsliding is dangerous because it means, straying from God’s Saving and Sanctifying Truth.

James is saying do not wander away from the truth. We must hold fast to our convictions. If we do not stay close to the truth, we will wander away from the truth.

We are living in a day when more and more people are saying that doctrine does not matter, while others are seeking to dilute doctrine, we must be tolerant, let everyone speak their mind, for they are entitled to their own interpretation of the Bible.

This is not the teaching of Truth, for what we believe determines how we behave.

Belief determines Behaviour. When we wander from doctrine we wander away from our duty. When one wanders from the word our walk will also wander Friends, we cannot gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles, and we cannot expect our lives to be right, if we wander away from the Truth.

Illustration A little girl got home from Sunday school, where she had been taught the verse: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven”.

She asked her mother, when she repeated the verse, what it meant. Her mother said, "Well, it means that when you are good and kind and thoughtful and obedient, you are letting Christ's light shine in your life before all who know you."

The very next Sunday, in Sunday school, the little girl got into a bit of a fight with another girl in the class, and created such an uproar--to such an extent that the Sunday school teacher had to go and find her mother to get her settled down.

Her mother was concerned when she got to the classroom and said, “don't you remember about letting your light shine for the Lord before men?"

The girl blurted out; "yes mother, but I have blown it out myself”
Many have done just that. In their relationship to Christ, their light has gone out.

Doctrine matters. (A) If we turn away from the Lordship of Christ, very soon we will compromise our position as Bible believing Christians. Jesus is not Lord in the life of the backslider. (B) When we loose sight of the doctrine of Sin, we make excuse for the things that we do and give them a new label.

(C) We loose sight of the Doctrine of Hell; we miss the true meaning and value of the death of Christ. We also loose any compassion, which we may have for souls who are perishing. How we need to search our hearts to make sure that we have not wandered from the Truth.

1. Be Aware of Danger v 19 “If any of you do err from the truth”

2 Be Alert to Duty. V 19-20

And one convert him (turns him around and brings him back to God) Amp

1. The Responsibility of Duty.

This duty is not just for Pastors and Elders it is the responsibility of all believers who are in fellowship with the Lord. They are to attempt to turn the wander back to God and to His Truth.

2 Cor 5:18 and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

James is saying that someone should bring back the wanderer. The Church needs to exercise a ministry to those who have erred from the Truth. This is our duty.

What is your first reaction, when you hear of someone in the faith who has fallen? Is it negative criticism? Do you rush to the phone and say, “have you heard about so and so”?

Do you point the finger of condemnation? Or do you feel burdened and to seek to do something to bring that person back to the Lord and to the Place of Repentance, and Restoration.

God loves the backslidden and so should we. Instead of dealing with those who have erred from the Truth, from the Lord, with a critical unloving spirit. Let us deal with them gently and with patience as we seek to turn them back

How blessed it is to know one who has strayed can come back and start all over again. We can realize our mistakes, go back to where we took that wrong turn and start all over again.

We have the responsibility to bring back the erring one and to lift up the fallen. Jesus said to Simon Peter

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

After Peter repented he fulfilled this responsibility, and we must fulfill ours. A true believer will be convicted in his heart to come back to the Lord, and we are to encourage them to do so.

1. The Responsibility of Duty.

2. The Reward when we fulfill our Duty v20

(Amp) Let the [latter] one be sure that who ever turns a sinner from his evil course will save that ones souls from death and will cover a multitude of sins (procure pardon of the many sins committed by the convert.

So what is James saying? He is giving a word of encouragement to those who face up to the responsibility of seeking to win back the erring believer. What happens if we are successful?

That Person is Rescued.

“Shall save a soul from death” What does this mean? There are those, who say that it means that a Believer can wander so far from the truth that they can be eternally lost.

This may seem logical, but it is not Biblical.

(1) James is not referring to the Unsaved, but to the saved, to the brethren in the Lord.

(2) The Greek, word, which is translated death, is

than'-at-os which refers to physical death. So it is not eternal death that is the issue here.

James is referring here to a sin unto death that is mentioned in I John 6:16-17

Friends, when a Christian becomes rebellious and continually sins and remains unrepentant of their sin, then sometimes God will remove them prematurely through physical death. Ananias and Sapphria sinned unto death and God removed them

The Apostle Paul spoke of a sin unto death

1 Cor 11:30 for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

The sin unto death referred to here is eating and drinking unworthily at the Lord’s Table.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. This was what happened to some of the Corinthian believers who were abusing the Lord’s Supper and were getting drunk, while observing it. They were getting ill and were dying prematurely for no apparent reason.

Beloved, with this thought in mind. What a Ministry we exercise when we turn a brother or sister from their sin, that their lives may be saved, renewed and extended by the Grace of God for useful service in the kingdom.

That Person is Rescued.

“Shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins

That Person is Restored v20 “Shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins

The Greek word is (kal-oop'-to); to hide or to cover so that no trace is to be seen. A person, who repents and returns to the Lord, has his sins covered.

Psa 32:1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

When a Christian returns to the Lord, his sins are no longer seen for God has covered them.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

God does not remember the sin of the backslider. Thus, we must not remind the backslider of their past folly. Although he may have been a multitude of sins, which have been committed, they can be taken away and covered by the Blood of Jesus.

Friends, let us remember an important principle. Everything that we cover God will uncover, and everything that we uncover God will cover in the precious blood of His Son Jesus.

Calvary Covers It All, My past with its sin and stain

My guilt and despair, Jesus took on Him there

And Calvary Covers it All

Prov 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

David prayed in

Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

David did not ask for his salvation to be restored for he had never lost it. He did ask for the joy of his salvation to be restored, for he had lost this when he erred from the Truth.

The Christian who has lost their joy can have it restored when his sin is covered.

This is the good news God has entrusted to His people to share with those who have wandered away. Sin can be forgiven and fellowship restored with God, who has been offended.

Father, give to us the tenderness of James to deal with the backslider, give to us a compassion like Jesus that we might love them as He does.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Pet 4:8