James 5:19-20

¹⁹ Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; ²⁰ Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

The letter of James is concerned about marks of true saving faith. James wrote to first century Jewish Christians scattered throughout the world because of persecution. Many of them had lost their homes, families, and entire way of life because of faith in Christ. James’s concern is that these Christians faithfully live as followers of Christ, demonstrating authentic faith as they endured the various trials that faced them. The sins that he addressed were sins that were found in the Church abroad and those sins served to detract from the testimony and witness of the church in the various places they were scattered. He calls them and us to examine ourselves and repent of any of the actions or attitudes of the heart that are brought out in his letter. Sins, such as blaming God (1:13-18); misusing the tongue (1:26; 3:1-12); partiality (2:1-2:13); lack of compassion (1:27; 2:14-17); worldly wisdom of selfishness (3:13-18); fighting (4:1-3); doublemindedness (1:5; 4:3-6); ignoring God’s will (4:13-17); and taking advantage of others (5:1-6), may be accepted and respected in many circles, but James argues that they serve to betray our Christian profession of faith and have absolutely no place in our lives. What do we do if we find these things in our lives or the life of another believer? In James 5:16 he tells us to “confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another.” Such confession is essential and such prayer is always heard by God because it is always His will. It is James’s instruction of how we “Submit to God” (James 4:7) and “Humble” ourselves (4:10) before Him. Since most of the sins mentioned are against other people in the Christian community, it is essential that they be confessed accordingly so that reconciliation is accomplished. Therefore, he calls us to “confess” our “faults one to another and pray for one another.” In James 5:19-20, he gives us a final word of instruction regarding these matters. What about if we find another brother in the faith participating in these sins or unrepentant in these sins? The answer is that we are called to go to them. There are three reasons why we must do this that is drawn out of these two verses.

To understand this calling on our lives, we must first grasp the seriousness of the issue at hand. First, James addresses the readers of the letter as “Brethren.” This is a reminder that James is appealing to those who are professing believers in the family of God. The application is first to the body of Christ in the local church. Next, the phrase “err from the truth” means “to be led astray” or “wander from the truth.” It is describing someone who is deviating from the true Christian faith, what Jude 3 refers to as “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” In what ways could someone deviate from the faith? In this context it would be someone falling into any of the sins mentioned in the letter. It is someone living in a way that contradicts true Christian faith, character, and practice. The seriousness of the matter is communicated here in that James does not dismiss these sins as tolerable or respectable as we often do. Instead, he says that they are erring from the truth. They are denying the faith in action. Thirdly, there is the word “convert.” The word means “to turn towards.” It describes turning someone towards someone or something. Here, it is James’s appeal to believers to go to those who are involved in the sins mentioned in his letter and turn them back to God. Matthew 18:15-20 contains similar instruction from Jesus when He lays out the process of Church Discipline and confronting believers in sin who are living contrary to their Christian profession. Paul gave instructions in Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” Believers are to go to those in sin in humility and gently correct them and plea with them to turn to Christ from their sin, understanding that someone persistently living in and exhibiting such sins are giving evidence that they are not in the faith.

The second thing that we must understand regarding the importance of confronting sin is the severity of the consequences. One who successfully “converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death.” To succeed in turning someone away from sin and toward Christ and His will is to save their “soul from death.” What does this mean? “Death” is the consequence or the “wages of sin” (Romans 6:23). It is not merely speaking to the reality of physical death. All people will physically die as a result of sin whether they are saved or not (Romans 5:12-21). “Death” described in Romans 6:23 and here is a state of existence apart from a right relationship with God. It is describing someone who is under condemnation apart from God’s saving grace made available through Christ. Does this mean that these believers were somehow in and then out of saving faith and God’s salvation? No, James makes it clear in 2:14-20 that the sins he addresses in these professing believers are tests of true saving faith. In other words, if these sins are the consistent pattern of a person’s life, then it’s not that they have left the faith, they were never in the faith. The consequences of someone failing to turn from sin when confronted is that they give evidence that they haven not been born again by the Holy Spirit because a person who is born again is a new creature in Christ, albeit not a perfect one (2 Corinthains 5:17). The consequences of continuing in known sin are most severe. Therefore, we must confront brothers and sisters who live contrary to the faith and we must examine our hearts to turn from sin.

The last thing we must consider is the goal in confronting sin. It is to make the grace of God known and experienced in a person’s life. Love and reconciliation are the goals of all confrontation of sin. It can never be about just being right, proving a point, pushing an agenda, or getting our way. Further, it MUST be absent of all hypocrisy. Paul wrote in Romans 12:9, “Let love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” In Galatians 6:1, after instructing believers to restore sinning brothers in gentleness, Paul writes, “considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” We cannot be duplicitous, doubleminded, or hypocritical in our confrontation of sin. It must always come from a place of love, gentleness, and humility in recognition of “but for the grace of God, go I.” Displaying the love needed in this confrontation of sin “shall hide a multitude of sin.” The same phrase is found in 1 Peter 4:8 which says, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” Love displayed in encouraging one another and building one another up to pursue Christ and holiness “covers a multitude of sins” because it points people to the One who alone can give forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. “Hide” is the idea from the OT of a sacrifice providing a covering for sin. If our goal is anything other than seeing someone experience the grace of God, then we should never engage in confronting them over sin. At that point, we are no longer a loving Christian, but a hypocritical Pharisee.

As we conclude our study of James, we are left with some very important questions as believers. Is my faith genuine? Do I truly represent Christ in this world? James, as much as any other book of Scripture, calls us to examine ourselves, not just our actions, but our hearts before God. Do I need to repent? Do I need true salvation? Is there someone I must go to and call to repentance? Is there someone I must be reconcile to? Are we merely “hearers of the Word” or are we “doers” (James 1:22)? However the Spirit of God has pressed His Word upon hearts, we must “Submit to God” (4:7) and “Humble” (4:10) ourselves before Him knowing that if we “Confess” our “faults one to another” (5:16) that “the Lord shall raise” us “up” (5:15).