Rescue the Perishing

“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)

Many of you have probably known someone who has wandered from the truth. Despite the fact he’d once confessed faith in Christ, and despite the fact that the fruit of his faith was clearly seen, things are now different. He’s turned from the faith to which he once clung.

Perhaps he’s strayed from correct doctrine. Even if he continues to profess faith in Christ, his faith is very different than it once was. He’s turned from the essential tenets of the Christian faith to a false gospel.

Or, perhaps, he’s fallen into unrepentant sin. Not only did he make a mistake. Not only did he violate God’s commands. He now lives in this sin. It controls his life, and he’s unwilling to acknowledge it as sin or to turn from it.

This person is now in a precarious position. By turning from a saving faith in Jesus, or by his fall into unrepentant sin, his salvation is in jeopardy. Perhaps things have gone so far as to separate him from the grace of God.

Too often, when this happens, our response is to remove him from our life. Our relationship with him is completely severed. Due to the change in his life, we no longer pursue friendship as we once did. Due to the change in his life, we no longer concern ourselves with his spiritual state.

However, according to James, we’re to respond very differently to a case like this. If someone brings back a sinner from his wandering, he tells us, they will have saved his soul from death and covered over a multitude of sins. In other words, they will have rescued him from the judgment of God and brought him to a place of mercy.

Although we don’t like to involve ourselves in the lives of others, this, you see, is a matter of life and death. It’s a matter of salvation or damnation. It’s not simply a minor issue that we can brush off.

When someone wanders from the truth, we are to be concerned with his eternal welfare. It should concern us that someone, who was once a brother or sister in the faith, is outside of the grace of God. It should concern us that they might miss out on the blessings of God that are received by faith.

And, out of this concern, we should reach out to him. We should seek his salvation. We must lovingly call him from false doctrine, we must lovingly call him from sin, to the truth and comfort of the gospel.

This reflects the heart of God, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. It reflects the heart of God, who wants no one to perish. It reflects the heart of God, who has called us to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation, and to make disciples of all nations.