James 5:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

NIV: My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,

NASB: My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back,

CSB: My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back,

NLT: My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,

KJV: Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

NKJV: Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

James comes to the conclusion of his letter with a challenge to his readers: make an attempt to bring back those among you who have wandered from the truth. He refers to men and women who were once part of the Christian community who have lost their way. Perhaps he has in mind believers who became spiritually weak. Perhaps these were never true believers in Christ, at all, but merely part of the community. In either case, they've wandered away after false ideas.

James doesn't address how the faithful ones might accomplish this rescue, only that they should try. Even reaching out to someone who has wandered from God's truth, with grace and compassion, is sometimes enough to bring them back into the community. Certainly, James has encouraged prayer for each other, as well as a focus on meeting each other's practical needs for food and clothing.

In any case, the attempt to reach and restore these sinful wanderers should be made with great love and concern for their souls. James is not speaking of condemnation, judgment, or arrogance. He's speaking of a sincere interest—a loving effort—to help someone else.

James 5:13–20 closes out the letter by encouraging those who believe in God to show it. This is most readily shown by praying in response to every circumstance. We should pray for ourselves, praise God, and invite the spiritual leaders of our churches to pray for us when we are sick, or spiritually weak. Healing will follow; sins will be forgiven. We should confess sins to each other so we can pray for strength for each other to overcome sin. Prayer works; God hears and responds. If we really believe this is true, our behavior will reflect it.

What was causing fights and quarrels among the Christians to whom James was writing? They were living by the world's wisdom. This false perspective says human beings should do whatever it takes to get what they want in this life, even if it hurts other people. James says that to live that way is adultery, but God gives grace. Christians should repent and move close to God again. We should trust Him to provide, to be the Judge, and to lift us up in His time. In humility, we must acknowledge that all of our plans are dependent on Him, and He can change them at any moment.

Prior chapters in this letter focused on the relationship between beliefs and actions, and how to practically apply the concepts of Christianity. In chapter 4, James called his Christian readers to repent of their worldliness and turn back to closeness with God. Now in the last chapter of his letter, James addresses three things: He pronounces to the rich oppressors of the Christians that their judgment is coming on the day of the Lord. He urges those suffering under that oppression to remain patient, strong in their faith, as they wait for the day of the Lord. And he encourages all Christians to show their faith in God by praying in response to every circumstance.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.