“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]
THE IDEA OF TURNING SINNERS from the error of their ways is largely foreign in our day. The hue and cry of our postmodern culture is tolerance, which means, “You can live however you want to live, but don’t try to tell me what’s right for me.” As deception has inundated our culture, many believers have become hesitant to stand for the truth for fear of being labeled intolerant or narrow-minded.
Many Christians not only manifest this “live and let live” attitude toward the world but also in relation to other believers who are not walking in the truth. They don’t want to rock the boat or be considered judgmental. It seems easier just to let things go.
But we must remember that in Christ and His Word, we have the truth that sets people free—not because we’re so smart but because God’s ways are eternal and life-giving. It’s essential that we understand this. The truth of God’s Word is the only way for those we know and love to be delivered from darkness, deception, and death. If we truly care about them, we will prayerfully and actively seek to restore them to God’s way of thinking. This is part of our gospel mandate as followers of Christ.
So let’s learn the truth, believe it, live it out, and proclaim it—even when it flies in the face of our hyper-tolerant culture. And when you see someone you care about “wandering” in deception, ask God if He wants to use you—perhaps along with others in the body—to help bring that person back to the truth. As you seek to restore him or her, be sure to do so “in a spirit of gentleness, [keeping] watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).
Is there someone you need to confront with the wisdom of Scripture? Pray that God will grant entrance into their heart and turn them back to the way of truth. [The Quiet Place]
