Articles
“God's Agents of Forgiveness”
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)
James ends his letter in a unique but fitting way. Instead of the traditional greetings and benedictions we would expect, he calls his readers to action. Particularly, he calls us to bring our wandering brothers and sisters back into the fold of safety.
James uses the phrase “the truth” here, as he does previously in the letter, to refer to the revealed gospel of Jesus through which we were born again (1:18). Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6); therefore, the truth is not only something to be believed but something to be “obeyed” (Gal. 5:7) and “practiced” (1 Jn. 1:6). This is what James has been arguing throughout the letter. Right doctrine cannot be separated from right behavior (1:19-27). What the mind thinks, the mouth confesses and the body will do. Anything less than this is worldly, sinful and “double-minded” (1:7).
To “wander from the truth,” then, is not some inadvertent, accidental or unconscious departure from the Christian life. It is a failure of the sheep to follow the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls (1 Pet. 2:25). This straying is a “forsaking” of “the right way” (2 Pet. 2:15). However, when we see our brother or sister wandering from the truth, we should seek to do all within our power to “bring him back” into the fold of safety. This requires compassion on our part, knowing that we too often stray from the Lord, and humility on theirs, a willingness to admit wrong and repent.
James makes an astounding remark at this point. He says that the Christian who succeeds in rescuing “a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” But whose soul has been saved and whose sin has been covered?
The Greek is ambiguous and allows either phrase to be applied to both the sinner and the rescuer. But the context suggests that the one who was wandering in the first place was in danger of “death” (spiritual death, separation from God [1:21; 1 Jn. 5:16-17]), the final destination of those who walk the path of the wicked. But when they turn back, they are saved from “death” (Rom. 6:23).
It is more difficult to determine whose sins are covered by this rescue operation. Is it one, the other or both? In 1 Peter 4:8, which is itself a quote of Psalm 32:1, Peter says something similar: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Here, the covered sins are forgiven sins, not overlooking the faults of others as in Proverbs 10:12. Rescuing a sinner from his error will certainly result in his sins being forgiven by God but it also covers one’s own sins. Consider Ezekiel 3:21, where the prophet is held responsible for warning straying Israel. God says, “if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.” This is similar to what Paul told Timothy: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim. 4:16)
The point is this: those who receive mercy should be merciful (Jas. 2:12-13; Mt. 5:7). This act of compassion blesses everyone involved. Timely intervention (Gal. 6:1; Heb. 3:13) will “save his soul” and bring forgiveness from God. The person who “saves” the sinner in this case is the person who restores the one who has fallen. Ultimately, only the Lord saves, but he who restores another will cover the many sins of him who strayed, for when he returns from his error he receives forgiveness. Only God can cover sin, but Christians can be agents of God’s forgiveness.
