Restoring a backslider, Part 2

James 5:19-20

A few years ago, my then 5-year-old daughter fell down the stairs at my In-laws and broke her arm. When she first fell I rushed to her and there was an obvious deformity on her left wrist. My father in-law and I (the girls were out shopping) took her to the ER where an X-ray was taken, and sure enough; she had a greenstick break on her wrist. The next step was to set the arm, which they did. Then to her delight, a hot pink cast was put around it.

This picture of setting a broken bone is the image we get in Gal. 6:1

(Gal 6:1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

That word ‘restore’ has the picture of taking something that is broken, and setting it right. This is the sister passage to James 5:19-20. When one of our family (fellow Christian) wanders off and away from the Lord, there is a responsibility for the church. Like Gal 6:1, James does not prescribe just sitting around and watching them go, but he prescribes action.

(James 5:19b-20) ...and one convert him; 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.

There’s more here than just a list of symptoms to watch for. James wants us not only to recognize backsliding, but to do something about it.

James wants us to go and convert them back. Now remember, the context is about Christians that wander from the truth. We usually reserve the word ‘convert’ for the lost, but here James is using it to bring back the Christian to where he was.

James specifically mentions where this sinner has gone to. He needs to be shown the error of his ways.

This is the wandering that has gone on. The lie about the wandering is that it may make someone happy, but it will never make someone content.

When this conversion takes place, two things happen.

First of all, he is saved from death.

This seems to be referring to the judgment of the Lord resulting in physical death.

Scripture is plain on the loving hand of God on us. Heb. 12:5-11

Paul makes in his writing makes it clear that some have received this judgment. (1Co 11:30) ...For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.(Sleep here is a euphemism for death)

See there seems to be a point when we through our stubbornness and pride refuse to bow ourselves to the Lord, eventually enough is enough. That’s when a loving God brings us home instead of having us tarnish both His name and ours on his earth any longer.

The second thing that happens is that our sins are covered. Now this isn’t like salvation, where the blood of Christ covers my sins, this is speaking of something different.

See, when we wander, we sin in so many ways.

These sins spread out like tentacles and affect our lives and others that are around us. This also includes the sins we were about to sin.

When a friend lovingly confronts us, and through God shows us the errors of our ways, we turn back and are kept from a whole life of sinning. This my friends, is a good thing.