Study Bible
James
Chapter 5

Concluding Exhortation.

James 5:19-20

Concluding Exhortation.

The phrase, "if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back," means to stray into sinful patterns or to give evidence of the absence of a saving faith. Kistemaker says, "They not only should confess their sins and pray together; they also should exercise spiritual care that is mutual and beneficial. This care should be administered to the individual believer through private counseling and to the church through the preaching of the Word." See "Prayer: Why Should We Pray?" and "Church Discipline and Excommunication: Who Should Be Disciplined?" below.

In these final verses, James urges his readers to care for each other, safeguarding and redirecting wayward members away from foolish practices that undermine their character and community back to the way of wisdom.

Wander from the truth

To wander from the truth refers back to the beginning of the letter and the word of truth in 1:18. Throughout his letter, James has addressed the whole community correcting specific ways in which they either have or are able to wander from the ways of wisdom into sinful, destructive practices. See WCF 17;WLC 79; CD 5.1-5.

The church as a means of shaping righteous character

One of the greatest responsibilities of the flock of God is to care for one another's souls. This obligation is for the entire community - pulpit and pew alike. Mutual help and encouragement are required.

"It will save from death." This may refer either to spiritual or to physical death. If spiritual death is in view, this verse pertains to the one who has wandered from true faith. If physical death is in mind, it may also apply to believers who have fallen into significant sin. James may have intended this ambiguity so that his words would be applied to both situations. It should be noted that God uses secondary causes (WCF 5) in his work of perseverance. See "Prayer: Why Should We Pray?," "Does God Change His Mind?," "Church Discipline and Excommunication: Who Should Be Disciplined?," and "The Perseverance and Preservation of Believers: Can I Lose My Salvation?" below. See Psalm 32:1; 85:2.

Once again, in this book we have seen magnificent scriptural truths that are consistent with the great cry of the Reformation:

Sola Fide (by faith alone)
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone)
Solus Christus (through Christ alone)
Sola Gratia (by grace alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone)

Death refers to spiritual death or judgment, which is also manifested in physical death (see 1 John 5:16-17; Rev 20:6, 12-15). God has ordained the church as a means of shaping righteous character, keeping Christians in the way of wisdom. Love of God and neighbor covers a multitude of sins (cf. Rom 11:14; 1 Pet 4:8). Of course, Jesus’ death and resurrection are the most mature manifestation of that love, a love that Christians manifest when they lay down their agendas of self-ambition to serve each other and their neighbors.

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