Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the
truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know
that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul
from death and cover a multitude of sins.
For a Grand Finale, to the book of James, the Holy
Spirit, through James, provides a colossal warning and a powerful promise.
Notice, the “Brethren” are being addressed, and
among them are those who wander and those who turn.
Wanderers and turners.
Brethren... Fifteen
times we’ve read that familial word in this short letter. It’s like saying, “My
dear family.”
If anyone
among you... not anyone in the world, but anyone,
among you, our dear family, dear Church family.
If anyone among you wanders...
It’s important to understand the meaning of the words
the Holy Spirit used in the original text.
Wanders: Greek word: planaó: from
which we get our word planet, like a wandering planet. (Like some
of your minds might be doing right now, wandering, yawning, wondering, “why
do we need to talk about some other language?”
Why? Because you never want to planaó. You’ll
know why in a moment—if you don’t wander.
Jesus used it in Matthew 18:12-13 when talking about
the one sheep that had gone astray (planaó).
Hebrews 11:38 uses it speaking of our Faith heroes, “of
whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains,
in dens and caves of the earth.”
However, the Greek word planaó is normally, not
so harmless. It means to lead astray, to deceive, moral
deception, to cause to wander. It almost always suggests the sin of wandering.
Isaiah 53:6. All like sheep have gone
astray.
Anyone who denies The Truth in one area, is usually deceived in many.
Planaó was used by Jesus
of the hypocrites trying to trap Him. “You are mistaken, (planaó) not
knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29.
Jesus repeats
it multiple times when speaking of the end times. “Take heed that no one
deceives (planaó) you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the
Christ,’ and will deceive (planaó) many.... 24 For false christs
and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive,
if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:4-5.
We are living in days of deception (planaó).
You do not want to wander, unless
you want to swim in the lake of fire, forever:
Then the beast (antichrist)
was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence,
by which he deceived (planaó) those who received the mark of the beast
and those who worshiped his image. These two (antichrist and false prophet)
were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone....
20:10, the devil, who deceived (planaó) them, was cast into the lake
of fire... 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of
Life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 15.
Whoa!
Wandering (planaó)
is serious!
DO NOT WANDER!
Wandering
leads to the lake of fire!
If anyone among you wanders....
Do you see the gravity of these Words?
Wandering can happen to anyone. It can happen to anyone
among us, Church attending, Bible believing Christians, anyone
of us, Pastors, Teachers, Preachers, anyone of us can wander,
can be deceived and deceive; can go astray, and lead astray, and away... From
the Truth.
Dear family, if anyone among you wanders from
The Truth.
Definite article, the.
Not a truth, your truth, my
truth...
The One
and Only Truth.
If anyone among you wanders from
The Truth.
Wandering always leads away from The Truth.
Jesus is The Way, The Truth, The Life, no one
gets to heaven except through Him. John 14:6.
No one wanders into heaven.
What a sobering warning for the Church.
This is not talking to the world, because the world doesn’t
have The Truth, is not in The Truth, with
The Truth, so they can’t wander from The Truth.
God is
Love.
In Love
is Freedom.
So, the “Brethren” the Church, we the people of God have freedom
to leave His Presence, to wander (planaó) from His Truth... to the world.
1
Corinthians 10:12
Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Anyone of us can
willingly wander, be deceived, go astray.
Jesus said if we abide
(dwell, remain, stay, live) in His Word, we shall know
the Truth and the Truth shall make us free.
John 8:31-32.
Truth and Freedom
go hand in hand.
Brethren,
if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and
someone turns him back...
Notice: If anyone wanders and someone
turns him... Anyone and someone are the exact same word in the
original text. Greek: tis.
Therefore: anyone can wander... and anyone can be used by God to turn them around.
No one is too big to fall or too small to help someone
rise.
You
can be a soul winner and a disciple maker.
That is my prayer for you, every single day.
1
Corinthians 1:26-29
For you
see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God
has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are
mighty; 28 and the base things of the world
and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not,
to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no
flesh should glory in His presence.
Okay, let's look again at the last verse in our text in James:
James 5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner
from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover
a multitude of sins.
So, the “anyone” who wanders from the Truth in
verse 19, is called “a sinner” in verse 20. A sinner in error,
with a soul headed toward death carrying a multitude
of sins.
Notice it says, “save a soul from death”
not “save a body from death.”
This is talking about soul saving Salvation from hell.
Notice the wanderer's spiral downward and the turner's
trajectory upward.
The wanderer, wanders from the truth, devolves into a
sinner, in error, headed to hell covered in sin. You do NOT want to wander. It’s
a lava slide into the lake of fire.
The turner, turns, reverts, converts, the sinner,
saving a soul, covering a multitude of sins.
Remember, “anyone” referred to the wanderer, and
“someone” referred to the turner, but in the original text it is the
exact same word.
So, choose you this day, which will you be?
Turner?
Or wanderer?
My prayer, and God’s will, is that you will choose to
be:
A SOUL WINNER AND A DISCIPLE MAKER.
‘As I
live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn
from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 33:11.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, oh how we need You. Our hearts
are prone to wander. Please hold us and help us to stay the course and abide in
Your Truth, with every breath. Thank You for teaching us to turn sinners to You.
So that of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.
We look forward to seeing You soon. When
we do, we pray You will find us faithful, busy, about Your business, being soul
winners and disciple makers.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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5:19-20
This was feed for you to read. Now it’s
Seed for you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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