SERMON: “Ministry of Reconciliation” (James 5:19–20)
“Ministry
of Reconciliation” (James 5:19–20)
Series: “James: True Faith Works” #26 Text: James 5:19–20
By: Shaun Marksbury Date:
May
25, 2025
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion:
PM Service
I.
Introduction
If there is a topic that causes people to leave churches,
it’s the issue of church purity. It’s
odd that it evokes such a reaction, but anytime a pastor teaches on church
membership or church discipline, people complain and leave. Some seem to take the issue personally, as
though they are the target of some, unexpected blitzkrieg from the pulpit.
This may be due to a simple misunderstanding. Sometimes, it may be that people have
convinced themselves that the eleventh commandment for churches is, “Thou shalt
be nice,” and they view any confrontation as an act of utter meanness. However, the difficult truth is that many are
offended because their consciences are bothered — they feel the sting of
conviction and don’t like it. They want
a place of affirmation, not confrontation.
Thus, they leave.
However, if they would stay for a while longer, there’s a
part of the message that they may hear.
The purpose of purity and discipline isn’t uncaring, stringent
religiosity (God forbid!!). Rather, the
goal is reconciliation and restoration.
The goal is seeing the grace of God applied in the lives of sinners, and
those turned from the error of their ways coming to know the love of a God who
saves.
That’s the other side of the coin that some people
miss. They are quick to confront and
slow to show grace. Indeed, some people
react poorly to the concept of church discipline because it was practiced
poorly. Those who would use it must see
it as a ministry rather than a club — a chance for reconciliation.
This is, of course, a sobering topic, and it comes from a
sober letter. James has addressed
practical holiness, spiritual maturity, and the challenges of living as
believers in a fallen world. He has
confronted us with the need to stand firm in trials, to serve with compassion, to
speak with care, to submit with contrition, and to share with concern. Now, in James 5:19–20, he leaves us with a
charge that encapsulates the heart of Christian community.
God has called each of us to a ministry of reconciliation,
as we see in the last two verses of this letter. We’ll note two truths about this church
ministry. First, professed Christians do
wander from the truth (v. 19). Second, professed
Christians should turn sinners back to the truth (v. 20). Let’s consider the first point.
II.
First, Professed Christians Do Wander from the
Truth (v. 19)
My brethren, if
any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
In any congregation, there are believers and unbelievers who
are professed believers. This was no
less true in James’s day. Some who were
associated with the church might wander away from the truth in times of
persecution and trial. That is, in part,
what James addresses here.
Yet, he begins with a tender address, “My brethren.” He again signals his pastoral heart and the
love he has for his readers, also exemplifying the fellowship and brotherhood
that should be present in any church. This
is not a cold, detached command, but a loving exhortation to those he considers
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Again, this is vital for setting the tone. There may be some who stray or wander from
the truth. The term here means “to
wander,” “to be deceived,” or “to go astray.” It’s a term used in both the Old and New
Testaments to describe physical and spiritual wandering.[1] For example, in Matthew 18:12–13, Jesus uses
this word to describe a sheep that strays from the flock, emphasizing the need
to seek and restore it.
In the spiritual sense, it often refers to those who depart
from God’s truth. For instance, a person
may stray into doctrinal error or into sinful patterns. There are those like Demas who fall in love
with the world (2 Tim. 4:10), and James warns of the adulterous friendship with
the world that believers sought (4:4). They
may be swayed by “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (James 3:14), leading
them to “lie against the truth.”
Whatever the case, a person begins to wander away from the truth.
Understand that this wandering is not merely stumbling and
becoming repentant again. James is
describing a serious deviation, like a planet wandering off its orbit. This sometimes happens to professed
Christians when they gain platforms and they begin experiencing new temptations
which overcome them. I was just reading
about someone with a theology podcast — it’s not important to repeat his name —
who abandoned his wife, family, and church for a woman he met on a Discord
server. He knows he is in error, but he
is wandering from the truth nonetheless.
It can happen to anyone who does not watch his life and doctrine
carefully.
There are others who wander doctrinally. There are believers who trade in the clear
teaching of Scripture for something more acceptable to the world. Sometimes it’s because of personal lust, and
sometimes, it’s because of the fear of man.
There’s a famous seminary that just finished a multi-year debate on
whether it should maintain a traditional view of marriage and sexuality; it finally
concluded that, while it would, it would also accept other viewpoints. Christians can wander from the truth in a
more literal sense, embracing doctrinal error.
James has already described believers as those “brought
forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). The truth is the foundation of our faith. It includes the gospel of Jesus Christ, the whole
of the teaching of Scripture, and the principles of godly living.
Yet, some within the church can stray from this truth. As one scholar explains, “These who have lost
their way are the ‘sick ones’ of the church family. They have wandered away.”[2] This could manifest as apostasy, a rejection
of God’s will, or a lifestyle that denies the faith they once professed (cf.
Heb. 5:12–6:9; 1 John 2:19). This
seemingly final rejection of the truth can mean the worst possible outcome for
the person.
If you have never encountered the wandering of a fellow
believer, this reality challenges your assumptions about church life. We often want to believe that everyone in our
pews is secure in their faith, but James reminds us that wandering is a real
possibility. It’s not a matter of if but
when someone among us strays. This is
why the ministry of reconciliation is so vital.
That is why this verse concludes with a word about someone turning
the wanderer back to the truth. The term
“turns” describes repentance or restoration (e.g., Luke 1:16; Acts 9:35). Here, it refers to the act of bringing a
wandering soul back to the truth. Perhaps
the wanderer never had salvation, but is now turning back to the truth in a
regenerated sense, repenting and believing.
Yet, this is not primarily about evangelism (something that typically
takes place outside the church); it’s about restoration within the
church.[3]
This sets the stage for the second verse, where James
elaborates on the significance of this ministry. But before we move on, let’s pause to reflect:
Do we recognize the reality of wandering in our own church? Are we attentive to those who may be drifting —
whether through neglect, sin, or doctrinal confusion? And, are we aware of the fact that we can also
drift? James calls us to live in
fellowship with one another, being accountable and seeing the wayward with the
aim of restoration, bringing us to the next point.
III.
Second, Professed Christians Should Turn Sinners
Back to the Truth (v. 20)
let him know that
he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.
We didn’t really talk about the conditional in the previous
verse, the “if/then” statement. The
result or consequence of the conditional is really in this verse. This is a command to let erring party know
what he needs to know. We could phrase
the statement more simply in this way: “If someone wanders from the truth, let
him know the truth about the need for restoration.” Let’s consider that need in this verse.
With that, we already see that there is a call to the
members of the church to confront the individual. This begins with private confrontation, as
Jesus outlined in Matthew 18. If the
goal is reconciliation, and the sin is private, then it is not right that
someone stand up in the middle of service to accuse another. Nor is it right to engage in a gossipy
quilting circle, and no Christian should use the prayer time as an excuse to
talk about others. Man up and talk to
the offender if you believe it’s an important issue, or overlook it entirely;
don’t stir strife.
Yet, that doesn’t mean that the wandering individual is
going to be amenable to confrontation.
That’s why it’s so important to prayerfully consider the reasons of
confrontation ahead of time — you must let the person know that this moment of
discomfort is one of care. This is a
call for the whole church, as this is a divine work with eternal consequences.
Consider that James uses the term “sinner” here, but in the
context of the church. If this is referring to a Christian, this would
be one of the only instances where the term “sinner” applies to a believer, and
believers can wander into serious error.
Yet, it’s more possible that this is referring to an unbeliever, given
the language of salvation in this verse.
Throughout the New Testament, “sinner” typically refers to those outside
the kingdom of God (e.g., Matt. 9:13; Luke 15:7; Rom. 5:8).
Thus, this is likely an unbeliever who falsely professed
faith. There are people who join the
church who think they are Christians and seem to be to others, but they do not
truly know the Lord. Sometimes, the Lord
uses wandering from the truth to providentially reveal such false
conversions. In the case of full Matthew
18 church discipline, where someone is treated like a Gentile and
tax-collector, the wanderer is considered an unbeliever.
Yet, the goal is restoration, not rejection. As James says here, we should seek to turn him
“from the error of his way.” This might
make us consider James’s previous reference to Elijah, who spoke so
prophetically to the errors of his day.
As one commentary notes, “Elijah
is an exemplar of faith (vv. 17–18) not only because of the God-given
effectiveness of his prayer on the physical environment but also, and much
more, because he was an instrument of repentance. However dramatic the effectiveness of prayer,
the divine intent is that sinners should be converted to God.”[4] We are seeking to reconcile the lost to the
Lord.
This reconciliation
will have specific outcomes. James
highlights two of them here: saving a soul from death and covering a multitude
of sins. Let’s look at the first:
First, Saving a Soul from Death
This phrase is rich with meaning. The word for “soul” can refer to the whole
person (body and spirit), and “death” could mean physical death or spiritual
death — eternal separation from God. We
see this interplay in 1:15, where James says, “When lust has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” Sin, left unchecked, leads to destruction — whether
physical, as in the case of believers disciplined by God (e.g., 1 Cor. 11:30),
or eternal, for those who reject Christ’s salvation (Rev. 20:11–15). Thus, this phrase can apply either to a
believer who turns or to an unbeliever.
If the “sinner” is an unbeliever who falsely professed
faith, this restoration speaks of true conversion. The wanderer will be turned from eternal
death away from God in hell. Considering
the fact that we don’t know if a person is a believer in error or a false
convert, it is vital to engage with the ministry of reconciliation when
wandering occurs: eternities can depend upon our intervention!
With this intervention, a second and related outcome arises:
Second, Covering a Multitude of Sins
The LSB correctly
notes this is an Old Testament quote. It
draws from Proverbs 10:12, which says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love
covers all transgressions.” This is
echoed later in 1 Peter 4:8, which similarly says, “Above all, keep fervent in
your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (NASB). What does this mean?
The word “cover” is an Old Testament image for forgiveness,
as seen in Psalm 32:1: “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!” This covering
does not mean ignoring or hiding sin but rather confessing and receiving forgiveness
through God’s grace. When a sinner
repents, their sins are covered — not by human effort but by God’s mercy, which
triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Of course, there is a secondary application of this in light
of reconciliation. When true confession
and forgiveness takes place, the one turning the sinner seeks to restore the
individual to the fellowship. Depending
the severity of the sin and the length of impenitence, this may take a
while. However, because of Christian
love, we should seek to cover the confessed and forgiven sins against one
another in the fellowship, meaning we don’t continue to hold them against one
another. This is when our love reflects
the gospel love of God, who casts our sins into the sea of forgetfulness.
Believers,
therefore, should not be itching for an opportunity to confront others, though
we must sometimes (especially in cases of serious disqualification). Rather, we should be seeking opportunity to
cover the sins of others by avoiding gossip, slander, etc. This is the case with someone who has truly
turned from the error of his ways; no one should continue talking about the
errors of the past.
IV.
Conclusion
As we close, let’s remember that the ministry of
reconciliation is not optional — it’s a calling for every believer. James 5:19–20 reminds us that wandering is a
reality, but restoration is our responsibility. We are to be a community marked by love,
humility, and a relentless commitment to seeing souls reconciled to God.
If you are one who has wandered, I hope you hear that there
is still gospel hope for you. Maybe
you’ve drifted into patterns of sin or doubt, and you feel far from God. Yet, God’s grace is greater than your sin.
Return to Him, and you will find mercy.
For the rest of us, let’s commit to being instruments of
God’s grace, seeking out the wandering, praying for them, and lovingly calling
them back to the truth.
[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press,
1998), 285–286.
[2] J. Ronald Blue, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 835.
[3] “Wandering ones need to be brought back to the
fold. James referred here not to
evangelism but to restoration. Revival,
not redemption, is in view.” Ibid.
[4] Kurt A. Richardson, James, The New American Commentary, (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1997), 36:244.
