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Since we are winding down our “FaithWorks” sermon series on the book of James, today will be the last day of our daily devotions for a while. As we evaluate this tool, please leave a comment below with your name so that we can discern who has been reading the blog postings and plan for the future. Thanks again for reading!
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” –James 5:19-20
Often when I’m talking to old friends, a name will come up that I haven’t heard in a while. In the midst of the conversation I will discover that the person is no longer following Christ. Sometimes it is a blatant rejection. Other times it was a gradual slip. However it happens, I can never get used to it. What is worse, often times I will wind up running across that friend either in person or online somewhere. There’s always this very awkward feeling that is tough to get over. But rarely do I know what to say.
James closes this book with a note of encouragement towards us who are striving to restore someone. He in essence tells us that our work with people who have fallen away may ultimately have eternal consequences. We can make a huge difference in their lives by bringing them back to God.
One thing is for sure: it is rarely easy to bring people back to God. Often times there are hard feelings, hardened hearts, and sometimes hard liquor that have to be overcome. There’s no guarantee that anything we do will work. But we are called to persevere and to continue to love no matter what happens.
It is fitting that this passage comes right after a section that focuses on prayer and healing. While most people who have fallen away are not yet ready to have us pray for their restoration while they are around, I think the principle is certainly there that we must pray without ceasing for them. We should pray that God would work in their lives in order to open their hearts back towards him in any way that he can. He will be faithful to work. Whether they are faithful to respond or not is totally up to them.
Have you noticed that someone has slipped away lately? Is there someone who has been on your heart that needs restored? If so, pray. Pray for opportunities to share with them. Pray for the courage to share. Pray that God would be working in every area of their life to bring them back.
May you experience the joy of seeing a dear friend come back to Christ when you are faithful to seek them out and to pray.
About Me
- Dustin Fulton
- Dustin has served as the Preaching Minister here at Jeff Street since 2006. Prior to JSCC, he served ministries in Mason City, IL and Hannibal, MO. He is a graduate of both Hannibal-LaGrange College and Lincoln Christian Seminary. Dustin’s office is currently a shrine to the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. Fellow Cubs fans are welcome to come and mourn the 100 years of suffering with him. He has been married to his wife, Kristen, since 2005. She faithfully spends her summer vacations following Dustin in his quest to watch a game at every MLB stadium (17 down, 13 to go!).
5 comments:
Thanks for your time with Inside Out Devotions Dustin! I appreciate it very much.
Dustin i loved every single sermon that i was able to attend during the bood of James! You are really good at bringing the word out and making someone feel it! Thank you and jeffstreet for all that you have done for me and my family!
God bless you one and all!!!
Dustin, do you believe this passage means a person can lose their salvation?
Anonymous,
I try to be careful about how I word this subject, because 'losing your salvation' almost sounds like a person accidentally misplaced something and can't find it now. However, our church does believe that a person can fall away. While it is not our job to judge whether or not a person has 'lost' their salvation, the Bible teaches about falling away from the faith and that when a person chooses to stop believing (or stop following Jesus with their lives, etc) then they will also not receive the benefits of faith.
It should be noted that this is different from the two extremes. The Baptist extreme is generally called 'once saved always saved.' While I respect a lot of people who hold to this doctrine, it really puts too much emphasis on a 'moment of decision' rather than a life lived in Christ. Again, we are not earning our salvation, but it is our new life that bears witness to the truth that we are saved. While our doctrine would differ slightly from Baptist doctrine, I think for the most part we would have the same approach towards restoring a person who falls away from the faith--attempting to restore them. The Baptists would simply say the person was never saved in the first place. We would say that they have (hopefully) temporarily fallen away, and they need to be restored.
There is a second extreme that is very troubling to me though. Some extreme charismatic sects (emphasis on the extreme) teach that whenever a person sins, they fall away from God and thus lose their salvation. So, every time they sin, they have to ask for forgiveness immediately, otherwise they are in the danger of hell. This simply is not biblical, and really borders on extremism that is designed to scare people. It is not healthy.
So, can a person 'lose their salvation?' Well, they can wander from their faith and deny Christ, and by doing so, lose their rights through Christ to eternal life. Can we discern if or when a person loses their salvation? No. We should simply go about the work of lovingly restoring people who have fallen away from the faith.
Thank you, Dustin, for your thorough answer to my question. Blessings to you.
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