We'll read this morning from James 5, verses 19 and 20. James 5, 19 and 20, hear the word of the Lord. Brethren, if anyone among you wonders from the truth and someone turns him back, 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. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. You may be seated. Can you believe that we are at the end of the book of James? This is the 23rd sermon in our series on this letter from James, and that does include two excursions that we took to other texts as we followed a train of thought from James to its natural conclusion, but we have come to the end of the letter. And as we get to the end and read these last two verses, it may seem that James ends rather abruptly compared to most of Paul's letters, say, in the New Testament. There's no closing salutation, no benediction, no amen at the end. In one sense, these two verses are connected to the immediate context, and we can see that connection in the language that is used. In verse 13, is anyone among you suffering? And then in verse 19, brethren, if anyone among you wonders from the truth. And of course, we've noted James' use of this formula earlier in the letter as well, anyone among you. But the previous paragraph, which we looked at two weeks ago, contains instructions for praying for one another, and now we have instructions for admonishing one another. The previous paragraph included a prayer that would save the sick, as well as confession of sins and the forgiveness of sins. And now we have admonishment that saves the wandering sinner and includes repentance and the forgiveness of sins. So we can and we should read these two verses in connection with the preceding context. At the same time, I think that James actually is ending his letter with these two verses as a sort of summary or conclusion of the letter as a whole. James' concern throughout the letter has been our use of words. and are being doers of the Word and not hearers only. And here in these final two verses, we find a summary that shows us the proper use of our words towards one another and an admonishment to be doers of the Word and not to wonder from the truth. So though it is somewhat abrupt at first reading, I think it does serve as a summary and conclusion of the letter. But I want to approach these two verses in two ways. First, I want to consider them in their immediate context, and then consider them as a conclusion to the letter. Taken in context, we have here an instruction to admonish one another, to correct one another. The previous paragraph spoke of those who were sick, and perhaps sin was the cause of the sickness. But apart from that even, we were told to confess to one another our trespasses or our offenses against each other, and then to pray for each other. And now James begins once again, and we've seen this multiple times in his letter, by specifying who he is speaking to. Who are these words for? They are directed to brethren, if anyone among you. These instructions are given to believers, to the church, to the brethren, and this is important as we consider the instructions that are being given. The concern is for anyone among you that is one of the members of the congregation, a professing believer. And we've seen that James very judiciously uses his language. He said in chapter one, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Not if, but when. But here he says, if. not when, and this indicates that it won't always happen. It wasn't necessarily happening at the time James wrote this letter, but it is always a possibility that one among us might wonder from the truth. The same was true in the previous paragraph of the person who was sick. If they had sinned, their sin would be forgiven. So this is a potential situation that James is addressing. But it's interesting that his instructions are not to the one who wonders, but to the rest of the congregation. His instructions are to the ones who did not wonder from the truth. This is what we are to do as a church should one of our own wonder from the truth. Craig Blomberg writes that helping bring back wayward Christians securely into the fold may constitute one of the most neglected responsibilities of the church today. I think that he's right. This is a very important aspect of the life of the church and one that we would do well to pay attention to. if anyone among you wonders from the truth. So what does it mean to wonder from the truth? Well, one interesting way to understand this is to consider the Greek word that's translated wonder in this verse and what that word has become in English. The Greek word here is plenao. This is where we get our English word planet. Now that seems slightly odd, doesn't it? If anyone should plonao from the truth, should wonder from the truth, why would that word become planet in English? Well, the word began to be used in reference to planets that were visible in the night sky because unlike stars, which appear to be fixed in position, the planets seemingly wander around the night sky. They stray and move around. They're not fixed in their location. And in some older literature, you will even find references to someone who is steady and dependable saying that they are as sure as the North Star or something to that effect. And if someone is undependable, they can't make up their mind, they might be referred to as a wandering planet. So that's the picture that we have here, is someone that is wandering aimlessly. There is a way of truth, a path of life in which Christians are to walk. directed by the Word of God. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life." Matthew 7, 14. And as a member of the congregation begins to go astray, they wander from that path of life. Now this is not a hard turning like in an apostasy, a rejection of the truth, but it's a going astray, it's a stepping out of the path and wandering aimlessly away from it. This might be the bypass of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. It might be small compromises by those who fear persecution or trials as surely some of James's Initial readers obviously did. And when one wonders, what have they wandered away from? From the truth. Now, there are two aspects of this in which one might wonder from the truth. First, there is a wondering from the truth of sound doctrine. This is to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, as it says in Ephesians 4.14. It's to believe whatever new teaching happens to be popular at the time. It's to have a system of religion and doctrine built on fads. rather than on the unchanging Word of God. And so to wander from the truth means to depart by degrees, right? To go astray slowly, either by lack of careful attention to your footsteps or by the misleading of another. And so Jesus himself warns us in Luke 21 8, take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in my name saying, I am he, and the time is drawn near. Therefore do not go after them. This is the same word that's translated wonders in our text is translated deceived here. Do not be deceived. To be led astray by false prophets, led out of the way of truth. Similarly, the Apostle Paul warns Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, 13 and 14, evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of. Again, it's the same Greek word translated deceiving and being deceived. The false teachers have deceived themselves. They've wandered from the truth and they are leading others after them. And so James warns us that at times a member of the church may wander from sound doctrine and follow after false teaching. Such was the case when Paul wrote 2 Timothy. The two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus, had wondered from the truth. Paul wrote a few verses earlier saying that they had strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past and they overthrow the faith of some. So these two men had strayed, they had wondered from the truth of the resurrection. Their doctrine was wrong and they were teaching false things and upsetting the faith of people in the church. So there's an error in doctrine, a straying or wandering from the truth, or from what we might call orthodoxy. On the other hand, there is a wandering from the truth of sound living, from orthopraxy. In such cases, a person may continue to espouse belief in right doctrine, but they become a hypocrite by not living what they profess. This happens to all of us at some point. It happened to the apostle Peter at Antioch. He came and he ate with the Gentile believers until some Jewish Christians arrived, sent by James, by the way. James didn't send them to disrupt the fellowship there, but they came and they were Jewish Christians, and so Peter withdrew himself from the Gentile brothers. He refused to eat with them any longer, fearing what these Jewish Christians might think. And Paul says in Galatians 2, then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone." And then Paul goes on to call out Peter for his hypocrisy and admonishes him to live what he believes. He's proclaiming the gospel, but he's not living according to it. He is deviated from the truth of the gospel, not in word, but in action. Peter's behavior was wandering from the truth of the gospel. The ESV translates that verse there in Galatians 2.14 and says their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. They had not kept careful watch on their actions, on their feet, and they had strayed out of the path of life. Now the two, wandering from the truth of orthodoxy and wandering from the truth of orthopraxy, from obedient living, often go hand in hand, but they don't always. And given James' concern throughout his letter for our being doers of the word and not hearers only, his larger concern is likely this sort of hypocrisy, which if not curtailed, can lead to outright apostasy. So this is what James is saying. If someone among you wanders from the truth, they drift away from living the way I have taught you to live in this letter, and someone turns him back. Now notice the and. This is not the then to the earlier if statement. If someone wanders from the truth, then some, no, it's not then someone turns him back, it's and someone turns him back. The then will come in a moment. I find that very interesting. James assumes that he doesn't need to instruct us to turn back a wandering brother. He assumes that if we heed the instructions he has given us in his letter, then we will turn back one who wanders. If someone turns aside from living the way of truth that I have instructed you in this letter, and someone turns him back, then Let him know. The members of the congregation taking action to turn back one who wanders is assumed by James. The then statement is simply encouragement and motivation for doing so. Then let him know. Let the one who turned back his brother 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. Now we see here that the wandering from the truth was sinful. It involved sins according to James, which supports my theory that James' primary concern is with our actions, not with our doctrine here. What's interesting to note is that the word error is a variation of the same Greek word plenao. This is plenae, but it's the same word just with a different declension on it. in verse 19 and 20. So we might actually be could translate verse 20 to read, But it's translated error in order to make it clear that this path that the wanderer is going down is wrong, it's sinful, it's in error. And notice that it is the error of his way. Instead of following the way of Christ, The wanderer is following his own way. He's doing what James has warned us against throughout the letter, particularly in chapter three, where he warned us against self-seeking. So what does it mean, then, to turn back one who has wandered from the truth? Well, during the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15, The discussion was concerning Gentile believers and the ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant. And James, the author of this letter, was a part of that council. And this is what James said in that council meeting. He said, known to God from eternity are all his works. Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those among the Gentiles who are turning to God. This is the same word that he uses here at the end of his letter. This is the language of repentance, The Gentiles were turning to God. They were repenting of their paganism and turning to Christ. And here we have someone who is a professed believer who has wondered from the truth. And if we turn them back, we've brought them to repentance. This is what James is commending here at the end of his letter. If one among us begins to stray from the way of truth that James has described for us in this letter as godly living, if someone begins to wander and to stray, someone else in the congregation brings them to repentance. They convince them to repent, to turn again to Christ. Now, I think we can surmise a couple of things from this. First, we can surmise that this person truly does repent in this hypothetical situation because James goes on to speak of his soul being saved from death and his sins being covered. So this person has not been turned to a course of behavior dictated by the one presuming to be a judge. over his brother and over the law. James warned us against that in chapter three. Rather, this person is turned back to the pure and perfect law of God, the perfect law of liberty, as James called it in chapters one and two. The standard that we turn someone to is not a standard of our own making, but the standard of the pure and undefiled gospel. Secondly, we can surmise that bringing someone to repentance for having deviated from the truth of the gospel is not done by physical force. You can force someone to behave in certain ways, but true repentance happens in the heart. It can't be forced at the point of a sword. So if the person is truly repentant, James is not talking about physical coercion. Third, we can surmise that how this repentance is then brought about is by means of the word of God, by the gospel spoken to the one who is wondering. James has already told us in chapter one that we are to receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls. And he has told us that we are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. But to be doers, we must first be hearers. We must look into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it on the straight path, not being a forgetful hearer, one who might wonder from the way, but a doer of the work. So it is the word of truth, the gospel, that must be spoken, declared, praised, held up as a mirror to the one who is wondering so that they turn back to God. And note that James says someone. If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back. Notice he doesn't say if the elders, when the elders turn him back. Now that's certainly part of the elder's job. We see that clearly in other parts of scripture. But James says someone. He implies here, in the words of Thomas Manton, that acts of spiritual love belong to the care of all believers. We're to care for one another. In the old covenant, Israel was given this law in Deuteronomy 22.4, you shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road and hide yourself from them. You shall surely help him lift them up again. In Exodus, the law goes even a step further and says, if you meet your enemies, your enemies. In the next verse, it talks about the one who hates you. If you meet your enemies, ox or donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. You are to turn back your enemies, ox or donkey. How much more your brother or your sister in Christ? Is God's concern for his own children less than his concern for oxen or donkeys? Surely not. If the Israelite community was to care for the animals of their enemies and those who hated them, how can we, the community of the new covenant in Christ's blood, not care for one another in this way? By turning each other back when we begin to wonder from the truth. God uses means, we've seen that in our study of the confession. He would use the means of his church, of the fellowship of the saints to turn back those who wonder. I think it would be a great offense indeed to the gospel if we were to see a brother or a sister wondering from the truth and then respond the way Cain did and say, am I my brother's keeper? Well, yes, according to scripture, you are your brother's keeper. This is a central part of the New Covenant fellowship of the church, that we love one another enough to speak the gospel to each other, to turn one another back from wandering away from the life of gospel obedience. I'm convinced that one of the reasons modern Christians are not good evangelists is because we neglect this duty of speaking the gospel to each other. If we can't speak the gospel to a wandering brother or sister who professes to believe that gospel and turn them to repentance, how can we possibly hope to speak the gospel to a sinner who doesn't believe it? so that they repent. We need to learn to speak the gospel to one another in love so that we may, in the words of Paul in Ephesians 4, grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for edifying of itself in love. James then says that when we do this, when we speak the gospel to one another in love and we turn one another back from our wandering such that we repent and return to the path of life and truth, that we save a soul from death. Now this is the then of the earlier if statement. If someone wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, then let the one who turned them back know that he has saved a soul from death. All sin leads to death. Now this may or may not mean that the one who has turned back was or was not saved previously. Perhaps they were a false professor, and this admonition with the truth of the gospel is the means of their conversion in that moment. But perhaps, like Peter, they were a true believer who strayed, and then this admonition with the truth of the gospel is the means of their preservation. since all of us continually act out of step with the gospel and need constant reminders and encouragement. This is a practice that we should engage in as a church. It's quite remarkable, if you stop and think about it, to know that the work of the conversion and the preservation of the elect belongs to God alone by means of his word. It is the implanted Word which is able to save your souls. And I think that James says that earlier in his letter so that we won't become overconfident in ourselves. We're unthankful to God for His preserving mercy through His Word. But then sometimes scripture says that this turning back, this preserving of the saints by the proclamation of the gospel is the work of the elders and the ministers of the gospel. But sometimes as here it says that it's the work of the whole body. And this is to show us that we must not be negligent as a church in our pursuit of godly living and gospel obedience as a congregation. The second thing that we should know, according to James here, is not only are we to be reminded and motivated by the fact that someone who has turned back to repentance, that their soul is saved, but also that by doing so, we participate in covering a multitude of sins. Now, there are two layers to this, I think. The first is that it sort of implies that the person who spoke the gospel and brought this wandering brother to repentance When that brother repents, the one who admonished him with the gospel rejoices, prays for his brother, as James instructed us earlier, and does not spread the rumor of his brother's sins to others. That is to say, he obeys the instructions earlier in the letter not to speak evil of one another. His brother has repented, so he covers the sins. But more than this, it speaks to the fact that our sins are covered in the sight of God. By speaking the gospel in love to one another and turning one another to repentance, we participate in this glorious act of God's mercy. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32, one. When a sin is covered by God's mercy, it is covered completely. One Greek lexicon I looked at defined this word cover in verse 20 as to throw a veil of oblivion over. What a great phrase, to throw a veil of oblivion over. The sin is covered, it is veiled completely, done away with, remembered no more. which is exactly what God says concerning our sins. We saw this last week in our exposition of the Apostles' Creed as one part of the promise of the new covenant, where God said, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin, I will remember no more. Commenting on this idea of our sins being covered by God, the Puritan Thomas Manton says this, our sins are so hidden that they will not be brought to judgment, nor will they hurt us. God will cast them into the depths of the sea. Micah 7, 18, which we looked at last week. That which is in the depths of the sea is lost and forgotten forever. The ocean will never be drained or dried up. All these words the Lord uses to persuade us that once sins are pardoned, it is as if they were never committed. Men forgive, but do not easily forget. If the wound is cured, the scar still remains. But God accepts us as if there were no breach. What glorious good news that is. The one who turns a brother back by means of gospel admonition participates in this glorious aspect of the gospel, the covering of our sins. So confess your trespasses and offenses to one another, pray for one another, turn one another back by means of gospel admonition that your sins may be forgiven and covered with a veil of oblivion. That's the immediate context of these verses, but let's consider them in their larger context as a conclusion to the whole book. These closing words of James' letter are not his own. James is actually quoting, or at least alluding to, Proverbs 10, verse 12, which says, hatred stirs up strife, which we saw at the beginning of James 4, but love covers all sins. This is an apt summary of all that James has said in his letter concerning our life together as a church. Peter quotes this same verse in his first letter in a passage that's very similar in context to these verses in James. Peter says, but the end of all things is at hand. James said in verse eight, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Peter continues, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. James said in verse 16, the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Peter concludes, and above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. James concludes, he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. There are obvious similarities, and both writers are using Proverbs 10-12 as the basis for their statements. And since that is the case, James is ending his letter with an admonition to love one another. And as I thought about this, I realized this has been the major thrust of James' whole letter. In chapter one, James said, so then my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. In your fellowship with one another, be quick to listen to your brother or sister, slow to voice your own opinion, slow to anger, love one another. He went on to stress the importance of guarding our words. If anyone among you, there's our phrase again, thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. So set a watch on your words. Don't speak in ungodly ways to or about one another. Love one another. Christians, we find, should care for one another, especially those who are marginalized by society. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Take care of the least of these who are in need and can't provide for or defend themselves. Love one another. Then in chapter 2, James says, My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. Don't favor the rich because they're rich. Don't assume the poor are always in the right because they're poor. Use sound judgment. Don't play favorites. Love one another. If you really fulfill the royal law according to scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You do well. in all your interactions as a church. Treat each other as you would want to be treated yourself. Love one another. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Show mercy in all your judgments as a church. Love one another. If a brother or sister is naked or destitute of daily food and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? That's verse 16 of chapter two. Put your faith to work, care for one another, as if your faith is genuine, it should result in action for the benefit of others. Love one another. Out of the same mouth proceed blessings and cursings. My brethren, these things ought not to be. Chapter three, verse 10. Don't bless God and curse your brother. Use your words for good. Bless others with your speech. Love one another. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Be gentle and humble. Seek peace in the church. Don't insist on getting your own way. Look to the good of others. Love one another. Chapter four, verse 10, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. Don't seek your own, don't pursue your own desires without regard for the will of God. Repent of your sins, humble yourself, love God above all, and then in verse 11, do not speak evil of one another. Brethren, don't put others down to make much of yourself, don't bad mouth each other, don't speak against one another, causing strife and division in the body. Don't assign motives and assume the worst about each other. Instead, think the best, assume the best, Love one another. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Give all the glory to God, be humble, and don't neglect to do good. Love one another. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. Don't complain. Don't take out your frustrations on each other. Don't give place to gossip and slander. Speak to each other words that can be spoken in the name of the Lord Jesus. Words of encouragement and edification. Love one another. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. Admit your offenses, repent, confess, seek reconciliation, make peace, pray for the one who offended you, forgive each other, seek healing and peace in the church, love one another. Brethren, if anyone among you wonders from the truth and someone turns him back, 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. Love one another. This is the thread that runs through the whole letter. How are you treating each other in the church? Are you putting your faith into action by loving one another with your words? with your actions, I cannot begin to tell you How moved Lauren and I were. This past week, by your love for us, you were an answer to our prayers. We were praying and asking the Lord to provide for our needs, to provide for our family so that we could get this cataract surgery. And the Lord provided through the love of this congregation, and we are humbled By the Lord's mercy and kindness to us, we are thankful for your love and your generosity. We are praising the Lord for the blessings of his church, the joy of our mutual salvation, the love of Christ at work in this body. We're really overwhelmed. And I know many pastors who preach the scriptures and feel like their people aren't getting it, like no one is listening. I remember talking to a pastor years ago when we were in Boston who had preached James to his congregation. He confided in me that he felt like quitting because he felt like no one had taken it to heart. I don't feel that way. I feel incredibly blessed. to serve in the midst of a congregation that has put their faith into action, has lived out this message of James. I feel like Paul did as he wrote to the church in Thessalonica, and he said, but concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in Macedonia, but we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more." So as we end this letter of James, I just want to encourage us to increase more and more, to press on, to love Christ, and to love more and more each other as we ought. Let's pray.