We turn for. The final time, at least in our studies, to James in the chapter five, and as you turn there, we welcome those who join with us online, those who are joining with us in the car park, and for you who are joining with us here in the church building, lovely to have you in the house of God this evening, and the trust that the Lord will draw near to us, even as we come to consider these concluding verses of James chapter five. James chapter five, we'll begin just reading at the verse 16, And we'll go to the end of the chapter. The word of God says, confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. And it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. Amen and amen. The Apostle Paul was the great theologian of the New Testament, supplying the reader of his epistles and letters with sound doctrine and profound teachings. The Apostle James was one of those more practical preachers that understood a theoretical understanding of theology is only as good as far as that theology actually then outworks itself in a person's life. A knowledge of the truth is commendable, no doubt, but the truth that we know must affect how we live our day-to-day lives. Or what's the point? What's the point in knowing truth if that truth does not impact how we live in this world. You see, James understands that the great disconnect between God's truth and its practical outworking in a Christian's life must be avoided at all costs. And thus he clearly presents in his epistle how a Christian is to live out in their Christian lives the truth of God in this world. Now the issues that James has covered are many and varied. He has spoken about trials, temptations, wisdom, one's response to the word of God, the essence of pure religion. He's spoken to us about partiality, faith, works, justification, the tongue, worldliness, to name but a few of the issues that he addresses in this epistle. And I trust that those truths that we have learned and spoken about during our studies will linger on in your mind, but not only that, will outwork itself in your day-to-day Christian life. Or what has been the point? What has been the point of such a Bible study if it doesn't affect how we interact in the world and how we live out the doctrines contained within the word of God? Now in these final two verses of James chapter five, we come to James's concluding and closing challenge to his readership. We want to consider that challenge in our 32nd study here in the book of James. James 19 5 verse 19 and 20 we read brethren if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of Now the first thing, the very first thing that we need to establish here is the kind of people that James is speaking about here in these closing two verses of James chapter 5. For that is a matter that has been debated by many Bible commentators down through church history. Who exactly is James referring to when he says, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one converting. Well there are three main schools of thought as to who is actually being spoken of here. The first school of thought suggests that James is speaking about an apostate in these particular verses. A person who once held to the truth but now has departed from the truth. Someone who has abandoned the faith. However, we need to remember what an apostate is. An apostate is an individual who can never be recovered from their departure from God. Judas Iscariot was an apostate. He went to his own place. He never could be recovered from the state into which he had lapsed. They are individuals who go beyond the point of no return. However, in verse 19 of this chapter it speaks about a person who has erred from the truth as one who can be converted. One who can return or to be turned back again and therefore this is not speaking about an apostate. someone who has left the truth and abandoned the truth once and for all. The second school of thought suggests that this verse is speaking about a backslider, an individual who embraced the truth, an individual who loved the truth, an individual who walked in the truth, but has erred from the truth, has strayed from the truth of God's word. One individual who believes that to be so, it'll come as no surprise to you, is Mr. Spurgeon. He said, read the verse and you will see that it is that of a backslider from the visible church of God. The words, if any of you must refer to a professed Christian. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth. If any few brethren, that's how some people read it, if any few brethren err from the truth and one convert him. The third school of thought suggests that this verse speaks or these verses speak of the unconverted, or the sinner. The language of verse 19 is certainly an apt description of the sinner, for the sinner is one who errs from the truth. They err from the truth of the gospel. Those who oppose such an interpretation point to the fact that James uses this term, brethren, brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and yet It could be argued that there were those who were part of the visible church that James is writing to, however they were simply professors of Christ and not true possessors of Christ. If any among you within the visible church Though they come to church, they're not a member of God's family, they've never been converted, but yet they're part of the visible church, if any of them, if any of you do err from the truth. And so some suggest that these words speak of the unregenerate, those who were not born again, those who were not new creatures in Christ Jesus. And also verse 20 employs the word sinner. "'and let him know that he which converteth the sinner "'from the air of his way shall save a soul from death "'and shall hide a multitude of sin.'" And that term sinner lends weight to those who believe that James was writing about the unconverted. Now for my part, for my part, the second and third schools of thought are plausible. And so we will consider these words in that light. with a double application being made with respect to the backslider and also to the sinner. And we'll wait until we get to heaven to actually decipher and to know who James was writing about here in James chapter five in the verse 19 and 20. Now in the first instance, we want to consider together the removal of the person, the removal or the departure of the person. Brethren, If any of you do err, the word is wrong, or to go astray, or wander from the truth. As I've said, these words are certainly most fitting and the most apt description of the sinner, because it is the sinner is the one who errs, who strays, who removes themselves from the truth. They remove themselves from Christ, who is the truth. I am the way, the truth, and the life. So they remove themselves, they err, they go astray from the truth as well as the truth that is in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now Isaiah pictures for us this going astray of the ungodly so well there in Isaiah 53 verse 6, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all and so the sinner is one who errs who goes astray who wanders who roams away from the truth as it is found in the gospel of the lord jesus christ and whenever sinners go astray from The truth then they come to believe all kinds of lies and all kinds of falsehoods about themselves and about god And so we find that the sinner because of this inner biasness of going astray. The psalmist reminds us that the sinner goes astray as soon as they're born. They're estranged from the womb. They go astray from the very womb. A child is found to have this inner biasness away from God, away from righteousness because we're born in sin. And thereby, because of our sin nature, we find ourselves forsaking God, removing ourselves from God, abandoning God, and believing the lies of the wicked one, and even our own lies and our own heart that is so self-deceiving. However, we all know there is the potential in all of us to become an erring child of God, The hymn writer said, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it, seal it from my courts above. And the very man who wrote that very hymn erred and strayed and found himself far, far from God. And so there is within us all a potential go astray to err from the truth. One who departs from the standards of God's word. And how many of us do that? and one who finds themselves straying or departing from the fellowship of the saints of God, from the commandments and the statutes of God. And that erring, that going astray causes us to become cold in our affections towards Christ, causes us to become lethargic in our service for Christ. It leads to us becoming inconsistent in our walk with Christ. And like erring Peter, We choose to follow Christ afar off and we can reach a perilous place within our Christian lives from which we need to be rescued, need to be recovered. Why is it that people who once embraced the truth of God now come to err? from the truth, well it may be that they never really truly accepted the truth of God in their lives. These are people who appear to have received the truth, but whenever persecution or affliction arose, they cast off the truth, and they were proven only to be professors and not true possessors, like those who were the seed scattered there into the ground, the thorny ground, and whenever the worldly cares came and choked, it was found that it bore no fruit. Or those that were cast on the stony ground again. Whenever the sun came up and it came up for a little period and then it was scorched and it weathered away again. No fruit was ever forthcoming. And it may be that individuals err from the truth because they never really received the truth. They had a pretense of it at one stage. Then they abandoned the truth. They're found to be but mere professors. Others, it might be because they've been deceived by others to err from the truth. You see, the church of Christ is to be the pillar and the ground of what? The truth. And it is the responsibility. of every man who claims to be a minister of Jesus Christ to preach the truth, to preach the truth of God's word. But sadly, our world abounds with false teachers and prophets, wolves who are dressed in sheep's clothing, ministers of light who are actually ministers of darkness or those who abide in the darkness. And we have seen examples of that kind of individual in our land in recent months. Resignations from Presbyterian ministers, that man down there in White Abbey. And then we think of the Church of Ireland minister, Andrew Rowling, over the Bible's teaching with regard to the sin of sodomy. These men. They're not those who are holding to the truth, rather these are emergencies of the devil, of the wicked ones sent out into the world to deceive men and women and to turn others aside from the truth. And there are those who've been turned from the truth by ministers, by so-called clergymen, for false religion and cults, They cause people to err from the truth of God's word. And then there are others and they're just ignorant of the truth and that's why they err. What else do you expect? If they don't know the truth, and they're ignorant of the truth, well, obviously, they're going to err. A superficial knowledge of the truth can result, or will result, in an erring from the truth. You see, if people are not taught the scriptures, if they do not read the scriptures themselves, if they do not, and if they're not And if it's not preached the truth of God, then it only stands to sense that such truth ignorant people will soon find themselves strained from the truth. But when a person knows the truth, there's a very high probability that they're going to hold fast to the truth. And so people err for many reasons. We must always be on our guard in our own lives, personally speaking, We must always be on our guard if there be signs of deflection from the truth in our own personal lives or in the lives of others that we worship with, or those that we live with, or those that we love within our families. We must not be gullible into thinking that we could never err from the truth ourselves, for the Bible alerts us that there is a very real possibility that we can err. 1 Corinthians 10, 12, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. And Paul wrote to Timothy, he exhorted Timothy in these words in 1 Timothy 6, verse 20 and 21, no Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoid profane and vain babblings and oppositions, which some professing have erred concerning Paul speaks of a people who were attracted by false philosophy. And as a consequence, they were led to deny the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and such people stand as warnings to us all that erring from the truth is something that is not beyond any one of us, not beyond this preacher, not beyond you as a Christian, no matter how long you are in the road. There's always a danger, and it is always dangerous to assume that we could never err from the faith. The strongest of us can stray, the strongest of us can fall. Did you know that Edinburgh Castle was only ever captured once in its whole history? Its defenders thought that the steepness of the rock on one side of it made it inaccessible and impregnable. And so they decided, well, there was no need for them to put guards or watchmen at that particular place on the castle's walls. However, on one grey, misty morning, a little enemy, a little band, a party of enemy crept up those steep slopes on Edinburgh Castle and surprised the garrison into surrender. Where was it captured? It was captured at where they thought it was the strongest point. Where they thought was the strongest point is where the castle was eventually captured. And we can all feel. And it's often at the strongest point of our lives where we feel. So we must be on our guard, brethren and sisters. This should be a warning to us. These words ring out to us, brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, how startling it would be to think that I could err from the truth, that you as a believer could err from the truth, and yet we have it here in the scriptures. There is that possibility. In the words of Hebrews 2 verse 1, therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip. And if we let them slip, then we'll slip. And thereby we must take on board this thought tonight. I could err from the truth if it wasn't for God's grace. And if it wasn't for the abiding presence of the Spirit of God in this life of mine Giving heed to what we know to be the truth will enable us to hold fast to the truth and so there is Here we have in these words Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one Convert him we have this thought about the departure the departure from The truth of the departure of the person. There's a second point to consider from these words and that is the recovery of the person. The recovery of the person having been removed from the truth. There is a need then for that person to be brought again to the truth. There is a need for that individual to be recovered. God's people are not to leave a person languishing in the error into which they have fallen, but rather they are to seek that person's recovery and that person's return to the truth. That's why James writes about the person being Converted brethren if any of you do err from the truth and one Converting by the word convert in verse 19 is a word that means to turn about to turn around to cause to return And it's very interesting to note that this word is used elsewhere in the New Testament, and it is used for both the saved and the unsaved. Let me give you an example of each. The Lord Jesus Christ used this same word, and one, convert him. He uses this exact same word when he addresses one of his disciples. His name was Peter. Look chapter 22 verse 31 and 32, and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have thee, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith feel not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. There's the word. Converted now whenever the Savior spoke about Peter being converted He wasn't speaking about Peter's need to be saved again Peter wasn't saved and lost and then saved again But rather he was speaking about Peter returning returning to Christ after this Apostles sorry departure from him whenever you return Whenever you come back again, Peter, then strengthen thy brethren. And then Peter uses this term, but he doesn't use it whenever he addresses believers, but rather he uses this word to address unbelievers, unconverted, unregenerate individuals. He uses it there in Acts chapter 3, there when he stands in Solomon's porch, he uses these words in Acts 3 verse 19, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And here Peter is calling sinners to be converted, to turn from their sin and to turn to God. And so when we discern that a sinner has erred from the truth of the gospel or a believer has erred from the truth of God, it is incumbent upon us to attempt to recover such a person from the snare of the devil. Now I want you to notice that this search and rescue ministry, if I can put it in that way, is the responsibility of every believer. not just the minister, not just the elders of an assembly of believers. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one, one of you, one of you convert him, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the earth of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. This is something that we should all be involved in. This is something that you should be involved in as a Christian, within your family, within this community. Think of the sinner first of all. You need to bring them to the truth. This is a task, a work that you can be part of. the bringing of a person to salvation as they are exposed to the truth of God and His Word. And then for those who wander within our families and those who wander within the church fellowship, it is our responsibility to go after them, to seek them, to encourage them, to admonish them, to bring them back again by the grace and by the help of God. You know, beloved, we can be very good at rebuking the sinner, and we can be very good at renouncing the backslider, but how good are we actually at reclaiming them? How good are we actually at reclaiming them? Sadly, there are some and they would be happy enough to leave such a person in error rather than lift them out of error. However, Paul wrote these words in Galatians 6 verse one, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spirit shall restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. We are to be the winner of souls. regard to the sinner, aye, and for the backslider we are to see to their recovery, to their reclaiming. Now you and I know that we cannot convert the sinner. This is a work of God, solely a work of God, conversion. However, human instrumentality is employed by God to see to the recovery of the fallen and to the saving of the lost. Think about it, by our fervent praying, by our godly example, by our holy living, by our earnest exhortation, by our humble entreaties and our heartfelt counsel, we can be used by God to see souls delivered from the error off their ways. William Jay said, all cannot be Luthers to reform countries. or Whitfield's to preach to thousands or Carey's to translate the scriptures into other tongues, but can we do nothing? Surely someone's soul is thrown in our way to whom we may be useful, a child, an employee, a relative, a neighbor. What Jay was trying to get at is that we are to go into the world tomorrow with our eyes open. Think about the spiritual state of the people that we meet, the sinner. We can speak a word of the gospel to them, the backslider, oh, to speak to them tenderly, considering ourselves, and to see to their recovery and their reclaiming. We can all do that. And so let's take this task to hand. Let's see to the recovery of those who have spiritually drifted. And rescue the lost and the perishing who are found in our families, in our communities, in our workplaces, wherever God would find us. Because such will see to the saving of a soul from death. And there's no greater work than that, brethren and sisters. To save a soul from death. Eternal death. No greater work. The third and final point, very quickly, is the rejoicing of the person. Verse 20, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. When a sinner is saved, when a backslider is restored, great loss is averted. Great good is secured. Great joy is experienced. The sinner's soul is most certainly saved from death, eternal death. And their many sins are covered by and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're hidden, hidden, concealed. covered by his precious blood. And the backslider's soul, in another way, is saved from death, not eternal death, no, no, but a death that has settled in upon the soul of the wandering one. Their sin, for backsliding is a sin, is also hidden and covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. And so there's great rejoicing To see a soul saved from death. That's what you are. A soul saved from death. Eternal death. Eternal destruction. Eternal damnation. You're a soul saved from death. Not rejoicing. that has brought to your own soul, and your loved ones, your Christians themselves, and to the church of Christ, and to the very heart of God. You know, I like the way that James ends this epistle. Because you see, in his letter, there are so many ways that we can err from the truth we've been speaking about. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, so if any of you err from the truth with regard to the matter of wisdom, or with regard to your tongue, or with regard to partiality, or with regard to the essence of true religion, or with regard to faith, or regard to righteousness, or with regard to works, if any of you hear from the truth, You see, he's bringing it all together. He's summing it all together. If any of you do err from the truth, and as he speaks, he reminds us throughout his epistle that there's so many ways in which we can err from the truth, but regarding them all, there's a way of recovery. There's always a way of recovery from such erring. from such going astray, from such wandering away from the truth as he has set forth within his epistle. And what is that way of recovery? It's the cross. It's the cross. You see, James leaves his readership standing at the foot of the cross. contemplating the covering that Christ's blood provides for the sinner's sins. Sins, even though there be a multitude of them, can be hidden. And I'm focusing on that final phrase, shall hide a multitude of sin. Well, how are sins hidden? They're hidden under the blood. That's how they're hidden. And so He's bringing them to the cross, and to the blood, and to the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And thank God, though our sins be many, though we have erred from the truth as we have found ourselves before the Scriptures, week after week. thinking about our lives, thinking about how we have fallen short of many of the topics that James has been addressing. Yet, thank God, these sins of ours can be repented of, they can be hidden, they can be concealed, they can be covered over by the blood of Christ, because the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sins. The psalmist David, now don't forget, David was both a forgiven sinner and a forgiven backslider. And so he is well put, or he is well placed to write these words in Psalm 32 verse one. What did he pen? Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Whose sins are hidden. Whose sins are concealed. And surely, The most blessed state for any individual on the face of this planet to be found in is the state of having our sins covered. Such is the rejoicing of the soul. to know that one's sins are covered. The sinner rejoices, the backslider rejoices, the Christian rejoices, heaven rejoices, God rejoices when the sinner, the backslider, is converted from the error of their ways. Do we not read that in the parable in Luke chapter 15? How there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth. Maybe you're listening tonight and you're not a Christian. You're maybe watching in. Maybe you're one who's wandered far from God. Maybe you're one who's just drifted a little since last Lord's Day. But let me encourage you to turn from the air of your ways and to see to it that your sins are hidden, that your sins are covered. May God give us the privilege of seeing many turn or return to God through our witness in coming days, because he which converteth the sinner from the error of their ways shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. What a blessed work to be involved in. May God make us good workers in such a field. And may we see many converted. Many brought to Christ. Many return to Christ. And that will be the rejoicing of our soul in coming days for Christ's sake. Amen and amen. Let's bow in prayer. Our loving Father, we do thank Thee for our time in this epistle. We thank Thee for its very practical application to our lives. And we just wonder how much have we heeded Are we found as those who are doers of the word as well as hearers of the word? Oh God, remind us of these truths so quickly forgotten. May they be found to be outworking in my life and in the lives of my brethren and sisters. And for those of our families who are not yet saved and who are not yet converted, may we understand our responsibility in bringing them to the truth, and then knowing that it is God alone who can enable them to embrace the truth. May many be turned from the error of their way and may many be turned to Christ the truth. We offer these our prayers in and through Jesus' precious name. Amen.