Passage
My brothers and sisters, if any in you go astray from the
truth and someone should turn him back, let him know that the one who turns a
sinner back out of the way of his misleading belief will save his soul out of
death and cover over a great multitude of sins.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
First, let’s understand the position of these verses in the
letter. Very often, people have two
opinions about the end. Either it is the
place where all the unimportant stuff is collected or it is the place for
goodbyes and a signature. On the
contrary, know that scientifically the end is only second in importance than
the beginning. People will remember how
you begin and how you end; most of the stuff in the middle will usually get
lost. Also, notice that James does not
give a signature in this letter. James
seems to intentionally skip the goodbyes so that these words might be the last
the people hear from him. Therefore, we
should draw the conclusion that these words are of an incredible importance to
James.
Have you ever noticed that James does not contain a section
for goodbyes and greetings at the end as do many of the other letters in the
Bible? Why is this a significant point
to observe?
Second Thought:
Notice that James speaks about people going astray as though
it is a foregone conclusion. I think
that for James, it is. James knows
people will come to faith. They will
even begin to change for Christ. But
eventually it will get too hard, get too boring, become too confusing, have too
many expectations, or become too mundane.
People fall away from faith often – even in the early church. It happens.
We go from periods of strong faith to periods of weak faith fairly
quickly as the circumstances of our life change.
Have you ever had a time and a place in your life where you
went from strong faith to weak faith? What
led you astray? What brought you back?
Third Thought:
James then gives us
this last piece of advice. Those who
turn back someone who has gone astray will have saved their soul out of
death. That right there may just be one
of the most valuable Christian foci in the world. That statement puts life in perspective. I can do all kinds of world travel, but in
the end what purpose will it serve? I
can collect all kinds of wealth, but in the end what purpose will it
serve? I can gain all kinds of
understanding and knowledge, but if I never apply it what will it be in the
end? But if I focus on investing in
other people’s relationships with God, in the end I will be the tool that God
used to save a soul from eternal condemnation.
That will stay with me through the end.
The way James ends his letter matches the last words of his half-brother’s
final command: “Go, therefore, into all the world. Make disciples. Preach. Baptize. Teach them to obey.” Just as Jesus gets us to focus on
discipleship at the end of His ministry, so to James wants us to focus on
discipleship as his letter ends.
What are you living for?
In the end, of the things for which you are living – which will
last? Do you have anyone in your life to
whom you can speak words of truth and “save their soul out of death?”
Passage for Tomorrow: Titus 1:1-4
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