James 5:19–20 (ESV) —
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
NOTE: This is actually a good argument for discipleship. Some believers seem to plateau very early in their new birth, staying babies in Christ, and dabbling in sin routinely. They don't really grow and their witness is atrocious since they look exactly like the world. Discipleship takes these babes and teaches them how to walk with God, how to rely on the Holy Spirit to combat sin, and how to be an effective witness to the world. Discipleship literally brings back sinners from wandering. As for saving their soul from death, there is a type of spiritual death which occurs on earth when a believer doesn't really walk with God, and it affects our reward in heaven. We are still saved but only as through fire.
We have a fundamental mission of restoration through discipleship. Kurt Richardson describes the believer who wanders from the truth as "… a way of life that effectively denies the truth (e.g., the “practical atheism” of a prayerless and inactive “faith”)." By discipling others, we exercise a ministry of restoration.
PONDER:
- Who am I restoring these days?
- How committed am I to discipleship?
PRAYER: Father, I pray that you would lead me to men who need restoration and to those who need salvation. Both are important. It is an important ministry to restore believers as it is to explain salvation to the lost.
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