THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL INTERVENTION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

All of us are sinners who fall short of God’s glory, even Christians who have placed their belief in Jesus and gained the sure promise of salvation. Being a believer doesn’t somehow divorce someone from transgression and the Lord makes this crystal clear in His Word (Romans 3:23). All have sinned and fallen short...and all means all.  Therefore, everyone has failed and fallen short of being fully obedient to all God has commanded them to do and indeed continue to fail and fall. No one can say they aren’t guilty of this.

So yes, Christian believers, although free from the eternal condemnation and damnation of God’s judgment penalty of Hell, still can stray from their faith and go in the wrong direction, something that has been labeled backsliding. In this case, it is backsliding into sins they were supposed to have abandoned and left behind. In these cases, fellow Christians have a responsibility and obligation to do something as we see in today’s passage from the closing words of James, chapter 5:

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Vv. 19-20

The call here is for spiritual intervention in the life of a Christian who has wondered “from the truth” which simply means living as Jesus lived, perfectly sinless and pleasing to God. Note that Christian brothers and sisters aren’t to just sit back and watch sin destroy their fellow believer. Rather, James is calling his fellow Hebrew Christians (and God is calling us as well) to do something, to intercede and step into the matter at hand, no matter how difficult and awkward it might be. It’s critically important because there’s too much at stake to do otherwise.

What’s at stake?

Well, we know that sin only results in terrible final outcomes like ruin and destruction...and even a loss of life if it’s allowed to run its course uninterrupted. If someone would fall overboard from a boat, left floundering in the water and in need of rescue, any true believer would quickly take action to try and save the other person. Christians who have went astray from what God calls them to do, wallowing in their iniquities likewise need someone to help rescue them.

So what can fellow Jesus followers do in these instances to get involved in assisting the wayward Christian brother or sister?

It can be as easy as prayer and that’s something anyone can do for another. Often times a Christian brother or sister who has wandered from the truth can be resistant to someone confronting them. Satan is great at getting people in denial or so ashamed in their sin that it is easier to deflect interventions than to face the transgression(s) head on. In the midst of that resistance, we can lift them up to the One who can penetrate even the most stubbornly resistant soul.

Not every brother or sister in Christ will reject someone showing love and caring, and in those cases, we should enter into dialogue with the sinner, openly discussing what is going on in a way that facilitates a pathway to legitimate change. This exchange of communication should involve lots of active listening on behalf of the person doing the intervention, allowing the stray Christian to talk about what’s going on in their life to possibly gain understanding on why they are doing what they are doing. This understanding is critical to developing a plan for repentance and the ensuing reconciliation with the Lord. This plan should also include prevention for a relapse and return to the iniquities the Christian is leaving behind.

As we wrap up our study of James, God is sending us a powerful exhortation. For it’s never okay to ignore the sins of a brother or sister Christian when we know they are engaging in them. Through this word, the Lord is sharing with us the critical importance of spiritual intervention and He expects us to get involved when the situation calls for it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.