Wandering away from the truth
In these last two verses, James emphasizes the responsibility Christians have toward one another. They not only should confess their sins and pray together; they should also take the opportunity to provide spiritual care that is mutual and beneficial. This care can be done to the individual believer through private counseling and encouragement and through the church through the preaching and teaching of the Word. There will be Christian brother or sister that will wander from the truth. It can take place because of a choice or an influence by another individual. This is why James early on gave a warning about this tendency. “So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters” (James 1:16). In essence, James is reiterating the same message with a sense of urgency that the author of the Book of Hebrews communicates: “‘Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God’” (3:12-13). Paul also encouraged the believers in Galatia to look for opportunity to provide spiritual care to those who are being led astray by false teachings. “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1). Every believer is called upon to adhere to the truth from God’s Word. The gospel is what provided us new birth and it is founded upon the truth of God’s Word. God “chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession” (James 1:18). So, we should not wander away from the truth by denying it. “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom…don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying” (James 3:13-14).
Blessings,
Kommentare