Today’s passage: James 5:19-20
Helpful thoughts:
- Remember the context of the whole letter when reading these verses: Faith without works is dead. If a person is living in sin, his faith is not true living faith.
- These verses are therefore a call to evangelism.
- When a person who appears to be a part of the church shows that their faith was dead, believers are to reach out to them, calling them to repentance and salvation!
Questions to consider:
- What are some mistakes we can make as a church when we find people to be caught up in sin? Why is it so dangerous (and unloving) to turn a blind eye and ignore the problem?
- What two specific motivations does James give us to reach out to people who are lost? What will they be saved from?
- Why is it worth the risk? So much can go “wrong” when trying to help a person who has seemingly abandoned Christ. Why shouldn’t we allow those possibilities to deter us? What assurance do we already have that makes the risk seem small in comparison?