James 5:19

My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.

The great difficulty for some in these verses, as stated by Ward, is "in the thought of the doom of a Christian."[58] Of course, the source of the difficulty is not in what James said but in the Calvinistic doctrine which has no support in the New Testament, and which, in fact, is contradicted on almost every page of it, including this one. It is no denial of this that the word "convert" used here is the same one used by Peter after he denied the Lord (Luke 22:32). That usage merely confirms the thought that if Peter himself had not been converted even though he was a true believer, he still would have suffered eternal death.

To avoid the thrust of this passage, some follow the course of Wessel in referring "death" here to "physical death."[59] This, however, is not indicated at all. As Roberts said, "Death here is eternal death, the second death of the Bible. Repentance will not save a soul from any other kind of death?[60]

If any err from the truth ... The implications of this are profound. That a Christian can err from the truth is not merely a possibility, but a frequent occurrence. Inherent in this is also a fact, as Barclay put it, that "Truth is something that must be done."[61] Failure to do it is a failure to win eternal life.

Another question that surfaces in reference to these verses is the question of whether or not the covering of "a multitude of sins" applies to the sins of the converted, or to the sins of the one doing the converting. The primary meaning must certainly be the former; although, of course, there is a sense in which those who win souls may Scripturally be said to "save themselves." Thus, Paul wrote Timothy, "In doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee" (1 Timothy 4:16). Barclay caught the spirit of these words, "To save another's soul is the surest way to save one's own soul."[62]

Many have commented on James' seemingly abrupt ending of the epistle; but this is altogether appropriate. He closed on the note of every Christian's concern for the reclamation of the backslider, including also the larger sphere of winning the alien lost to Christ. As Tasker aptly phrased it:

No duty laid upon Christians is more in keeping with the mind of their Lord, or more expressive of Christian love, than the duty of reclaiming the backslider.[63]

Here there is no signature, no farewell greeting, no formal closure of any kind, just the bold imperious words of the inspired writer, standing starkly against the mists of fleeting centuries like a massive inscription chiseled into a granite mountain. No pseudonymous writer, no forger, no impostor of later times would have dared to conclude a letter like this. James carries its own inherent testimony of its truth and inspiration of God.

[58] Ronald A. Ward, op. cit., p. 1235.

[59] Walter W. Wessel, op. cit., p. 963.

[60] J. W. Roberts, op. cit., p. 179.

[61] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 133.

[62] Ibid., p. 134.

[63] R. V. G. Tasker, op. cit., p. 142.