James 5:20

The soul saved from death is that of the backslider to whom also belongs the multitude of sins. We should probably understand the "soul" to represent the whole person here as well as elsewhere in James’ epistle (cf. James 1:21). [Note: See Bob Wilkin, "Soul Talk, Soul Food, and ’Soul Salvation,’" Grace Evangelical Society News 6:12 (December 1991)2; and idem, "’Soul Salvation,’ Part 2; Saving the Soul of a Fellow Christian; James 5:19-20," Grace Evangelical Society News 7:1 (January 1992):2.] Death represents the temporal destruction of the person, not his or her eternal damnation (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 John 5:16). The repentance of the reclaimed sinning believer results in the forgiveness (covering) of his or her sins. This description of forgiveness harks back to Old Testament usage where the biblical writers described sin as covered when forgiven. Such usage was understandable for James who was a Jewish believer writing to other Jews primarily (James 1:1; cf. Matthew 7:1-5; Galatians 6:1-5). His description does not contradict other New Testament revelation concerning forgiveness.

This epistle deals with five practical problems that every believer, immature or mature, encounters as he or she seeks to live by faith and the issues underlying these problems. As a skillful physician, James not only identified the problems but uncovered their sources, pointed out complicating factors, and prescribed treatment to overcome them with a view to his readers’ becoming more mature spiritually. The problems and James’ method of dealing with them account for the popularity of this epistle throughout church history and for its perennial value in ministry.