He which Converteth the Sinner from the Error of His Way

Brethren, let's look at the last two verses of James this evening.

“Brethren, if any among you (2pp) do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20

Some observations on James 5:19-20
1. Anyone among the ‘brethren’ is liable to err from the truth; in these numerous ways:
a From Christ, who is the Truth, by not abiding in Him, forsaking His ways, His worship, and ordinances;
- From the Scriptures of truth, not speaking according to them, and embracing fables and notions that are contrary unto them;
- From the gospel, the word of truth, from the doctrine of the faith once delivered to the saints, and from the uprightness of life and conversation, after having made a profession of Christianity.
- This is to be understood of one who has embraced the Christian religion, become a member of a church, and has walked in the path of truth and holiness, but now fallen into error, either in principle, or in practice, or both. (Gill)

2. A clear distinction between error and truth is presupposed; otherwise it is not possible to know when a brother errs from the truth.
- The standard is, 'Thy word is truth.'

3. To err from the truth and continue in the way of error is sinning. To continue in the way of error will result in 'death.'

4. Truth and practice are always related. To ‘err from the truth’ is to walk in ‘the error of his way.’

5. Such a sinner needs to be converted from the error of his way and be brought back to the truth.
- A fellow brother has a solemn duty to convert an erring brother.
- Each brother is his brother's keeper.

6. To convert an erring ‘brother’ from the error of his way and bring him back to the truth “shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

7. "Let him know" – indicates great encouragement to motivate a believer to perform the difficult and unpleasant work of converting an erring ‘brother.’

8. He who wins souls, in the manner stated, is wise!!!

Some questions to promote study:

1. Who are the ‘brethren’ addressed by Elder James?
- Please note that BOTH the erring one and the converting one are among the ‘brethren.’

a. Are they blood brothers, ethnic brothers, i.e. fellow Jew, or spiritual brothers?
b. Give reasons for your answer.

2. Who is the erring/sinning one among the ‘brethren’?
- Who is the truth? What is the truth?
- If one is not first in the truth, can he err from the truth?
- How did one come in the truth? Cp John 14:6,17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17

3. Who is able to convert the sinning one among the ‘brethren’?
- Who can lead someone who has departed from the truth back to the truth?

4. What does it mean to convert (turn) the erring one from the error of his way?-
a. What is needed to convert an erring brother?
-

b. What would you do to convert an erring brother?
-

c. Why should you endeavour to convert an erring brother?
-

5. What does it mean to save the sinner’s (i.e. erring brother’s) soul from death?
- Different usage of the word ‘soul.’ See Gen 2:7; 12:13; 17:14; 19:20; 46:15; Ex 1:5.
- Sometimes it is synonymous with the living person. A living person is a soul.
- Sometimes it is synonymous with the spirit of the man. A living soul consists of body and spirit.

a. What is the sense of the word ‘soul’ used here?

b. What is the death spoken of? Is it spiritual death or physical death?
- Remember that death is separation.
- Who alone CAN SAVE a man from his native state of spiritual death?
- Can the act of a fellow man save a soul from spiritual death?
- From what kind of death can the converting act of a man save his brother’s soul?
- Is excommunication, the termination of church fellowship, a form of death?

c. Does God terminate the physical life of His wayward and unrepentant children?
- John 15:6; 1Cor 11:30; Phi 3:17-21;1Pet 4:17; 2Pet 2:1,
- 2Pe 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
 What is the destruction spoken of?

d. Does God promise long life to His obedient children?
- Deut 5:33; 1Kg 3:14; Ps 91:16; Pr 3:2,9:11, 10:27; 1Pe 3:10.

6. What does it mean ‘shall hide a multitude of sins’?
-
a. How does converting an erring brother hide a multitude of sins?

-

b. Are the multitude of sins already committed, but are forgiven because of conversion?
-

c. Are the multitude of sins avoided because of the conversion?
-

7. Do you have any questions?
- Please do ask them.

Gift of tongues or gift of ears?

The gift of tongues-

a singular gift that enables a man

 to speak with plurality of tongues.

[14/04/2021, 12:27]

Sing F Lau: It's the gift of tongues; it wasn't the *gift of ears*

The gift of tongues- a singular gift that enables a man to speak with plural tongues.

It was said: "True Biblical Pentecost tongues would mean that I speak in English, and, as I speak, a believer who speaks and understands German hears my words as if I spoke German, and another believer who speaks French hears my words in French, while a third believer who speaks Greek hears as if I spoke in Greek. The Holy Spirit provided miraculous simultaneous translation from one known human language, Galilean, into seventeen other known human languages."

Comments:
This understanding is a novelty indeed; I’m hearing it for the first time.

It is quite contrary to the plain testimony of the Scriptures. Consider these passages:

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

i. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost
- they were endowed the spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit; they had received the Spirit before, as the Spirit of adoption

ii. And [they] began to speak with other tongues
- as a direct result of being filled with the Holy Ghost.
- They speak with other tongues, THAT IS, besides, and different from that in which they were born and brought up, and usually speak. They began to SPEAK various languages, one spoke one language, and another, another language. The same person speaks with various tongues, sometimes one language, and at other times another language.
- These are the new languages, Christ told them they should speak with, Mark 16:17 such as they had never heard, learned, nor known before.

iii. "as the Spirit gave them utterance"
-  The occasion was special and the opportunity unique – Pentecost. Devout Jews from all nations under heaven (i.e. everywhere they had been scattered, and settled in the vast Roman Empire) were gathered in Jerusalem. Thus, for the occasion, the Spirit specially guided their speech.
- The Spirit of God guided them to speak on the wonderful works of God in saving His people, Acts 2:11,  the great doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Even though they speak in different languages, yet in a very orderly and distinct manner, so as to be heard and understood by the people - because the Spirit gave them utterance.

[14/04/2021, 12:32] Sing
Acts 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

- When the news of the Apostles speaking with other tongues was spread, multitudes of those devout Jews gathered; they were astonished.

- They heard the uneducated Galileans speaking their languages; the uneducated Galileans DID SPEAK their languages; they were heard, and understood by them.

- Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? Yet they were able to speak our languages.

- The cause for amazement and marvel WAS the fact that the uneducated Galileans SPOKE the foreign languages.

- The cause WASN’T that the Galilean tongue was miraculously changed into, and heard AS many other languages; that’s just fiction!

- The miracle was the gift of tongues; the miracle was not the gift of the ears, nor a language morphing into another in transmission from the speakers to the hearers.

Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.*
- “We do hear them SPEAK in our tongues”: the Apostles spoke different languages, plural tongues.
- What tongues they spoke, were the same tongues heard by the audience.

[14/04/2021, 13:10] Sing 

It was said:
“Thanks so much for the kind and encouraging note. I believe that the description to which I referred in Acts 2 is quite literal. The miracle of tongues that the Spirit empowered and administered appears in His immediate translation. The disciples spoke in Galilean, but people from the 17 languages named heard in their native language. That is the miracle.”

Comments:
- There was no immediate translation; no translation was needed. They spoke their languages and were plainly heard, and were understood as speaking of the wonderful works of God in redemption in Jesus Christ.
- The 12 apostles speaking different languages were able to address all the FOREIGN Jews with foreign tongues.
- There were 17 regions named, NOT 17 languages.

It was said:
I believe the situation in 1 Corinthians 14 was perhaps an attempt to duplicate that miracle. However, Paul specifically requires a translator, and, even with a translator, he imposes a limit on the number of people speaking in a foreign language. The miraculous factor, I believe, is missing in 1 Corinthians 14. Paul requires an interpreter, Verse 27, but none was needed in Acts 2 because of the miracle of the Spirit’s administration.

Comments:
- It wasn’t an attempt to duplicate the miracle of tongues. It was the genuine exercise of the gift in the church assembly.
- If the miracle is indeed the way he has understood, the need of translators is completely redundant!
- Apostle Paul was dealing with speaking in tongues in the context of a church gathered for public worship. There must be orderliness.
- Orderliness in public worship requires TWO things: The number permitted to speak in tongues, and there must be an interpreter. This was when the gift of tongues was still in operation; the gift has since ceased.

1Cor 14
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

Imagine a church meeting in Corinth in AD60. Let's say some Hokkien businessman visited a church; someone in the church was moved to speak in the Hokkien tongue for the visitors' sake. But if there is no interpreter/translator, he should shut up! Why? The rest in the church didn't know Hokkien! The church is NOT edified if there is no translator. Read 1Cor 14:1-5.

God's elect from Predestination to Glorification

A Brief Survey of God’s Elect from Eternity (before time) to Eternity (after time) – Part 1

A good place to start:

Romans 8:
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

A familiar passage! When was the last time you stopped and meditated on this glorious passage? "
O, that's the pastor's job to do so!, some retorted!

Let's study together.

Let us draw out some plain and obvious observations:
1. God’s activities of foreknowing and predestinating took place in eternity, i.e. before time.

2. Glorification shall translate the elect into the realm of eternity
- The resurrection and glorification mark the end of time. 

3. The number acted upon by each activity of God remains exactly the same throughout, not one more and not one less; the pronoun “whom” embraces the exact same number throughout.

4. The object acted upon by each activity of God is completely passive.

5. There is no room to insert any other activities in between the activities stated.

Any questions on the above 5 statements?

Any further explanation needed?

 

Some questions for discussion:

1. State all the activities of God stated in the two verses.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

2. Explain briefly what each divine activity involves and its effects.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

3. Are there some other activities of God in salvation not mentioned?
a. If yes, what are they?
b. If not, why not?

4. Is there any place for the activities of man in the chain of activities? Why?

5. What is it to be conformed to the image of God’s Son?
- When will the elect be conformed to the image of God’s Son?

6. What do you think of being conformed to the image of God’s Son?

7. Would you prefer to be conformed to the image of someone else?

8. Will you be happy being conformed to the image of God’s Son?

9. If you don’t love the Son of God now, would you be happy to be conformed to God’s Son?

-------

*A Brief Survey of God’s Elect from Eternity (before time) to Eternity (after time) – Part 2

Various terms used to describe God's people: the elect, children, sons, Christians, disciples, believers, followers, saints, brethren, body, household, etc...

Before the foundation of the world, God has chosen a people. They are God's elect. All others have been left to themselves or bypassed - as far as redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ are concerned.  (I reject double predestination; I believe in election and preterition. Election does not necessarily require reprobation; those not elected were simply bypassed, with no injustice done to them whatsoever.)

Literally, God's elect people are EVERYWHERE, since they are redeemed out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Among God's elect: there are those have lived and died; others are still on earth, and still, others are yet to be born. The names of all these were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world.

1. There are those already in paradise...
- God regenerated them at a certain point during their earthly lives.
- Many were never reached with the gospel ministry.
- Of those who were reached, some were converted; they were converted to vastly different degrees.
- There was Lot, and there was Abraham! There was king Saul, and there was David!
- There were those in far-flung countries, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Rev 5:9. 

2. Among the elect of God on earth:
a. There are those who are still in their native state of deadness in trespasses and sin, just like any of the non-elect.
- These too, have been redeemed by Christ, legally justified by the blood of Christ.
- These are no less God's elect but they are NOT children yet because they have not yet been effectually called out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation; thus they are not yet born of God.
- Eternal salvation has not been applied to them personally.
- Among these, some have the gospel preached to them, and others have not. Being still devoid of spiritual life, the gospel ministry was of no benefit to them. (Penang's famous 'char koay teow' is of no value to a dead man whatsoever, no matter how many times it is sincerely offered to him by the most savvy cooks. I hope you get the point.)
- The elect who are still spiritually dead, not yet regenerated by God, would consider the gospel as foolishness, just as the non-elect would!

b. There are those whom God has regenerated, and given eternal life, without any human agency/instrumentality:
- These are born of God, and therefore they are children of God.
- Of these, some have not been reached with the gospel ministry. Others are incapable of being reached.
- These have not been brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through the gospel ministry, like the multitude of devout Jews who had come to Jerusalem to observe on the feast of Pentecost, and fearers of God like the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, and Lydia,
- These are no less God’s children BUT they are NOT yet disciples, not Christian yet, because they have not been converted to Christ yet through the gospel ministry. They have not professed Christ.
- Others have been reached with the gospel. Of these, there are believers, and others are not believers yet.
- Of the believers, they are disciples to vastly varying degrees.
- See the parable of the sower... some are fruitful, others are fruitless!
- Some are careless in hearing the word of truth and make paupers of themselves.
- Others are careful in hearing the word of truth and prosper.
- Some are converted to a great degree, others resist conversion!
- There are wise virgins, there are foolish virgins.
- There are good disciples, and there are bad disciples.
- There are those who consistently enter the strait gate and walk the narrow way; others who consistently enter the wide gate and walk the broad way.
- Some hear and do, others hear and forget!

3. There are those still to be conceived and born...
- This is obvious enough unless the last elect has been conceived.

I hope this broad sketch helps.

Those who choose to repent and believe DO SO because they are ALREADY saved by God, i.e. regenerated and given eternal life. Only the spiritually alive (God's children, the elect that are born again) is able to exercise the choice to repent and believe, believing something that is already true - the good news of God has saved them. They believe what is ALREADY true; their believing DO NOT make their salvation come true. They believe what is ALREADY true. One is called to believe what is already true, not in order to make something untrue to come true through his believing.

Jesus Christ came to die and to save His people - not one more, and not one less. His people are those whom God has chosen and given to Jesus Christ. They belonged to Jesus Christ, and He came to save them, and them alone - as many as God has given to Him. "As many as" means "not one more and not one less."

John 17: 2 "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

John 6: 37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day."

Propitiation and Expiation

What's the difference between
propitiation and expiation?

A 70 y.o lady inquired.
"Also want to bother you with a question - what's the difference between propitiation and expiation? I can understand propitiation but am unclear abt expiation. Can I ask you? Tqvm."

Can someone help?

[27/10/2021, 13:05] 
Sing: I'm so glad to know that his majesty is feeling better. May our Lord bless him with grace and strength and full recovery. Amen.

Propitiation has to do with a person: the act of  appeasing or pacifying someone who is justly offended and is angry/displeased.

1 John 2:2 KJV — And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10 KJV — Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus Christ is our propitiation; He propitiated the just and righteous wrath of God against us, ill-deserving sinners, by His work of redemption for His people. With the propitiation, God is appeased, and reconciliation for His people is effected.

Expiation is the act of taking/bearing away the guilt and condemnation through the full payment those guilt/condemnation demand.

Jesus Christ expiated the guilt/condemnation of His people by standing in their stead, as their substitute.

The word expiate and its derivatives are not found in the in the KJVT.. but the concept runs through the Scriptures.

Isaiah 53
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

1 John 3:5 KJV — And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Galatians 1:4 KJV — Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

I hope this helps. Ask further.
Thank you for asking.

Ye have not Spoken of Me the Thing which is Right

 "Many Christians have heard the popular phrase,
Once saved, always saved."
According to this teaching,
once a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour,
nothing they do afterwards
can ever cause them to lose their salvation."

If this sincere man had understood the distinction between eternal salvation and temporal salvation, he wouldn't have spouted such blasphemous remarks.

He has sincerely but ignorantly MISREPRESENTED "once saved, always saved" as 
"once a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, nothing they do afterward can ever cause them to lose their salvation." This is just a silly strawman of his imagination. 

May the Lord grant each who reads with understanding of OSAS.

The following note is from my Facebook post.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DZC5PKL5Z/

[28/07/2026 11:13] Sing Lau: Once saved by God - i e. justified, regenerated, and adopted - immutably and eternally saved. That is OSAS.

- once justified by God through the righteousness of Christ, ALWAYS and IMMUTABLY justified;

- once regenerated by the Spirit of God, ALWAYS and IMMUTABLY regenerated;

- once adopted by God into the Divine family; ALWAYS and IMMUTABLY a child of God.

Romans 8 KJT
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

To believe otherwise is bad exegesis, and worse, maligning God as incompetent as well as a liar. Also, your "salvation by grace alone" is just a shibboleth; you necessarily end up believing "salvation by works" which you loathe (in words only).

It's a grievous sin to misrepresent the scriptural teaching of once saved by God, immutably and eternally saved.

Of course, "once saved by my faith in Christ, I'm always saved" is a plain lie. 
"Once saved by God, immutably and eternally saved"
is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM
"once saved by my faith in Christ, I'm always saved."
To think they are the same is plain STUPIDITY, i.e. lacking common sense.  

Romans 8
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,|39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is an eternal salvation purposed by God, secured by Jesus Christ, and freely applied by the Spirit of God to each elect when dead in trespasses and sins... IMMUTABLY bringing each into the eternal salvation in Christ Jesus.

There is a temporal salvation that each child of God (i.e. one ALREADY FREELY BESTOWED ETERNAL SALVATION) must work out, with fear and trembling, for himself. In this a child of God can make shipwreck of  his faith.

The Scriptures speak of both;  but OSAS refers to the former. Of the latter, consider these scriptures:

1 Timothy 1:19 KJT — Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

Philippians 2:12 KJT — Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..

2Peter 1 KJT
5 ¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's children can be barren and unfruitful if they don't with all diligence ADD to their faith those graces enumerated.

The person in the meme is barking up the wrong tree. He's burning a straw man of his own making.

Be careful, folks; it is no light matter to misrepresent the LORD.

The LORD's wrath is kindled against such.
Beware, lest you are accomplices. 

Job 42 KJT
7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.