A bible study note: How to
save a brother from death?
Text:
“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
Observations:
1. Any one 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 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 ‘brethren’ 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 winneth souls is wise!!!
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 Jews, 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 a form of death?
c. Does God terminate the natural 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 obedience children?
- Deut 5:33; 1Kg 3:14; Ps 91:16; Pr 3:2,9:11, 10:27; 1Pe 3:10.
6. What does ‘shall hide a multitude of sins’ mean?
-
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…
Charles Page
I don't believe you
are referring to the appointed death for all of us nor the second death so
which death can someone be saved from?
Sing F Lau
What about premature
death? Sins do lead to the premature death of God's children. A soul can be
saved from premature death.
A soul can be saved
from excommunication from a church - death of fellowship, being separated from
the church body because of sins.
Hulan Bass
The context of James
5:19-20 is clearly and firmly of TIMELY and GOSPEL deliverances. Nothing can be
done by any human being to change themselves into sheep or goats.
[Is anyone hinting that something can be done by a human to change themselves into sheep or goats??????? - sing]
Charles Page
Why would a sheep
have to be rescued from death and have a multitude of sins covered? Hasn't
Christ already done that on the cross?
Isn't it possible
James has goats in mind? Sheep get lost seeking greener pastures and need to be
found, but goats need to be changed into gracious, caring creatures.
Sing F Lau
Scriptures use sheep
to designate the elect and goats as disobedient children of God. I haven't read
in Scripture that goats are the non-elect.
Hulan Bass
Sing read - Matt.
25:31--34 & V41 - and it shows where the GOATS go permanently. Kindly,
Sing F Lau
Hulan, read the
Scriptures!!! <LOOOOOL>
The only permanent
place is the lake of fire.
Hell is not a
permanent place but a transitional place between physical death and
resurrection to glory.
The
"everlasting" Hell SHALL END at the general resurrection.
Adam Wells
Bro Sing, I am not
convinced by your argument about the sheep and goats. Many have read the
passage in Matt 25, but I have not heard of any that take it as you and Charles
have. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels" Doesn't sound like a holding place to me, but rather
a place of wrath.
Sing F Lau
I take the three
accounts:-
- the wise and
foolish virgins,
- the faithful and
unfaithful servants,
- the sheep and
goats
as PARALLEL
ACCOUNTS, and speaking the same truth, giving the same WARNING... perhaps
DIRECTLY relevant to the Jews of the old covenant.
At least you will
see why I understand the passage as I do.
In addition, the
goats spoken of don't come across to me as non-elect, but disobedient and
ungodly.
Sing F Lau|
I suggest that being
LOST and needing to be found, and the found but are disobedient are NOT quite
the same. What do you think?
And gone astray like
a lost sheep is NOT a lost sheep!!!
I suggest that the goats speak of the latter... context requires it. I believe in context, the goats refer to God's children among the Jews who were unbelieving in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus failed to minister to the Lord's people.
Sing F Lau
I said: And gone
astray like a lost sheep is NOT a lost sheep!!!
Dan responded: “I
believe they are one and the same. The former is a SIMILE, the latter a METAPHOR.”
[Dan has deleted all his comments!]
A lost sheep cannot
go astray...
Only a sheep that has been found can go astray.
May be I'm too
simple... not as sophisticated as making the distinction between a simile and a
metaphor! <LOOOOL>
Sing F Lau
I wouldn't let
David's usage of a "lost sheep" to restrict nor limit the Lord's
usage of the goats to describe disobedient unbelieving children of God. I don't
see any necessity, but good try nevertheless. Sheep and goats belong to the one
shepherd, who divided them.
Sing F Lau
An elect, by nature,
is a LOST sheep, separated from his owner the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ work of
redemption LEGALLY found him, the application of Christ's redemption to him
personally VITALLY found him, the experience of the redemption through the
gospel ministry PRACTICALLY found him.
I believe only a
child of God, a sheep that has been found by the gospel ministry can be said to
go astray.
A lost sheep, not
found by Christ yet, would not know of his lost estate, much less having gone
astray!!!
Sing F Lau
Does Mat 24:30 sound
futuristic to you?
"And then shall
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory."
How far into the future, the end of the gospel age?
Sing F Lau
A sheep is either in
the lost state or the found state.
A sheep in the lost
state cannot be going astray, as it is ALREADY in the state of lostness.
A found sheep can go
astray.
If you can't see the
point, then we are not communicating.
THANKS.
Adam Wells
That's a good
question Dan. I would like to see Sing's response as well. In seems to me that
to go astray means to do your own will and not God's. If I understand his point
of the sheep and the goats, then if one doesn't do God's will he is described
as a goat. What am I missing?
Sing F Lau
LOST : Has an owner
but not found or united with the owner.
ASTRAY: Found by the
owner, but goes off his own way STRAYING from the owner.
Does this help?
Sing F Lau
Kingdom in v34
Good questions:
Q1. What is your
understanding of the kingdom in v.34?
A1. v34 Then shall the
King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Since the three
passages of the wise and foolish virgins, faithful and unfaithful servants, and
the sheep and goats are all speaking of the coming of Christ in judgment
upon the Jewish nation and the end of the earthly theocratic kingdom of Israel,
I take the kingdom as the kingdom Christ came to establish... which was
prepared/announced from the foundation of the world would be established by the
Messiah's victory over the serpent!
Q2. Since you insist
that the word everlasting in v.46 has an end, do you equally say that the word
eternal in the same verse also has an end?
A2. 46 And these shall
go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Everlasting - simply
means AS LONG AS God has determined, and man has no power to change or alter
it.
And everlasting
possession did not last WITHOUT end... it ended... but ended no sooner and no
later than God had determined it.
Ge 17:8 And I will
give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a
stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be
their God.
Punishment in hell
is everlasting until hell deliver them up on the divinely appointed
resurrection day.
Rev 20:13 And the
sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Verse 46, says
"LIFE eternal", and not "ETERNAL life."
Sing F Lau
May I ask you a
question: Do you believe the
non-elect will speak like those depicted as goats in Mt 25? Just wondering
what's your perception of the non-elect! Thanks.
Hulan Bass
Read: Psalms 10:4.
Sing F Lau
Ps 10:4 "The
wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is
not in all his thoughts."
You think that
describes the goats in Mt 25?
Read Mt 25:44
<LOOOOL>
These goats were
God's children among the Jews who knew not Jesus as Lord, and ministered not to
His little ones.
Hulan Bass
The Goats are
non-elect and are also found among every kindred, tongue, people and nation.
OUT OF all these are also found the Sheep. Rev. 5:9.
Sing F Lau
Hulan, repeating
that idea won't turn it in a truth.
My question: Does
the Lord Jesus expect the non-elect to render those services unto His people?
What kind of Lord do you have - expecting the dead aliens to render those kind
deeds to His children?
Hulan Bass
Bro.Sing, Jesus is
omniscience, all knowing, never has to guess or "expect" anything He
does not already know. He never from before the foundation of the World, before
even being born by a Virgin, that the unregenerate alien wicked will not seek
after God. As God is not in ALL their thoughts whatsoever. The non-elect ARE
THOSE GOATS.
Charles Page
The more I look at
scripture I don't see God dealing with the non-elect at all and for good
reason, they are dead. He cursed them with spiritual death and people have a
hard time understanding this plain truth. They are not dead just because they
are sinners but they are dead because of God's curse and why would God have
dealings with that which he has cursed?
If the goats are
unregenerate/non-elect then there is no left side of the sheep to be divided.
They are dead and God has no dealings with the non-elect.
Goats and sheep have
to be parts of God's possession, disobedient members of His family.
Sing F Lau
Elder Hulan, may be
you don't like the word "expect".
Does the omniscient
all knowing Lord Jesus require the non-elect dead alien sinners to minister to
His people? A very simple question, is it not?
Charles Page
Elder Hulan, not
only is God not in the thoughts of the non-elect the non-elect are not in His
thoughts either!
The elect are on His mind! He has thoughts for them!
Adam Wells
Bro Sing, if you are
interpreting the kingdom to be the church, wouldn't it necessitate that you
view hell as being outside of the kingdom? (Restated) If the goats are
unbelieving elect Jews as you are interpreting it, and the kingdom is the
church, then wouldn't you also have to interpret hell as simply being outside
of the church and not allowed in?
Charles Page
the gates of hell
will not prevail against the church!
Adam Wells
That's a whole
different topic Bro Charles. I heard someone explain it as a cave in Caesarea
Philippi... a place of wickedness that was said to lead to hell; hence the
"gates of hell" reference.
Charles Page
Adam, I was
responding to your statement: 'hell as simply being outside of the church and
not allowed in?" Our occupation is to batter the gates (there are several
gate of Hell) so it is involved with the Church in some ways. The Lake of Fire
is outside the church and no allowed in! There are no gates just a big open
gaping mouth, no doors with hinges- one way in and no exit.
Hell exist in time
alongside the duration of the Church. The Lake is vacant and waiting for the
finality of time. Hell is ever increasing and expanding and there are people
there God did not wish to go there. It is not his desire that any of his elect
perish!
Charles Page
Hell is upward and
when the spirits leave the deceased body they go upwards and the body goes into
the ground. Hell is certainly not in the ground nor anywhere on earth with the
exception of the Hell on earth that Christ endured as our substitute!
Adam Wells
Charles, that is a
lot of talk which can not be substantiated in scripture. Perhaps some people
believe things if they hear or say it often enough. Where does the scripture
say that there are: 1) several gates of hell 2)hell is ever increasing and
expanding (don't give me the passage about the grave.) 3)That perishing
involves time in hell 4) Hell is upward 5)Hell is not anywhere on earth? We
don't want opinion... what does the scriptures say?
Charles Page
When the Bereans
heard stuff like I speculate they searched the scriptures to see if they were
true. Often I intentionally refuse to give scripture text to cause others to
search for themselves. Discovered treasure is better than "handouts"!
Adam Wells
You know that I ask,
knowing it isn't there. That's a kind way of asking you to hold your peace on
matters that are speculative without support in scripture,
What would the
Bereans have done had they found Paul to be false in what he said?
Charles Page
They would have
sought to lovingly correct him and bring him into a better understanding of
scripture. Paul would have loved that process and willingly cooperated with
them. Someone wins and some one looses and there would have been mutual growth
and understanding.
Charles Page
For if thou
altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's
house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?
Hulan Bass
God's all-knowing
omniscience is also known as Foreknowledge, and as such, His Predestination is
a totally different entity. Foreknowing does not CAUSE anything
[Foreknowledge is NOT knowing beforehand; it is not Prescience. Foreknowing is the divine act of setting His electing love upon the elect... Read Romans 8:29,30
God's foreknowing a people CAUSED, SET INTO MOTION His purpose of conformining the elect unto the image of His Son. sing]
Hulan Bass
The word KINGDOM in
the K.J.T. also must be Rightly Divided, as there are different phases of God's
Kingdom. I have a detailed analysis thereon.
Charles Page
No, respectfully, it
is foresight that doesn't cause anything. Foreknow is predestining and that
specifically the elect of God.
Foresight is used in
accordance with common grace, anointing and ordaining. Our behavior is not
foreknown but it is consistent with what is foreseen. Thus God rules over kings
and ruler and sets up the rise and fall of nations according to his will and
omniscience. This is not a permissive will but a ruling will and not to be
confused with the predestination of the elect people.
Charles Page
Elder Hulan, you
have some calvinistic infection that can be cured with a good prescription of
KJV! <LOL>
Hulan Bass
Yes, Bro. Charles
Page, Foreknowledge is directed contextually and only to God's Family. Yet, His
FORE-SIGHT encompasses all things in the world, but He has not predestinated
all things. He predestinated only His Children. Heb. 4:13.
Hulan Bass
Bro. Charles Page,
Calvinism is not even a gleam in my eye. Again, Heb. 4:13 Rightly Divides
between God's Eternal Foreknowledge and His Timely Fore Seeing, even the evils
of this world, including all disobedience of ALL HUMANITY but not CAUSING all
such.
Charles Page
The old wise man.
http://www.naute.com/stories/oldwiseman.phtml
The Old Wise Man !
NAUTE.COM
Sing F Lau
Adam @ Bro Sing, if you are
interpreting the kingdom to be the church, wouldn't it necessitate that you
view hell as being outside of the kingdom? (Restated) If the goats are
unbelieving elect Jews as you are interpreting it, and the kingdom is the
church, then wouldn't you also have to interpret hell as simply being outside
of the church and not allowed in?
---------
Brother Adam, sorry
for the late response.
My old Mac is
getting obsolete for FB activities.
The comment box is
always just the size where I can see only ONE line of what I have written.
So I'm typing this
on Word, and then paste it into the comment box.
And when I paste it
and hit 'return', sometimes the comment doesn't show up...
I like your reasoning.
I believe it leads closer to the truth.
Perhaps NO hell is
spoken of in the whole of Mt 24-25!!!
It is all about the
warning of the coming horrible judgment in 70AD.
The whole of Mt
24-25 is Christ's response to the disciples inquiry, "Tell us, when shall
these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of
the world?" at the beginning of Mt 24. The disciples could only be asking
about the end of the Jewish world!!!
Of course hell is
spoken of in many places in Scriptures.
Hulan Bass
Are you saying and
including in your statement above, including Matt. 25:31--34, 41 as that of 70
AD?
Charles Page
Sing, I also have
the same comment box on FaceBook and restricted by one line so it may not be a
Mac problem!!
Sing F Lau
Hulan @ Are you saying and
including in your statement above, including Matt. 25:31--34, 41 as that of 70
AD?
=========
Mt 25:31 "When
the Son of man shall come in his glory..."
Compare that with:
Mt 24: 30 And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send
his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mt 25:41 "Then
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Compare that with:
Mt 24:21 For then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Do they make sense
to you? Good night.
Hulan Bass
Matt. 24 answers one
CONTEXT ref. the 3 questions they ask Jesus. Matt 25, is a different context,
beginning at V.31 forward to V.41.
Sing F Lau
I don't believe so.
So we are disagreed.
The wise/foolish
virgins, the faithful/evil servants, and the sheep/goats have ONE SAME MESSAGE.
Hulan Bass
Bro.Sing I don't
believe you realize that ALL TEN were VIRGINS, meaning they are ALL SHEEP, but
five were disobedient in not preparing oil for their lamps, for the TIMELY
Service, so these five DESIRED to get oil in their lamps for the Service -
Matt. 25:1---12. A goat does not even DESIRE to be in the Lord's Service and
they don't even have LAMPS much less oil therein. Jesus did not say to these
foolish five, I NEVER KNEW YOU as He says in Matt. 7:23, In the context of
Matt. 25:12 He simply states referring to THIS PARTICULAR Service, You cannot
attend as "I know you not." Rightly Dividing is very important.
Sing F Lau
Hulan @ "A goat does
not even DESIRE to be in the Lord's Service..."
====
Read the Scriptures!
"44 Then shall
they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or
a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he
answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of
the least of these, ye did it not to me."
They had desire
alright, but they failed to recognize the followers of the Lord of the new
covenant! They failed in their TIMELY Service to the new covenant saints!
Hulan @ "Jesus
did not say to these foolish five, I NEVER KNEW YOU"
Read the Scriptures,
Elder Hulan...
11 Afterward came
also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered
and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."
Elder Hulan, with
all due respect, do you have to say something, or do you have to say
something??? <LOOOOOOOL>
"Rightly
Dividing is very important." - indeed, indeed!!!
Hulan Bass
Bro. Sing,the
CONTEXT of the 5 foolish virgins, in which Jesus spoke herein is pertaining to
the Church Service, which is called a Marriage, of which service they were not
ready nor prepared for such, and Jesus refused to allow their entry into THIS
SERVICE by saying "I know you not." Matt. 25:12. Further read John
Gill Commentary on this verse.
[You speak as though the faithful/wicked servants, and the sheep/goats are NOT about faithful service! I'm not impressed with gymnastics.]
