Yes. A Christian who wanders from the truth can be brought back, and God often uses other believers to do it. In James 5:19-20, the final two verses of his letter, James admits that some people will drift away from the truth. But instead of telling the church to shun them, he urges believers to go after them. Whoever turns a sinner back saves them from death and covers a multitude of sins. James’s demanding letter ends with an invitation to return to God.
Setting the Scene in James 5:19-20
In the previous lesson (James 5:13-18), James called believers to confess their sins to one another and pray for each other. These last two verses flow naturally from that picture of a caring community. A church that prays together and confesses together will also go after those who wander.
James has been the most intense letter in the New Testament. He has insisted that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26), that the tongue must be tamed (James 3:1-12), and that friendship with the world is spiritual adultery (James 4:1-10). That’s a biblical call to live it, not just lip it. But it can also feel crushing for people who struggle. So how should a church respond to people who don’t act, talk, or live like Christians?
Interestingly, James doesn’t end with greetings, travel plans, or a benediction, as most New Testament letters do. He ends abruptly, with this.
James 5:19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back…
Of all the ways James could have finished his letter, he chose a call to rescue.
Some Will Wander
Notice who James is talking about: “one of you.” He addresses his readers as “my brothers and sisters,” and the wanderer is someone inside the church. This isn’t about outsiders who have never believed. It’s about people who were part of the family and drifted.
The word “wander,” planaō, is where we get the English word “planet.” Ancient astronomers called the planets “wanderers” because they moved across the sky instead of staying fixed like the stars. James used the same verb earlier when he warned, “Don’t be deceived” (James 1:16), right after describing how sin grows.
James 1:14-15 …but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Wandering rarely happens all at once. It starts with desire, grows into sin, and ends in death. James also says these people wander “from the truth,” which means there is such a thing as truth. James doesn’t pretend sin is no big deal, even when it shows up in our friends or our kids. He calls it what it is.
Wanderers Can Come Back
The good news is that wandering isn’t the end of the story.
James 5:20 …remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
James says the wanderer can be brought back. The word for “turns,” epistrephō, is the language of repentance, of turning around. God is the God of second chances. Jesus told a story about a shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to search for one that wandered off.
Luke 15:4-7 Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Heaven doesn’t merely tolerate returning sinners. Heaven throws a party. And the church should reflect the heart of heaven.
You Can Help Bring Them Back
James says “whoever” turns a sinner back. That means this isn’t only the pastor’s job. Any believer can play a part. Paul gave similar instructions, with an important word about the spirit in which it should be done.
Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Bringing someone back doesn’t mean a witch hunt or a lecture. It means going after them gently and humbly, aware of our own weakness. It means telling the truth in love, staying in the relationship, and making it clear the door is open. Imagine if James had ended his letter by saying that anyone who wanders and tries to come back should be turned away. That would be terrible. Instead, he ends with a welcome. For a topical overview, see How Should We Respond to Wandering Christians?
Saved From Death
James gives two results of bringing a wanderer back. First, it will “save them from death.” Christians have understood this in a few ways. Many believe it refers to spiritual death, eternal separation from God, which James already described as the end result of sin (James 1:15). Among those, some believe a true Christian could lose their salvation by persisting in sin, while others believe the wanderer’s return shows the reality of their faith, and that God uses believers as the means by which he keeps his own. Still others think James means physical death, since Scripture sometimes connects persistent sin with sickness and death (1 Corinthians 11:30). Whatever view you take, the point is clear. Wandering is deadly serious, and turning someone back is a rescue.
Second, it will “cover over a multitude of sins.” The phrase echoes Proverbs 10:12, which says love covers all wrongs, and Peter uses similar words (1 Peter 4:8). Most commentators believe James means the wanderer’s sins are forgiven when they return to God. The God who forgives doesn’t keep a record of what he has covered.
What This Means for Us
Think about someone you know who once followed Jesus but has drifted. James says not to write them off. Pray for them, reach out, and invite them back. You may be the person God uses to turn them around. And if you’re the one who has wandered, hear this as an invitation. It’s not too late. God is waiting with open arms, and his people should be too. If you’ve never trusted Jesus at all, you can start today: How can I become a Christian?
It’s fitting that James, the brother of Jesus who once doubted him (John 7:5), ends this way. He knew firsthand what it was like to be brought from unbelief to faith.
The Takeaway
Can a Christian who wanders be brought back? Yes. James admits some believers will wander from the truth, but he refuses to give up on them. Instead, he calls every believer to go after wanderers gently and invite them back to God. Turning someone back saves them from death and covers a multitude of sins.
