¹⁹My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, ²⁰let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Our faithful author of this letter, in keeping with his emphasis on practical faith, finishes with an exhortation to not only pray for one another but also to confront those who will not respond to the inner conviction of the Spirit. In other words, we need to pray, interceding before God on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. But we also need to act when necessary to correct those who stray. Once again, this is faith and works together, divine and human action working in tandem.

Too often, we want to confront others with our opinions, and with the prevalence of social media Christians find it convenient to prattle on with diatribes against the beliefs and practices of others. But in the context of fellowship among believers, we must first of all pray. This will help guard against our self-serving contentiousness or Pharisaical manipulations or control. But we must never leave it to prayer alone. We must also confront others, bathed in the spirit of righteous prayer. Even Elijah, the man of prayer, summed up the courage to confront the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)!

So how can we confront our fellow, sinning believers? We must first examine our motives. Do I really desire their well-being, or am I trying to win debate points? Am I being judgmental (in the negative, unrighteous sense), or am I motivated by genuine love? Am I guilty of the thing about which I am confronting another person (making me a hypocrite)? Am I fearful of conflict and so, behind a weak faith, am hoping for the best?

We need honesty and courage to lovingly warn people about their sinful ways. If you saw someone getting in his car to drive away and he did not see a toddler sitting on the pavement in front of the vehicle, you would warn the driver, wouldn’t you? You would shout, yell, wave your hands! You would be protecting the child’s life, saving the family from a lifetime of grief, and sparing the driver from a lifetime of regret knowing his carelessness killed a child. That is not judgmentalism, but responsible love in action.

So also, by correcting an erring believer, you save him or her from enormous consequences. Not only do you turn him from error, but you save him from the death James wrote about earlier (see James 1:15). This could be premature physical death or destruction of relationships. Your efforts, especially when done discreetly, can save the person from further sin.

Lord, help me be strong and loving enough to confront my brother who sins.