Staying True

James 5:19-20

Waiting & Suffering often lead to Wandering = Test of faith… So the ‘One Anothers’ the prayers of the saints - the community is essential for staying true to the faith…

Brothers = Family (continuing in the faith involves the family) - Isolated from church family people wander from the truth

How people respond to being brought back will determine whether or not they are truly brothers.

Wander from the truth = (believing something wrong, or not believing something right - or conduct that denies the truth of the gospel - which ultimately is or becomes a belief issue).

Someone Brings him back “whoever” not just pastors - the whole community is a part of this = People bring back wanderers (God uses people)

Sinner is a professing Christian - who is wandering - he may be a genuine believer (primary identity is a saint but wandering) -

What’s at stake? Saving his Soul from Death and a multitude of Sins = bringing him back into the truth of the gospel - Outside of the Gospel there is no Salvation No Covering of sin…

Human beings save souls and cover sins - the significance of the community --- The ax is cutting down the tree & the human being is cutting down the tree - God is the agent - the church is the tool!

Perseverance of the saints:

We are justified by Faith (already explained in James) no works you can do to save you - yet true faith moves you in the real world -

whoever is saved will be glorified - no one get’s droped out

those

No one will be glorified/ finally saved who does not continue in the faith , , .

God himself will keep his children from falling away - , God is faithful

God keeps his children by means of his children

God has ordained that all of his elect will be saved and will be covered and to keep us to the end he has placed us in his family —