James 5:20 KJV
[20] “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.”
The sinner in our text is a believer, not an unbeliever. Sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. We expect unbelievers to sin, but God expects His children to obey His Word, and He will chasten His children whenever they fail to do so.
We should always attempt to win the lost, but we must not forget the brother who has strayed from God. It is easy to talk about those who have fallen into sin, but God wants us to help them. Gossip has never rescued anyone from their sinful path. If we care about our brother, we should pray for him and try to minister to him.
Think about the gain of helping one who has fallen away. That person will experience the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death. When a brother or sister refuses to get right with God, they are heading for destruction. They will check out of this world early if they do not repent. We must do our part to warn them before it is too late.
Sometimes a believer may think that he has gone too far into sin. He may feel the church would not accept him back, even if he wanted to get right with God. The Devil has a way of convincing some to keep on sinning because they could never be what they once were for God. We must express love and remind the wayward brother that forgiveness is available if he will return. We need to let him see the love of Christ in us as a church family. That does not mean we condone what he is doing, but if he is willing to repent, we will rejoice and be glad. That is what happened when the prodigal son came home in the book of Luke. I challenge everyone to find a wayward believer and carry a burden for him to return to the fold.