Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does James Chapter 5 mean?

The final chapter of the book of James includes three distinct sections.

First, James pronounces the coming doom of certain rich landowners, who were oppressing the poverty-stricken Christians. He calls on wealthy people to start weeping and wailing now in anticipation of their coming misery. In fact, it will come so quickly James writes as if it has already happened. This is a common technique used in Bible prophecy, such as in the book of Obadiah (Obadiah 1:3–7). Under this perspective, their riches have rotted, their expensive clothes are moth-eaten, and their silver and gold has corroded (James 5:1–3).

James lays out the charges against these wealthy antagonists. These are crimes they will pay for when God’s judgment comes on the day of the Lord. According to this passage, these selfish people have hoarded wealth while others suffered in poverty. They have cheated their workers out of earned wages. They have lived in luxury while others lived in squalor. They have used their influence in a rigged court system to take more from the poor—even to kill the innocent (James 5:4–6).

James’s warning is dire: God has noticed, and their judgment is coming.

Then James turns back to his oppressed Christian readers in their suffering. He urges them to stay patient as they wait. The day of the Lord, the very same one that their oppressors should be dreading, is one they can look forward to. It will come. The Lord is standing at the door and ready.

According to James, his readers must be patient, like farmers who wait through the rainy seasons for the harvest to be ready. They must strengthen their hearts, stand firm in their faith, and refuse to give into grumbling against each other in their suffering. Instead, they should follow the example of the Old Testament prophets and Job, who remained faithful to God through great suffering and persecution. Then, as now, God knows what His people are going through. He is still compassionate and merciful. He will reward those who are faithful (James 5:7–12).

James opened his letter by commanding believers to count all struggles as “joy.” His intent was not for Christians to pretend to be happy, but simply to realize that God could bring good out of every situation. Now, James closes out his letter by encouraging believers to demonstrate their faith in God by praying in response to every circumstance. Are you in trouble? James says you should pray. Are you cheerful? Sing songs of praise, he says. Are you sick, or spiritually weak? Involve the community by asking the elders to pray for you, anointing you with oil, and the Lord will raise you up; your sins will be forgiven (James 5:13–15).

James makes it clear that the community of Christians should take responsibility for each other. They should confess their sins to each other—so those brothers and sisters can pray for one another’s strength to overcome those sins. Healing will follow. Prayer is powerful and effective. God hears and responds. James often repeats the idea that what a person does reflects what he believes. So, those who believe prayer works should pray (James 5:16–18)!

Finally, people who are in the community of Christ should make an attempt to go and rescue those who have wandered away and into sin. They have the opportunity to save souls from death (James 5:19–20).

Chapter Context
Prior chapters in this letter focused on the relationship between beliefs and actions, and how to practically apply the concepts of Christianity. In chapter 4, James called his Christian readers to repent of their worldliness and turn back to closeness with God. Now in the last chapter of his letter, James addresses three things: He pronounces to the rich oppressors of the Christians that their judgment is coming on the day of the Lord. He urges those suffering under that oppression to remain patient, strong in their faith, as they wait for the day of the Lord. And he encourages all Christians to show their faith in God by praying in response to every circumstance.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

James begins a new section of his letter in which he harshly condemns “you rich” people. He begins by warning them of misery headed their way. They should start weeping and wailing now in anticipation of it, he says. Jesus offered a similar warning to wealthy people in Luke 6:24–25: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry…”

This raises a reasonable question: Is every wealthy person unrighteous and evil? Is James condemning the very possession of wealth? The answer is no, because that’s not the teaching of this passage, nor the rest of Scripture. In James 1:10, he offers instruction to wealthy Christians about how to evaluate their lives. Paul does the same, even more clearly, in 1 Timothy 6:17. The condemnation here is not for wealth, itself, but for those whose wealth causes them to fall into the sins James will describe in upcoming verses.

Most commentators agree that the wealthy landowners James singles out were non-Christians. Speaking to Christians in chapter 4, James called those still following the world’s path to repentance and humility. He reminded those people to fully receive the grace of God. In this section, James offers none of that. He simply condemns these rich oppressors with the voice of an Old Testament prophet predicting their doom. So, these wealthy people were unbelievers who used their wealth to harm others. Importantly, it also included those who did not use their wealth to help others (James 4:17). Specifically, they used their wealth to oppress the poor Christians James has been addressing.

So how should modern Christians read this section? First, we should be comforted by James’s words that God will not allow injustice to go unpunished. But we should also hear a warning in James’s condemnation: The temptation to trust wealth instead of God is a trap, and most of us are vulnerable to it.

Context Summary
James 5:1–6 has a tone similar to that of an Old Testament prophet pronouncing the coming judgment on a group of people. This includes describing the ruin of these people as if it has already occurred. James lays out the charges against the rich landowners who were oppressing the poor. These crimes include selfishness, abuse of their workers, and indifference. Those rich sinners should start weeping and wailing now; their judgment was coming on the day of the Lord.

Verse 2. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

James continues his condemnation of the group of rich people who had been oppressing James’s Christian readers. This is done in a style similar to that of Old Testament prophets. In the previous verse, James told these selfish people to begin wailing in anticipation of the misery coming their way. Here, he says their wealth is as good as rotted away and their expensive garments are as good as moth-eaten rags.

James’s point in this section is not to condemn all wealthy people, or all wealth. Rather, James is targeting a particular group of people. These are those rich people who have allowed their wealth to control them and warp their minds. The most tempting failure for those with wealth is to trust their material riches, rather than God (Matthew 19:23–24). When their wealth is gone, what will they have left? Given the brevity and unpredictable nature of life (James 4:13–14), their wealth and the things they purchased with it are already as good as gone.

This is especially true of those who use their riches only for selfish purpose, or who abuse others with what they have.

Verse 3. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

James continues his harsh condemnation of wealthy non-Christians who had been oppressing the poor. This includes abuse against the very Christians James is writing to. He warns these rich oppressors that their wealth is as good as gone, including their gold and silver.

James’s attention is on the day of God’s judgment against these wealthy oppressors. The misuse of their gold and silver will testify against them, according to this symbolic description of corrosion. Instead of using their stockpiles of precious metals to help the poor, they just hoarded the money until it began to waste away. When God rules against them, their own flesh will be eaten away by fire in the same way the corrosion has eaten away their gold and silver.

Without doubt, this is a harsh and cutting pronouncement. James offers no grace from God for these unrepentant unbelievers. They will be condemned for their greed and selfishness. They are guilty of laying up earthly treasure for themselves in the last days instead of spending it to help those in need.

James echoes Jesus’ own teaching: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Verse 4. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

James continues his criticism of wealthy landowners who had been oppressing the poor, including James’s Christian readers. He had written of a coming judgment in which they would be condemned. They would be punished for hoarding wealth while so many suffered in great need. James phrases much of this as if it had already happened, which is a common technique seen in the Old Testament.

Here, James charges these abusive rich men not just with neglect and selfishness, but with outright fraud. These wealthy businessmen cheated their own employees out of the wages they had earned working in the fields. In the Old Testament Law, employers were commanded to pay their laborers at the end of the work day, because the workers needed the money and they might cry out to the Lord if cheated by their employer (Deuteronomy 24:15). James describes the unpaid money itself as crying out against the oppressive landowners, along with the voices of the workers.

The landowners should be sure of this: Those voices have reached the Lord of Hosts. That name, “Lord of Hosts”, is one often used throughout Scripture in association with God’s judgment. The Lord commands powerful armies, and He is coming for you, James is saying.

Verse 5. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

James continues his condemnation of the wealthy landowners who had been oppressing the poor, including James’s Christian readers. In this verse he uses sharp, cutting imagery to drive home the reality of the coming judgment. In a time of great need, these wealthy people had lived out lives of luxury and self-indulgence. They had used their wealth to provide for themselves the easiest, softest lives possible. In doing so, they had fattened themselves, or their hearts, for the day of slaughter. And they had done this while not only ignoring the plight of others (James 5:3), but while abusing them in order to become even richer (James 5:4).

Most of James’s first-century readers had firsthand experience seeing an animal fattened over time, in order to be slaughtered for food or sacrifice. These wealthy unbelievers had fattened themselves with luxury, just in time to be symbolically slaughtered in judgment. Their sin seemed pleasant at the time, but it was just setting them up for a more dramatic fall later on.

This supports the idea that James is not condemning wealth or all rich people. Rather, he is criticizing the sinful temptations that come with wealth: selfishness and greed.

Verse 6. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

James offers his final charge against the wealthy oppressors he has been condemning: murder. Not only were they guilty of hoarding wealth while others suffered in poverty, of cheating their workers out of earned wages, and of living in self–indulgent luxury, they had literally caused an innocent—or righteous—man to die.

Wealthy landowners had great power in the court systems of the day. Unfortunately, then as now, court systems can be a rigged game. The wealthy can drag poor people into court on charges, legitimate or not. And with little resources to defend themselves in a corrupt system, the poor are mostly helpless against such tactics. In James’s era in particular, a poor man who was sued would usually lose what little they had left. As a result, they may have been unjustly executed or simply left to die of starvation.

With that, James concludes his condemnation of these wealthy, non-Christian oppressors.

What should we, as Christians, take away from this? Scripture does not teach that possessing wealth is in itself a sin. Obviously, not all wealthy people oppress others, and many Christians in the world today possess great riches. Having said that, the Bible does warn against the trap of desiring to become rich (1 Timothy 6:9–10) and of trusting in riches once you possess them (1 Timothy 6:17–19).

Verse 7. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

In the prior passage, James condemned rich unbelievers who were oppressing James’s often poverty-stricken Christian readers. Here, he turns to encourage these suffering believers. He urges them to be patient as they wait for the coming of the Lord. According to worldly perspectives, their wealthy oppressors appeared to be winning. The rich were comfortable. According to the standards of the world, they had succeeded in every way that mattered.

But, according to James, the day of the Lord—or the “day of slaughter” (James 5:5)—was coming. James had written that these rich people should start crying now in anticipation of the misery headed their way. But to those trusting in Christ, however little money and status they had in this life, James offers that same fact as comfort: The day of the Lord is coming. Be patient while you wait for Him to keep His promise.

Waiting is hard when you’re suffering. James uses the analogy of a farmer for encouragement. He asks his readers to think of how hardworking farm hands have to wait for the payoff of their efforts. All of the struggle and strain, through all the stages of the growing season, eventually lead to the glorious harvest. Be patient like that, James says. The harvest will come.

Context Summary
James 5:7–12 shifts focus from the condemnation of the rich oppressors, back to encouragement of the Christians these abusers were hurting. James urges believers to remain patient and strong in their faith. The day of the Lord is coming. They must not turn on each other, but they should be challenged and encouraged by the examples of the Old Testament prophets and Job who remained faithful to God through great suffering.

Verse 8. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

In this passage, James is urging his oppressed Christian readers to be patient as they wait for the coming of the Lord. In the previous verse, he pointed to the example of farmers. These hardworking people wait through the long, arduous growing seasons for the crop to finally become ready to harvest.

Be like those farmers, James writes. The harvest is close. The coming of the Lord is near. James tells his readers to strengthen or establish their hearts. His instruction for them is not to waver, when they’re so close to receiving God’s promise.

We cannot control the timing of the day of the Lord. However, James’s instruction here makes it clear that we can control how we respond to the waiting. The reality of God’s promise—His pledge to rescue us and make things right—gives us the ability to stand strong, even when our circumstances have not yet changed.

Verse 9. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

In the previous verses, James urged his oppressed Christian readers to remain patient while waiting for the coming of the Lord. James understands the difficulty in this request. There are times when it appears the oppressors are winning, and injustice will be left unpunished. It seems sometimes as if the suffering would never end. And yet, believers have the promise that the day of the Lord is coming soon! On that day, everything will be judged and made right.

So, James writes, these suffering believers must strengthen their hearts. Don’t waver now, James says. Remain patient.

In the meantime, conflict between them was evidence that they were not being strong in their waiting. James warns his Christian readers not to grumble against each other, which shows a lack of trust in God. The fact that the day of the Lord will come soon means that the Judge is standing at the door. Don’t risk His judgment by giving in to the pressure of your suffering and turning on each other.

This echoes what James wrote to these same believers about their fighting and quarreling in chapter 4. The temptation to go back and live according to the world’s wisdom grows stronger with our suffering, and the result is always greater conflict between us.

Verse 10. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James is urging his oppressed Christian readers to remain patient in their suffering. They must refuse to give in to the pressure to turn on each other. Instead, they should continue to believe God’s promise that the day of the Lord is coming and all will be made right.

Previously, James offered the example of the farmer’s patience as he waits for the harvest. Here, James offers the example of the Old Testament prophets. These men delivered God’s messages, which often included warnings of God’s coming judgment. Many years could go by without those warnings coming to pass, and the prophets often suffered great persecution while they waited for God to keep His word.

These men remained patient in their suffering, James insisted, trusting God to sustain them through it until the promise was kept, or the suffering was over. We should do the same.

Hidden in this encouragement is a truth that James’s readers surely would not have missed: Many of the Jewish prophets died while waiting for the Lord’s promise. Predictions of the Messiah, for example, were not fulfilled until centuries later. This is a key perspective, because James is not promising that God will necessarily deliver his readers and make all things right before they die. He is urging them to remain faithful, as the prophets did, all the way through this life and into the reward of eternity.

That doesn’t mean that the day of the Lord cannot come before our earthly lives run out. Rather, it means this promise from God is not earthly, but eternal. This life is short by definition; God calls us to wait in patience and strength, trusting Him all of the way through it, no matter our circumstances.

Verse 11. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

James continues to urge his oppressed Christian readers to remain faithful to God. He calls on persecuted believers to trust Him in their suffering as they wait for the day of the Lord. In the previous verse, he encouraged them to follow the example of the Old Testament prophets who remained faithful to deliver God’s message through the difficult circumstances of their own lives.

The goal of worldliness is to avoid suffering. It’s the quest to get everything you want in life, no matter what it costs, no matter who it hurts. James makes it clear that the goal for Christians is different. We consider faithfulness to God despite suffering a mark of success. James uses the Greek word makarizomen, which literally means “to count as blessed, or happy, or successful.” This praise is given to those who continue to demonstrate their trust in God by obedience and service to others.

Now James points to another example of this kind of faithfulness-despite-suffering. Some would say this is, in fact, the ultimate example. This story is told in the book of Job. Job was a man who endured enormous suffering while refusing to renounce his faith in God. In the end, God rewarded him by restoring all he had lost and giving him much, much more. Suffering Christians in every era should follow Job’s example of faithfulness to God in their physical and emotional suffering, and every believer in Jesus should also expect, ultimately, to receive from God far more than we have ever lost.

The verse ends with a declaration about God’s character: He is full of compassion, and He is merciful. God’s character doesn’t change. God’s goodness is not greater when our circumstances are better, and lesser when we are suffering. He always has compassion for His people in our suffering, and He is always merciful to those in Christ, now and forever.

We must remind ourselves of that truth when the suffering becomes long and difficult to bear.

Verse 12. But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

This verse feels like an odd fit at this point in chapter 5. It doesn’t smoothly follow from what James had been writing about remaining faithful to God in suffering, and it doesn’t naturally flow into James’s teaching on prayer in the next few verses. However, this seems to be part of James intent. It’s an important point, and it needs to be emphasized clearly.

He begins by saying “above all,” indicating that this is a big deal. He then repeats, nearly word for word, Jesus’ command about taking oaths as recorded in Matthew 5:34–37. When James writes that we must not “swear,” he isn’t talking about using coarse language. Nor is he speaking, necessarily, about using God’s name as a cuss word. He is talking about a practice that was apparently common in this era: taking an oath to convince someone either that you were telling the truth or that you would keep a promise.

We might think of saying to someone, “I swear on a stack of Bibles that I’m not lying,” or “I swear on my mother’s grave that I’ll pay you next Thursday.” Jesus forbid Christians from doing this, and James confirmed that teaching. The issue appears to be about honesty. Truthfulness should be the absolute norm for those who trust in Christ. Our simple yes or no should be completely binding since deception is never an option for us. If an oath is required to convince someone of our honesty or intent to be faithful, it suggests we may not be known for telling the truth in other circumstances.

It’s likely that the taking of oaths had become a way of manipulating people or allowing wiggle room to get out of some kinds of contracts. James is definite: For those in Christ, dishonesty is never an option. No oaths required. Some Christians have read this command as forbidding them from taking oaths in legal settings such as courts of law or military service, but most believers see it as only a limit on personal oaths, especially those used for purposes of deception or manipulation.

Verse 13. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

In concluding his letter, James encourages his readers to respond to all of the circumstance of their lives with prayer. That’s what people who trust God do. This is a consistent theme of James’s letter: a person’s actions prove what they really believe.

So, any Christian who is suffering or who is in trouble should naturally be inclined to pray. James’s letter began with teaching on how people who trust God should respond to their trials. Trials will come. Suffering will come. When it comes, it provides an opportunity to move closer to God, asking for help, asking for strength to remain faithful in the suffering.

A lack of prayer in response to trouble should be a spiritual warning sign. It’s a symptom of a person who is not living in dependence on God. Another dangerous signal is not being quick to sing songs of praise to Him when we feel cheerful or happy. Prayer should become the natural response to any circumstance or state of mind for people living in a close trust relationship with our Father.

If prayer doesn’t come naturally to us, James calls us to do it anyway. Whether it feels awkward or as normal as breathing, prayer is a key way that believers express their faith in God.

Context Summary
James 5:13–20 closes out the letter by encouraging those who believe in God to show it. This is most readily shown by praying in response to every circumstance. We should pray for ourselves, praise God, and invite the spiritual leaders of our churches to pray for us when we are sick, or spiritually weak. Healing will follow; sins will be forgiven. We should confess sins to each other so we can pray for strength for each other to overcome sin. Prayer works; God hears and responds. If we really believe this is true, our behavior will reflect it.

Verse 14. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Verse 14 and 15 have been the source of controversy among Christians. The question James is asking is how should believers respond when we are “sick,” and what result should we expect when we take action. Most translations render the Greek word asthenei here as “sick,” and many Bible scholars agree that James has in mind a physical illness. Some scholars, however, suggest that James is referring to a spiritual weakness or lack of faith. The Greek word is sometimes translated in that or a similar sense (e.g., Romans 5:6). The word carries mostly a sense of weakness, or being feeble.

If James has spiritual weakness in mind, his instruction is directed at someone who does not feel firm in his faith. This might be because of ongoing suffering or some other cause. Such a person should call for the elders—the spiritual leaders—of the church to pray for him. This instruction comes with the promise that the Lord will reestablish his faith. And, that any sin responsible for his spiritual weakness will be forgiven.

The other possibility is that James simply means for someone with a physical illness to do the same, with the promise of eventual physical healing and the assurance of forgiveness of sins. Whatever the case, the elders are called to anoint this unwell person with oil in the name of the Lord.

To anoint someone with oil in the culture of the time meant to pour oil over them for one of four possible purposes. Oil was sometimes used in the ancient world as a general medicinal cure. At other times, it was used to express concern, as a physical demonstration of emotional care for a person. Or it’s possible that James meant for the oil to be part of a sacrament of healing or a physical symbol that someone was being set apart for God’s purposes.

Whatever the specific answers are to these questions, we can all agree on several things from this verse: First, God doesn’t intend for Christians to suffer alone. Nor does He want them to pray for themselves in private without ever revealing their problems. Second, God does intend for the spiritual leaders of local churches to be ready and willing to pray together for the struggling people in their congregations.

James continues to explore this idea in verse 15.

Verse 15. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Verse 15 must be read in context with verse 14 to be fully understood. Grasping that verse, and its meaning, is crucial to understanding what James is and is not saying in this passage. In verse 14, James instructed those who are “weak”—probably spiritually but possibly physically—to call for the elders or spiritual leaders of their local church. Those elders should both pray over that person and anoint that person with oil.

Here, in verse 15, James describes the expected result to that “prayer offered in faith” by the elders: The Lord will raise the person up. Any sins he has committed will be forgiven. If these two verses are describing a person who is physically ill, the promise is of a physical healing. If they are describing a person struggling with a weak faith, the promise is for a restored trust in God. In either case, if the cause of the problem is because of sin in that person’s life, that sin will be forgiven.

Any verse that seems to be offering an unconditional promise of physical healing, even in response to a prayer of faith, may well cause confusion. Will every person who follows these specific steps in this specific order be healed of any illness at any time?

It’s a delicate question, but the promise of the verse requires us to look at the language closely. When the elders of the church pray on behalf of this person with sincere faith, while anointing him or her with oil, the Lord will raise this person up. The promise doesn’t seem to suggest when or how God will raise him up. Perhaps it will be immediate. Perhaps it will be in eternity, which is certainly a less satisfying answer. In any case, the believer in Christ will always be raised eventually and forever, we can be assured.

James’s larger point is that Christians should not suffer in private. We should pray, yes, but we should also get others to pray for us. And we should expect God to answer.

Verse 16. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James continues encouraging his readers to express their dependence on God. This is done by participating in prayer. In previous verses, he has asked them to respond to trouble by praying to God, to respond to cheerfulness by singing songs of praise, and to respond to illness or spiritual weakness by calling for elders of the church pray for them.

Here in verse 16, James writes that it should be common practice for Christians to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other, so that we may be healed. As in the previous verses, some Bible scholars read the word “healed” here as a reference to healing from physical illness. Others understand it to mean healing from discouragement and spiritual weakness. In either case, this healing requires two things from Christians.

We are both to confess our sins to each other, and to pray for each other. James offers no details about what this should look like in practice. Are we to stand before the church congregation and announce all our sins from the prior week? That seems unlikely. More likely, James has in mind the idea of Christians being in close relationship with several other Christians. We need fellow believers with whom we can be vulnerable. In that setting, each could acknowledge to the other what sins are most difficult for them, and all could pray for each other to overcome those sins.

It seems likely, in the modern world, that very few Christians are practicing this in any specific way. We’re just too afraid to be that vulnerable. James’s command is for us, as much as it’s for his original readers. The church would be far healthier if more of us prayed for each other, in family love, to overcome our specific sins. After all, James writes, prayer works. God listens and responds. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective because God hears and takes action.

Verse 17. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

In the previous verse, James wrote that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Now he offers the example of the prayer of Elijah. Elijah was a prophet of God, but even so he was nothing more than a fallible, mortal, limited human man. And yet, when he prayed that it would not rain, it didn’t rain.

Of course, neither James’s readers nor modern Christians easily think of Elijah as just an ordinary man. He was used by God to do amazing, miraculous things. This, though, is part of James’s point. Elijah’s power came from God, in response to Elijah’s prayers.

There is no logical or spiritual reason for Christians not to pray, even when the situation seems dire. Why should we doubt that God can do powerful things in response to our prayers? We’re not relying on some power within ourselves. We’re not conjuring magic; we’re asking God, and He is the one who is acting.

Verse 18. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

This verse concludes James’s thought which he began in the previous verse. James has been using the example of Elijah’s prayer. Elijah was, ultimately, just a mortal man. And yet, his prayer was powerful and effective. Prayer works, but not because of the power of the one who prays. It works because God hears, and responds with all of His power and effectiveness.

The event James references is found in the book of 1 Kings, chapters 17 and 18. God stopped and started the rain in highly dramatic fashion in response to Elijah’s obedient prayers. The story is definitely worth reading.

James’s larger point is that people who trust God, pray in response to all of life’s circumstances. We pray for ourselves. We pray for each other. We pray for healing. We pray for others to overcome their sin. God receives all of those prayers and responds to them in love and out of His great power and goodness.

Verse 19. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

James comes to the conclusion of his letter with a challenge to his readers: make an attempt to bring back those among you who have wandered from the truth. He refers to men and women who were once part of the Christian community who have lost their way. Perhaps he has in mind believers who became spiritually weak. Perhaps these were never true believers in Christ, at all, but merely part of the community. In either case, they’ve wandered away after false ideas.

James doesn’t address how the faithful ones might accomplish this rescue, only that they should try. Even reaching out to someone who has wandered from God’s truth, with grace and compassion, is sometimes enough to bring them back into the community. Certainly, James has encouraged prayer for each other, as well as a focus on meeting each other’s practical needs for food and clothing.

In any case, the attempt to reach and restore these sinful wanderers should be made with great love and concern for their souls. James is not speaking of condemnation, judgment, or arrogance. He’s speaking of a sincere interest—a loving effort—to help someone else.

Verse 20. let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Verse 20 completes a thought James began in the prior verse. In verse 19, he stated that if one of his readers would go and bring back a former member of their community who has wandered from God’s truth, that rescuing Christian should understand what’s at stake. Those wandering ones have walked away from truth and into sin. What they now believe is error. They are trusting a lie that is leading them away from the path of faith in God. If they can be turned back, they—or their soul—will be saved from death and their many sins will be covered over.

Reading this verse, even today, a question remains: whether these wandering ones are true Christians or people who were drawn to the Christian community, but never placed their faith in Christ. Some commentators suggest that since their souls will be saved from death, which is likely eternal death, these must be unbelievers who wandered toward Christ and then away from Him without ever crossing over into a sincere commitment of faith.

Other commentators suggest that perhaps these are genuine Christians who will be saved from actual, physical death in this life if they can be turned back to walking in faith in God. This would suggest that, for the good of themselves and others, God is willing to end the temporary, physical life of a believer who has rebelled against Him.

Still other teachers would suggest that these people wandering into sin were genuine Christians who are in danger of losing their salvation. That option does not seem to be consistent with the teaching of the rest of Scripture. The salvation we have in Christ is secure. For that reason, the first two options—or some combination—are the reasonable way to interpret this passage.

Book Summary
The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer’s life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus’ half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus’ birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.

End of Chapter 5 and the book of James.

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