James 5:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Jeremiah says the same: "If you bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth" (Jer 15:19). For everyone who proclaims the words of God becomes the mouth of God.

For what does He say? "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Mt 10:20). Therefore through David He also forbids the sinner to declare His statutes (Ps 49:16).

He who rejoices at the fall of the pious falls twice. But he who turns a man "from the error of his way" will be saved.

Deliver your brother from sin, and the Lord will deliver you in the day of wrath. Do not agree with your brother in sin, but rather deliver him from sin, that your soul may live in the Lord.

He who proclaims to sinners, in order to turn them away from sins, saves his own soul from death, even if they are not converted.

If it is worth a great reward to snatch the flesh from death when it is about to die, how great a recompense it is to free a soul from death, so that it may live without end in the heavenly homeland.

Earlier blessed James urged that the imperfect, and those who seek teaching out of vainglory, be removed from the work of teaching. Now he teaches those who go out to preach that they must act only from brotherly love and for the salvation of their neighbor.

As a physician, you heal the passions and diseases of souls that are sick. As a shepherd, you bring back those who have gone astray.

If such is the reward from the all-good God for one who converts even a single man, what blessedness have you acquired, O Basil?

What burden of sin have you abolished, by turning from the error of idolatrous delusion not one man, nor ten, nor a city, but this whole region?

"He will save a soul." Many manuscripts, for example the Sinaitic, add "his," αΰτοΰ. The Vulgate has ejus.

This addition indicates the saving character of the sinner's conversion to the way of truth.

But since the one who saves a sinner from error performs a great feat worthy of reward in heaven, at the same time he also saves his own soul.

He covers not only the sins of the fallen brother, but also merits forgiveness of sins for himself.

Thus, contrary to the opinion of certain newer sectarians, who imagine themselves perfect and consider the mystery of Repentance entirely unnecessary for themselves, the apostle directly affirms several truths.

"The one who turns him back," that is, if someone happens to turn such a straying person again to the true path.

If, having recognized the falsehood and error of his new faith, way of life, thought, and activity, such a person returns again to Christian truth through exhortations, persuasions, instructions, and guidance, then the one who turns him back will save a soul from death.

Whose soul will he save? Without doubt, the soul of the one who had gone astray.

If the straying person continued along his false path, that path would lead him to spiritual death. Compare Jas 1:15.

It would lead him into alienation from God, the source of life and immortality.

In themselves, these words of the Apostle James are entirely clear and understandable. Yet we must notice and understand from them the surpassing value, in God's eyes, of works of mercy that are specifically spiritual.

Speaking earlier about works of mercy toward the poor and needy, the apostle says only that these works must be the natural fruit of our living and active faith. See Jas 1:27; 2:14-17.

Here, however, he directly promises the covering of a multitude of sins and the salvation of a soul from death for returning a sinner to the path of truth and virtue.

Thus it certainly is, by the very nature of the matter. As much as the soul is more precious than the body, so works of spiritual mercy must be higher and more precious than works of bodily mercy.

Finally, the apostle commands not only that we pray for one another, but that we assist one another's salvation in every way.

He reminds us that both the one saving and the one being saved mutually save their souls and receive forgiveness of sins.

"Love covers all sins," said the ancient Wise Man. See Prov 10:12.

But one of the foremost manifestations of love is the conversion of a sinner, who was dead and is alive again, who was lost and is found. See Lk 15:32.

In his epistle, the Apostle James himself gives an example of zealous conversion of the lost to the right path.

At the same time he calls others to a similar good work, showing them that in this good work they will find great consolation for themselves.