Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 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. James 5:19 -20
Finally, as members of God’s beloved family, we must go after the one who wanders from the truth and bring him back. For the one who restores the sinning believer back to God from the error of his way, gives back to his soul life from the dead, and covers over countless sins by their demonstration of love! TPT
A “multitude of sins” is a three-word phrase occurring two times in the KJV of the Bible (Jas 5:20 & I Pet 4:8). These two occurrences do not refer to the sins of people who have never known God or have never tasted of the goodness of God’s mercy, grace and love. These sins spoken of are the sins of believers living in or out of the church. The question to ask is: Why is this such a big deal? What is so important about the elimination of a bunch of sins, especially the sins of those who once walked with the Lord and who lived an overcoming life? God thought it important that James and Peter mention in their writings that the eradication of this mass of sin be given special attention. Let’s take a look into this.
Restoration – The Premier Work of God
Before, we begin, there is a foundational work of God that needs discussing. As one writer so aptly articulated, God’s “greatest glory” is displayed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. There is simply no other thing in all of creation greater than what the sinless, spotless, precious, priceless, perfect, and powerful blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, accomplished on the cross, and the subsequent work of forgiveness when one repents of their sins.
The Lord sent prophet after prophet to Israel in an attempt to arrest their attention to their sinful condition in the hope of true repentance and restoration. The phrase “Return unto me” was the cry of Isaiah (Isa 44:22), Jeremiah (Jer 4:1, 15:19, 24:7), and Malachi (Mal 3:7). The Lord is still in the restoration business. In fact, restoration is the one purpose and reason why God created us in the first place. How is that? Because of one thing – the blood of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the heaven and the earth. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that holds everything in Heaven and earth together:
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8
And they shall worship him, all who dwell upon the earth, whose name does not stand written in the scroll of the life belonging to the Lamb who has been slain since the time when the foundations of the universe were laid, and who is looked upon as the slain Lamb at present. (Wuest)
What does all this mean? It means God takes sin very seriously, even the multitude of sins overshadowing His people. We all know sin separates us from God. God is holy and he will not continue to work in lives where there is unrepentant sin (Gen 6:3; Isa 59:2; Eze 18:4, 20; Jas 1:15). The Lord takes pleasure in three things; those who fear Him (Psa 147:11), who prosper in Him (Psa 35:27), and who fellowship with Him (Rev 4:11). This tells us that God is displeased when He cannot commune with us. This frustrates the Lord. Here is why.
God’s Gifts & Callings Are Forever
We do know the gifts and callings of God are irretractable (Rom 11:29). As far as God is concerned, once a gift is imparted, it is forever. There is a story of a prodigal, the son of a godly mother who prayed incessantly for her wayward child. He said he was amazed over an incident in his life when he was walking out of a barroom. A friend passed by and asked him to pray for him and for his healing. The man sensed the gift of healing residing somewhere in that prodigal’s soul that continued to shine through his darkened, sin-filled life. This is an example of a gift of God that could not be hidden, even in a marred vessel living outside of God’s will.
The precious blood of Jesus is not only for those sinning in the world. God is concerned about sin wherever it is, and more so for those involving his church. Which is the focus of this discussion. That being said, one is wise to be careful how they treat God’s anointed (King David thought so (1Sam 24:6, 10, 26:11, 16, 23)). And everyone who has ever been born of the water and of the Spirit is anointed of God. And it’s good to remember, it’s not We, but He who has called us (Jer 7:13; Jhn 6:44; Gal 1:6; 1Pe 2:9, 5:10). Which leads us to the following diversion.
The Fuel that Drives the Religion of Self
Let’s digress here for a moment. Things are about to get a little “rocky” here and you may want to skip this section if you are easily offended. However, what is written is true and is worth mentioning.
We can think pretty highly of ourselves at times and believe we really have it all together with “this God thing”. When in actuality, the best of us are simply sinners saved by the grace and mercy of God. We can do NOTHING without the Lord. It is only his mercy that we are all not simply annihilated from the face of the earth.
Now for the offensive piece. There is an innate perverse, guttural, almost diabolical propensity burned within our nature that relishes seeing another person suffer as a result of either their own sins or the recipient of the sins laid on them by others. The fuel that spun the pistons and crankshafts of the “religious system” in Jesus’ day originated from an inner corruption that relished to see the pain and agony of another wallowing in their own sin (Jhn 8:3-4, 9:34; Luk 7:39) or the recipient of the sins of others.
You might say “That is harsh and an ignorant perception” (and you may just at this point click off this blog). Okay, before you do that, please read this first:
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. Mark 15:29-32
Enough said? Jesus was the recipient of such treatment. Jesus was sinless and took upon himself the weight of the sins of all humankind. And how do you think Jesus feels towards the individual who today treats others similarly or whose walk with him is motivated by such a mindset? I would not want to be that person.
Now back to the discussion.
The Church’s Impact on Sin on the Earth
We can oftentimes underestimate our impact on this world. Particularly the impact on sin. Jesus spoke about this topic to his disciples many times. But in one instance, Jesus revealed a very powerful statement regarding his church’s position in wielding power over sin on the earth:
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. John 20:23
The following statement is a good explanation of this verse: “They who believed on the Son of God, in consequence of their preaching, had their sins remitted; and they who would not believe were declared to lie under condemnation“. (Clarkes Commentary) Jesus empowered his church with the mission of preaching the Gospel, which is a mission in the forgiveness of sins. If the church’s witness is watered down by worldliness and its sword of the Spirit dulled because of sin, this directly impacts its effectiveness in remitting sin on the earth. This is one example of the power Jesus gifted to his church.
And this all ties back to the opening scripture regarding a multitude of sins. When a fallen, or a believer with a fault, repents of his or her sins, not only are their past and present sins forgiven, but also the potential of all the future sins forgiven by their influence (salt & light) in helping others overcome their own sins is added to the total! That is a lot of sins, a “multitude of sins”.
The Power of The Blood
What is the most valuable substance existing in creation? Dust from a distant galaxy? Rocks and crystals from a nearby planet? Rare earth metals and gems mined deep within the belly of the earth? Yes, you are correct. The precious, perfect, priceless, and powerful sinless blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the most valuable substance in all of Creation! The redemption of the soul through the precious blood of Jesus is the most magnificent display of the glory of God. For it can even wash away a multitude of sins.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Luke 15:22-23
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Galatians 6:1
Messes To Masterpieces 