Skip to content Saving a Soul from Death - Part A Sep 23 · 26 min ...more
Saving a Soul from Death - Part A
September 23, 2025 · 26 min
What should you do when someone wanders from the truth? Join us as Skip reveals the power of caring deeply—and stepping in to help bring them back.
Series Connect with Skip Heitzig Podcast September 23, 2025 · 26 min · Connect with Skip Heitzig Podcast
What should you do when someone wanders from the truth? Join us as Skip reveals the power of caring deeply—and stepping in to help bring them back. ...more Show the full description Show less What should you do when someone wanders from the truth? Join us as Skip reveals the power of caring deeply—and stepping in to help bring them back.
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Skip Heitzig ministers to over 15,000 people as senior pastor of Calvary Church in Albuquerque. He reaches out to thousands across the nation and throughout the
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0:01 Welcome to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We're so glad you've tuned in today. We believe there's no substitute for God's word, and that's why Connect with Skip exists, to bring clear verse by verse bible teaching into your0:13 life each week. To help you grow even deeper, we're offering a free resource this month called studying the bible. It's a practical 1 sheet download that will help you engage scripture with greater0:25 clarity and confidence. Download it now at connect with skip dot com when you sign up to receive Skip's weekly devotional, encouraging content delivered right to your inbox each week. Again,0:36 you can sign up and get your free resource at connect with skip dot com. Now here's today's message from pastor Skip.0:44 Back in the day when newspapers were sort of the standard form of communication, people would take out ads in newspapers. 1 curious ad showed up in the0:56 Marshfield, Wisconsin newspaper, and this was it. I don't know if you can read that. It says, for sale,1:07 parachute used once, never opened, and then a phone number. Now what's1:19 remarkable is who on earth would ever wanna buy a parachute that is a faulty 1? More than that, who would ever want to sell 1 to anybody? For1:31 what purpose would that be? There are certain occupations that are meant to save lives. Paramedics,1:43 EMT, doctor, firefighter, police, all of these are occupations that are meant to preserve, to save, to keep1:54 life. I'll add to that list another 1 ship captain. Captain of a ship is responsible for the souls aboard. Do some of you2:06 remember back in 20 12 when there was a cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, it was called. It was cruising off the coast in the Mediterranean, the coast of2:18 Italy. And it veered off course, struck a reef, began to take on water, and the boat listed to 1 side and began to sink.2:30 4200 souls aboard that ship. It was a catastrophe. What's remarkable about that is the captain, when he struck the2:42 reef, did nothing to help save the lives of his crew or the people aboard, but rather he abandoned ship. He left the boat.2:55 30 people lost their lives in that. The captain should have known. He did know, but he shirked his duty. He knew that his main3:06 task was to preserve life, to save life from death. I'm going to add to that list of firefighter and paramedic3:18 and ship captain another 1, the Christian, the Christian. We are surrounded by people who need rescuing in our world.3:31 People are sinking, and they need somebody to lower the life raft. They are free falling, and they need a parachute that works, that opens.3:44 The title of this message is Saving a Soul from Death because it's lifted right out of the text in James chapter 5 that we're about to read. Saving a soul3:55 from death. That is 1 of our tasks. It is what we are called to do. We exist on this earth for many purposes. 1 of them is4:07 for those who are wandering. We're we're here to pick up strays, if you will. And bring them home. Let's read the text and you'll get the gist4:19 of what James is saying, brethren. He concludes, brethren. If anyone among you wanders from the truth. And4:31 someone turns him back. Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death4:43 and cover a multitude of sins. That's a very abrupt ending. It is certainly not an ending like Paul the Apostle would4:54 write. He would say at least something like, see you later. These people greet you. He would have some closing benediction or salutation. James gives no5:06 benediction, no salutation, no fluff, no nonsense. It's what we would expect from James. Just kind of straightforward. I want to end on this note,5:18 period. In these 2 verses, these closing remarks of James, he is painting a picture. He is painting a picture of a wanderer, somebody who drifts5:30 away, walks away, strays away from truth. But he also paints a picture of somebody who notices that and cares enough5:42 to want to rescue that person. All of that is confined in these 2 closing verses. The question we should ask ourselves5:54 as we are about to unpack these thoughts is, do we care? Do we really care about such6:06 people? And if we say we do and we should say that, the next question is, how much do we care? Somebody once said, hate is not6:18 the opposite of love. Apathy is. Just being apathetic. Yeah, whatever. People make their own choices, do their own thing. Well, as we approach these6:30 last 2 verses. I'm going to give you 4 musts. MUSTS musts. 4 necessary ingredients to6:41 spiritual restoration. Now, let's begin with the first, and that is this. Restoration must be our plan.6:53 Restoration must be our plan. As we live in this world and see what we see and hear what we hear and are around the people we interact with, restoration must be our plan.7:06 I'm going to read these verses again with you, but I'm going to emphasize 3 words. You'll pick them out. Brethren, if anyone among you7:18 wanders from the truth and someone, someone turns him back, let him7:30 know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.7:42 I'm emphasizing the word someone, him, he. Why? Because these words describe a person who7:54 notices a need, sees a need. And the need is somebody is wandering away from the truth. They have strayed from the8:06 path. And this someone, this he, this him, or we could say this her, this she, this person cares.8:18 This someone that the text is mentioning becomes the agent of restoration, reclamation, revival, evangelism. The Bible word is8:29 reconciliation. Reconciliation, 1 of the great words of the New Testament. The Bible says in the book of Second Corinthians 58:41 that we have been reconciled to God through his son, and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation. What does that mean? Means bringing people back, bringing8:53 people in, giving them the right parachute, the life raft. Now, let's let's pause for a moment. These verses9:05 that we just read bring up an issue, a debate. You know that a lot of verses in the Bible are controversial. You know that. These are also very controversial. So there's9:17 an in house debate as to who is James thinking about when he talks about somebody wandering away from the truth. Well, and commentators are evenly9:29 divided on this. 1 would say it's the backslidden Christian who strays away from the truth once having known it. Others would say, no, it's the unsaved person who has yet to come9:41 to the truth. If we side with the first position that it's a backslidden Christian, we would do so because the text says, brethren. That's brothers and sisters,9:54 implied fellow Christians. Brethren, if anyone among you fellow believers wanders from the truth. So we would then10:06 infer that he is talking about believers who are genuine believers, but they stray away from the truth. They backslide. Others would argue and say, no, that can't be10:17 because true believers are kept by God and don't wander from the truth. They might wander from a truth. They might not have10:29 every understanding of all the truth as they grow in their Christian walk. But they will never wander from the truth. Moreover, they would say, in verse 20, it describes those10:41 wanderers as a sinner. And that is a very categorical term in the New Testament, almost always referring to the unbeliever who has yet to10:53 be converted. So if it's the first position that James is talking about the backslider, then what about the death11:05 that happens in verse 20? Will save a soul from death. Well, that could refer to physical death, that God would, in certain cases,11:17 intervene in a person's rebellion and in mercy kill them, taking them to heaven. Now, that's news to some of you, but it really shouldn't be because there are a few11:28 texts in the New Testament that point to that. In First Corinthians Chapter 11, let me read it to you, verse 30. Paul writes, for this reason, many are weak and sick among11:40 you and many sleep. That's a very nice way of saying they've kicked the bucket. They breathe their last. They have died. They sleep.11:52 If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world.12:03 This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, do you ever feel stuck when it comes to studying the Bible? Pastor Skip's book, How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It, shows you how to12:15 go from feeling intimidated by scripture to engaging it with joy and confidence. This helpful book is yours when you give 50 dollars or more to help keep this Bible teaching ministry going strong12:27 around the world. Request your copy of how to study the bible and enjoy it today at connect with skip dot com slash offer or call 809 2 2 18 88.12:39 Let's return now to today's message.12:41 Then there's that text in first John chapter 5 where he writes, if anyone sees a brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and he will give him life for12:53 those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to13:05 death. The inference is that in the Corinthian case, God disciplined sinning members of the Corinthian church, taking those erring believers to heaven in13:17 his mercy before they could go too far. However, if it's the second position that we hold to that James is not talking about13:28 wandering believers, but rather unbelievers, then the death that he writes about in verse 20 would definitely be not physical death, but spiritual death, what is called the13:40 second death. Revelation 21 verse 8, but the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers and idolaters13:52 and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. So we have a14:04 debate. We have a divide. We don't have a consensus. Some say James is talking about backsliding Christians. Others say, no, James is talking about unbelievers who have not yet become Christians. What are we to do14:16 about this debate? Very simply, in 1 hand, ignore it. What I mean is this. I'll put it better. We14:27 should care about both groups. We should care about both groups. Let's let's remove this from the theological debate and make it a practical mandate.14:40 Let's care about those who wander from the truth and backslide in their walk. But let's also care about those who have never come to faith. Both groups need love. Both groups need14:51 enlightenment. Both groups need forgiveness. We should care about both. Restoration should be our plan. Now, let's get back to this. Here's my best15:03 guess as to what he means. I don't think James is just talking about a backsliding Christian, a wayward Christian. I think he's talking about a fake Christian.15:16 In other words, somebody who thinks he is a Christian because he has come to church, he makes some kind of a profession of faith, but he is really an unbeliever. He's in the15:27 congregation. He comes to church frequently. He has made a profession of faith, but it's a faith that is short of genuine saving15:39 faith. You say, Skip, why do you think that? I think that because Jesus gave a story illustrating the kingdom. Remember in Matthew chapter 13, he said a15:51 man went out to sow some seed, and some seed fell on the walkway, the pathway, the wayside, 1 translation calls it. That's the footpath.16:04 And then he described later on, this is the heart where the word of God is sown. It is thrown in their direction. But he says, immediately16:16 Satan comes and snatches it away so it doesn't penetrate. Then he described in that parable the shallow heart. And the shallow heart16:28 is the seed that fell on the ground, and it was on rocky soil. So you have bedrock and a very thin shelf of dirt.16:41 So what happens is the seed will germinate very quickly. But because there's a rock shelf underneath it, the roots can't go down. So what happens and Jesus said this in his story is when the16:52 sun comes out and beats down upon that, it doesn't last. And our Lord explained that as these are people who receive the truth with great joy and17:04 emotion at first. But in a time of testing, he said, they fall away. And then he said, there are those who receive the17:15 truth, but their hearts are infested hearts. They are the seeds sown among the weeds. And as Jesus said, the cares of this world,17:27 the desire for riches, and the desire for other things choke that seed, and it is unfruitful. But then he said, there's the good heart, the17:39 fertile heart. The seed is sown in their heart, they produce fruit, some 30, some 60, some 100 fold. Not everybody's the same. Some grow faster than others, but all true believers17:51 bear some kind of fruit. So looking at that story, you have 4 groups of people. 3 of them are not genuine. 1 of them is. And in that 1 group that is, they're bearing fruit 30,18:03 60, and 100. Okay, so what are we to do about all these people? Here it is. Pretty simple. Here it is. Ready? Care about them.18:15 Just care about them. Look enough, long enough to see the plight that they are in, where they are going and care about them. Don't debate where they're at18:27 theologically care about them practically. Be the someone in the text. Be the he be the him. Even as Jesus described his own mission, he said, the son18:39 of man has come. And what he said to seek and to save those who are lost. Whatever degree of lostness that is, we need more people like that who see18:51 and desire and love people who are lost. Evangelism always begins with caring, with caring. I love that verse19:03 where it says, Jesus saw the multitude. And when he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them. It's hard for me to be compassionate in a19:15 crowd. I hate long lines. Put me on a freeway with lots of cars. I get annoyed with people. If you've ever watched me drive, you're going to say,19:26 amen. I come from the land of Disneyland, and I hate those long lines you have to wait in. But when Jesus saw the multitude, rather than being annoyed, he19:38 had compassion for them because they were like sheep having no shepherd. We need to take our cues from him or from Paul.19:50 Paul said, I have great heaviness and continued sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren who are Israelites according to the flesh.20:03 So just care. Ask God to help you care. It was JC Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool, who said, the highest form of selfishness is20:14 a man who's content to go to heaven alone. Well, at least I'm saved. Don't know about all those other jokers.20:26 Care, that's where it begins. Leading a person to Christ or back to Christ begins with loving that person in Christ. And 1 of the dangers for20:38 any church ever is that it begins to turn inward. The church becomes the local bless me club.20:50 The what about me association, the meet my need institution. Rather than learning and developing enough to learn how to care21:02 for the lost. So restoration must be our plan. Second, must. Admonition must be our21:14 call. Admonition must be our call. Now, as I read through these verses, if I'm reading them correctly, these verses imply that once somebody notices21:27 someone else wandering away from the truth, believer or unbeliever, that a caution is issued, that this someone gets involved and21:38 says something to the other person. An admonition is given. And that admonition, the caution, the involvement in that wandering21:49 life results in spiritual awakening, repentance. In the words of the prodigal don't you love that story of the prodigal son? As Jesus told it, it said, and when he22:01 came to himself I love that. He woke up. He came to himself. And he said, I'm going to return to my father. Obviously, James, the22:13 author of this book, has seen his share of spiritual wonders. He's watched people wander off from the faith, defect from the truth. He has seen, he has22:25 known those who, as described in 1 John chapter 2, they went out from us, but they were not really of us. Because had they really22:36 been of us, they never would have left us. So he has those in his mind as he's writing this, as he's closing this letter. He's thinking in his mind, I know those people. I22:48 remember those people. And I will just say, so do I. My mind's eye is filled with people I have loved, known, walked with, and even23:00 worked with who no longer or they say they no longer believe in the God of the Bible. They no longer believe in the Bible as the word of God. They no longer hold to Jesus Christ23:12 as their Savior. So if you see something, say something. If you are noticing that trend,23:24 do something about it. Say something. Admonish. Give them a caution. What you are doing is lowering the lifeboat because the cruise ship is sinking.23:36 What you are doing is giving out a parachute that works. If you see something, say something. Paul put it this way, second Corinthians 5, knowing therefore the terror of the23:48 Lord, we persuade men. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. I see something. I'm going to say something. I'm going to get involved. I'm going to23:59 say it. You may not like what you hear, but this is what I'm going to say. So. Let me give you a couple of practical things to do at this point.24:12 First practical thing to do is evaluate your own faith. It's always good to do that from time to time. Take personal inventory. Get really honest with yourself and just ask yourself this question. Am I a follower24:24 of Christ? Really a follower of Christ? Honestly, I follow Christ. Ask yourself that question. Why? Paul tells us in24:36 second Corinthians 13, examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, he writes.24:45 We're so glad you joined us today for Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, don't miss this chance to request how to study the Bible and enjoy it, pastor Skip's24:57 practical guide to getting more out of every page of scripture. It's our thanks for your generous gift of 50 dollars or more to help share God's word through connect with Skip. Call 809 2 225:09 18 88 or visit connect with Skip dot com slash offer. And don't forget to grab your free download of how to approach studying the bible when you sign up for Skip's weekly devotionals.25:21 Tune in next time for more verse by verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig.25:49 Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.
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