The book of James says something pretty spectacular and when I read it, it’s quite convicting. It reads; anyone who fails to do the good that he knows he should do, that man sins.
In that sense, if you know that you are supposed to be doing something and you recognize it but fail to do that good work then you are sinning. And this can apply to a variety of ways in our lives. I think one way in which it can apply pretty specifically is our care of other people and that is if you are for example a parent of a child who is walking in sin or living in sin or is walking in open rebellion to God. You as a parent are doing nothing to prevent that from happening or you are doing no sort of correcting or rebuking, that would be a good act for you to do. You most likely know that as a parent; that would be good.
However, if you fail to shepherd well those in your care, James would call that a sin. And this goes more than just as a parent to son and to daughter relationship. This is truth, for example if you are a leader of a small group or if you are the boss of certain people in your company and you know that there are certain things in and you have a type of relationship where you have control and open communication with that person, you have responsibility before God to shepherd them, to take care of them and to tell them the good that they are to do. The sin that they are committing is not just on their hands. If you see someone sinning and you have a close relationship with that person, that person looks up to you and receives counsel from you but you refuse to go and correct that then it’s not just their sin that they are committing, it’s not just the punishment that they are going to endure but you yourself I believe also will be held accountable for those who are sinning under you as well.
So if you are watching this today and you have someone that you have a great friendship with that they see you as a leader, they see you as spiritual father or they see you as someone who is a leader in their lives and you know that there is an area or an issue that they are committing or they are living in. But you are refusing to call them out of that sin then it’s not just their punishment that they are going to endure because of that sin but you yourself as a result of not drawing them away will also endure that punishment.
So I encourage you today that no matter who it is in your life that you have that close relationship to, be bold in your faith, be biblical and call that person out from their sin because it’s not just about them and their sins. It’s about how you are caring for that individual as well.
Pastor Anthony Santiago