activity, regardless of whether or not the warned person repents, it may be argued that this is what James has in mind (see also 1 Tim. 4:16). However, two things militate against this view. First, Ezekiel’s saving of his own soul is predicated on his obedience in giving the warning, not on the repentance of the persons warned, whereas James is linking the saving or covering to the actual return of the erring believer. According to 1:15, death is the result of sin. This “death” that James has in