James 5:14-15

[Pamelasv]

'Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick...'

I heard once that this word sick did not mean physically sick, but some sort of spiritual sick/ sin. I do not remember the explanation. What is it supposed to mean?

[Littlelambseativy]

Any sickness physical or emotional falls under the heading sick.

[Guest shiloh357]

No, the plain reading indicates physically sick.   But this text has been misused many times as a proof text for laying on of hands for divine healing using oil (usually olive oil).  

 

In biblical times, the oil that was used medicinally was hyssop oil and it has anti-septic properties and was part of a course of treatment.  The word "anoint" means to "rub" and this oil was rubbed on a person in the hopes of killing infection or bacteria.   Even in ancient times, they had a basic working knowledge of germs and bacteria (more than we generally give them credit for knowing about).   The same was true for wine.  There was also a special medicinal wine that was used in concert with hyssop oil, particularly or prevention of infections in open wounds.

 

At any rate, this isn't some special, supernatural healing verse.  It's actually quite practical.  These verses appear in a context about prayer and the importance of praying for each other and he provides a sample of some instances where this is appropriate.   It pictures the use of medicine God has provided in conjunction with prayer and faith in the Lord.

[Joshua-777]

I believe it means what it says, sickness. The term heal the sick is used through out the bible, especially the Gospels for physical healing. To say that it's only spiritual, or emotional healing is to completely ignore the biblical context of praying for the sick. I've seen many people healed physically through the application of this verse in many Churches now. The fact that James contrasts Elijah shutting off the heavens with the power of a righteous mans prayer also points to supernatural power. Emotional healing would be in the context of suffering not sickness.

James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

 

[Ezra]

'Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick...'

I heard once that this word sick did not mean physically sick, but some sort of spiritual sick/ sin. I do not remember the explanation. What is it supposed to mean?

It can mean physically sick, diseased, weak, impotent.  But there is a connection between sin and sickness in believers (1 Cor 11:29-34), particularly as it pertains to partaking the Lord's Supper without proper self-examination and discerment of the meaning of the Lord's Supper. James 5:7-20 should be read as one related passage to clearly understand what is being taught.

[Willa]

Those that do not believe that God can heal supernaturally today, that this gift ended with the apostles along with the others, will often twist scriptures to mean only mental or spiritual healing when we are forgiven of our sins. It is obvious that God has not changed and still heals today whether by use of medicine or not. God heals and makes people whole mentally spiritually and physically. For instance, when the 10 lepers came to Jesus He healed them and removed the lepersy. But the one who came back and gave thanks to God He made whole, which implys to make sound by replacing dead or lost tissue but also to be made whole by salvation and mental stability.

[Guest shiloh357]

God can and does heal today.   But we run into problems when we start telling people that it is always God's will to heal, as is the case with the heretical Word of Faith cult.

[Ezra]

Those that do not believe that God can heal supernaturally today, that this gift ended with the apostles along with the others...

We need a scripturally balanced perspective on healing (and sins and sicknesses are definitely connected):

 

1. All healing is from God (regardless of medical science).  In that sense it is "supernatural".

 

2. God has provided healing properties in countless herbs and plants (therefore synthetic drugs are only a last resort, and generally have serious side effects).

 

3. The sign gifts were for the apostles, and Paul calls them "the signs of an apostle".  Even there, Paul could not heal at will (e.g. Epaphroditus and Timotheus).

 

4. James (by the direction of the Holy Spirit) recognized that the sign gifts would not remain indefinitely and generally.  Therefore it is now THE PRAYER OF FAITH, not "the healing touch of healers in the church".

 

5. At the same time, where needed to authenticate the Gospel (e.g. Africa) God will give the gift of miracles to individuals.

 

6. Christians are generally not to resort to "faith healers" but to the elders of the local church.

 

7. The elders must pray in faith, believing that there will be healing from their prayers and their anointing with oil.

 

8. The patient must examine himself/herself and confess their faults (not sins as the Catholics teach) to obtain healing.  That word in v 16 is paraptomata = offences, not hamartia = sins.  We confess our sins to God (1 Jn 1:8-10).  Just as we will not receive forgiveness unless we forgive others (Mt 6:11-15), we will not be healed unless we confess our faults (offences, failures, mistakes, whatever is carnal) to one another or to the elders.

[Ezra]

God can and does heal today.   But we run into problems when we start telling people that it is always God's will to heal, as is the case with the heretical Word of Faith cult.

While this is generally true, if we carefully follow the wording, the intent, and the complete instructions as given in James 5 (which includes unwavering faith in the hearts of the elders) "the prayer of faith SHALL (not may or perhaps) save the sick, and the Lord SHALL (not may or perhaps) raise him up".  Those are the words of the Holy Spirit (and correspond to James 1:5-8 regarding wisdom).

[Guest shiloh357]

The prayer of faith is conditioned on the will of God.   God has never stated in Scripture that it is His will to heal every sick person.    This passage in James should not be treated as a stand alone teaching on prayer.    We note that the prayer of faith for the sick person is linked to the prayer of Elijah.   But it was not Elijah who caused the drought in Israel.  It was God.  Elijah prayed in concert with the will of God which was already pre-disposed to send the drought. 

 

Prayer is ONLY successful when it is done in concert with God's will in any situation and no amount of prayer on our part will cause God to violate His will in any matter.  If God is pre-disposed to heal, then yes the sick person will be healed, but James 5:14 is not an unconditional promise of healing.  It is like the example of Elijah in that God must pre-disposed to heal before a person is divinely healed.

 

Many people encounter sickness before death and if it is God's will for a person to pass away, it is unlikely that James 5:14 will apply in that situation, so there is simply no way we can treat this verse as if it is an unconditional promise for healing.