What Can be Learned From James 5:14-20?

Reading James 5:14-16: “Is any sick among you? 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

It is especially important to consider verses 14 to 16 together. James is acknowledging that a Christian might be physically ill as a chastening judgment from God because of sins in their life. There is nothing communicated here which is implying that a straying Christian will surely be chastened by sickness. There is also nothing in James chapters 5 or anywhere else in the Bible which teaches that a sick Christian must be straying. Sickness can occur for other reasons. It is seen in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and elsewhere that the Apostle Paul was afflicted with infirmities. Timothy often had physical infirmities even though there was no sin which Paul rebuked him for in the epistles written directly to him.

Verses 14 to 16 are dealing with one who is seriously ill. The instruction for the sick to call for the elders of the church implies that the sick one is bedridden. Consider though that this a reference to faithful churches established by the Apostles of Christ and their co-workers in the 1st century. There are qualifications for elders set forth in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1 which disqualify most so-called church leaders. At the very least, most are disqualified due to the corrupt doctrine which they teach. We’ll even look at some blatant examples of that within this study.

The Greek word for “faults’ in verse 16 is translated elsewhere as trespasses or sins. Contrary to what some might say, verse 16 is not teaching that everyone must inevitably live in sin. In line with verse 15 stating “and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him”, the confession of faults in verse 16 is implying that the sick person might not be walking in the light of God’s Word with a conscience which is currently clear before God and men. It is possible to live blameless before God and men. That is the consequence of faithfully following Jesus as the Bible prescribes. When a Christian is chastened as a judgment, the intention is to get them back on the right track which they have strayed from.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

Those that don’t respond to chastisement with repentance will indeed be condemned with the world.

Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Hebrews 12:6-9: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”

Having sin in one’s life is not supposed to be normal nor is it acceptable. Note that this is not talking about sin as a general principle being present in fallen humans. This is rather talking about people walking in darkness by transgressing God’s law. Consider how ridiculous and pointless the following counsel would be if it were inevitable that everyone always had to have sin in their life.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.”

1 Timothy 5:19-20: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”

As James 5:16 is obviously not teaching that everyone has serious physical sickness which they need prayer for, it is also not teaching that everyone is living in sin.

There is also nothing said in James 5:16 about the elders of the church having the authority to absolve anyone of their sins. Nothing is taught in these verses to validate the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick within the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The command in these verses for the sick to confess their sins to the elders of the church is a matter of accountability and an occasion for the sick to receive appropriate counsel regarding however they have strayed from the truth.

1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Acts 8:20-22: “But Peter said unto him (i.e. to Simon the sorcerer), Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”

There is no guarantee of physical healing in James 5:14-16. There is hope given that it might happen. It is clear that there may need to be repentance and spiritual restoration in order for the physical healing to be granted. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, yet God is not a slave to human wishes. Ultimate healing comes at the resurrection of the righteous.

2 Peter 3:11-14: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation (conduct) and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”

The only guarantee of physical healing in the Bible is that those who die with a clear conscience in a living faith in Christ will have a blessed resurrection.

James 5:17-18: “Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

This is obviously illustrating how the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

James 5:19-20: “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.”

Those who believe in unconditional eternal security and Calvinistic Perseverance cannot receive what these verses teach while holding to their doctrine. Verse 19 shows that a faithful, born-again Christian can indeed stray from their faithfulness and need to be converted (i.e. need to return to the Shepherd). The word in the Greek for “convert” in both verses 19 and 20 is translated elsewhere in the New Testament as return, turn, or turn back. This is an obvious proof against unconditional eternal security and Calvinistic Perseverance. Both the righteous and the wicked are appointed to physical death. This is a matter of spiritual life or death then. That makes it a matter of eternal salvation. One who had been a faithful Christian walking in the truth might stray from the truth and never return. To claim otherwise (like evangelicals typically do) is to defy and disregard the counsel given in James 5:19-20. Verses 19 and 20 connect back to the book’s first chapter.

James 1:12-15: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”