James 5:14

Concerning Sickness

James 5:14 "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;" "Is anyone among you sick?" -As you probably have guessed there are. number of questions in this section of Scripture. Is this. physical illness or. spiritual illness? While the word translated "sick" is usually used in reference to physical illness, the word translated "sick" in James 5:15 is only used for. spiritual condition. The word in this verse literally means to be feeble, sick, weak or lack strength. Arndt says, "of bodily weakness, be sick" (p. 115).

The interpretation of spiritual sickness would allege that here is an individual who may or may not have committed sins (James 5:15). He might we discouraged or depressed, spiritually weak and calls upon the elders of the church for assistance."Let him call for the elders of the church" -Note the personal responsibility that is stressed. "We are not to get sick and then complain that no one cares and comes to see us. We are commanded to call the elders and tell them we are sick. We as. people have. responsibility to inform those who lead us of the needs we have" (Draper p. 159). "The sick person is to take the initiative; others do not do it for him" (Kent p. 188).

Points To Note:

1. The individuals being called are the elders of the local congregation. Far from being an office that "evolved" in the early church, we find. plurality of elders shepherding local congregations early on in the history of the church (Acts 14:23). 2. Note that the elders are called, "Nor are these persons priests, as the Catholic Douay Version mistakenly translates" (Kent p. 188). For other passages on elders see Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:1; Titus 1:5 ff; 1 Peter 5:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 3:1 ff. "and let them pray over him" -that is to pray on his behalf. "anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" -Some view this as. figurative expression, i.e. when the elders are praying for him they are figuratively anointing him with oil. To me it seems that the statement is literal, but let it be noted that this doesn't mean that there are inherent miraculous healing properties in the oil being used. This oil is administered by the elders and the healing under consideration is linked with the prayer of faith and not the oil itself (James 5:15). McGarvey notes, "The anointing of the sick with oil was not expected to contribute to the cure; for, apart from its inadequacy as. remedy, it could not, in the nature of the case, contribute to. miraculous cure. This was the anointing of. man who was about to be cured-----this was preparatory to going forth once more into the enjoyments of life" (Matthew/Mark, p. 301). See Mark 6:3. Or, in other words the anointing with oil was to. way of saying, "Be prepared to get back to your regular duties in life". Being anointed with oil in that culture was comparable to. person in our culture who has been sick taking. bath, shaving, or putting on makeup-it was. clear indication that you would be getting better. Note that there is nothing magical about the oil, for Jesus healed at times without using any oil (Mark 7:1; John 9:1).

Extreme Unction

The Roman Catholic Church appeals to James 5:14 to support the doctrine of "Extreme Unction". In this doctrine the anointing is considered. sacrament conveying spiritual grace (assuring pardon of unforgiven sins) to the sick in danger of death. But as Kent notes, "Yet that was clearly not the purpose in mind of James, who gave this procedure for restoration of health, not in preparation for death. Not until the end of the eighth century is there any record in the church of anointing with oil to prepare for imminent death (except among. few Gnostic sects)" (p. 189). Once again note the differences between what James presents and the practice of extreme unction: 1. Elders are called for-not priests. 2. Recovery is promised (James 5:15), rather than impending death. 3. Forgiveness of sins is not due to the oil, or the prayers of the elders per se. But rather, the person who is sick is demonstrating an attitude of wanting and needing help. 4. This person isn't in the last stages of life, for they have called for the elders.

Christians And Healing

1. Some say that the point of the above passage is that we are to pray and then do everything physically necessary, go see the doctor, take medication, and so on. While such is often true, it isn't the point being made in the above passage. The Bible doesn't have anything against physicians (Matthew 9:12), and God can certainly heal through providential means. 2. If the healing in the above passage is physical, then it must be. case of miraculous healing: A. The elders are to be called for and not physicians. B. The person will get better (James 5:15). 3. It is also clear that such gifts of healing would evidently cease (1 Corinthians 13:8). Once the word was confirmed and revealed, such gifts had served their purpose (Hebrews 2:3). Roberts notes, "Church History confirms this conclusion (i.e. the spiritual gifts ceased), for efforts to revive such gifts in the post-apostolic church (e.g., the Montanists) were considered heresies" (p. 215). 4. If this is physical healing, then the elders are called for because besides the apostles they would be the men most likely to have been endowed with spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14).