Daily Bread 2011 - James 5
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
What Does This Mean? James teaches us many things about living out our Christian faith, even in the midst of adversity. At the end of chapter 5, he urges the Christian church to not to forget to pray when they are going through various kinds of trials. He also reminds them to sing songs of praise when things are going well and they are happy. So often we go to God only when we need things (as we should), but forget to thank Him when things are going well.
Then, he makes some pretty incredible promises about praying over the sick in the congregation. If anyone is sick, he tells them to call the elders to pray over the person and anoint them with oil, as a sign of the Holy Spirit. Then, he makes the bold claim that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective and the sick person will be made well. Interestingly he says, if they have sinned they will be forgiven. He then admonishes them to confess their sins to one another, so that they will be healed. Notice he doesn’t say just confess them to the priest or pastor.
What Does This Mean For Us?
These teachings could mean a lot for us, and even lead us down the wrong path theologically and practically, if we don’t interpret them rightly. Like for instance, if a friend was found to have cancer and you immediately told them to confess what they did wrong so they could be healed this would not be good. We all know that sin has its consequences and these include physical, emotional and spiritual consequences, but it would be wrong to assume that every sickness is the result of a person’s individual sin. Yes, sin, sickness, disease and even death are all due to the Fall of humankind, but it would not be right to blame people for sickness as a result of their sin.
Notice it says, “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven”. Meaning not every sickness is a consequence of someone’s personal sin. More importantly today’s passage lifts up two important truths that the body of Christ must celebrate and learn how to practice more effectively. One, we can pray for each other when someone is sick, and through faith bring about healing through our prayers. Though only God dictates who, how and when people are healed, God has clearly in many places in Scripture called us to pray for the sick. I have personally seen many people healed through healing prayers offered in the name of Jesus.
Secondly, it is common practice in the early church for the people to confess their sins to each other. Notice there is no need for this to be only the priest or pastor, but we are all called to confess to one another and hear the confessions of others. Martin Luther called this, “the priesthood of all believers” and added that we are all “little Christ’s”. Meaning we are called to love each other and forgive each other in Jesus’ name by the same Spirit of Christ that dwells within us. Is there a sin you need to confess? Are there people in your life that you can call and say, “Brother/sister I need to come clean with some stuff in my life, will you listen?”
There is no need to wait until Sunday to confess your sins to God and/or to another brother or sister in Christ. God has designed us to function like this in His body.
Father, we thank you for sending Jesus to forgive us of all of our sins. As we live life together in community, in the body of Christ, may we be a “priesthood of all believers” in You. Convict us of our need to pray for the sick and hear the confessions of others and offer the same forgiveness we ourselves have received through You. In Your name, Amen.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
What Does This Mean? James teaches us many things about living out our Christian faith, even in the midst of adversity. At the end of chapter 5, he urges the Christian church to not to forget to pray when they are going through various kinds of trials. He also reminds them to sing songs of praise when things are going well and they are happy. So often we go to God only when we need things (as we should), but forget to thank Him when things are going well.
Then, he makes some pretty incredible promises about praying over the sick in the congregation. If anyone is sick, he tells them to call the elders to pray over the person and anoint them with oil, as a sign of the Holy Spirit. Then, he makes the bold claim that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective and the sick person will be made well. Interestingly he says, if they have sinned they will be forgiven. He then admonishes them to confess their sins to one another, so that they will be healed. Notice he doesn’t say just confess them to the priest or pastor.
What Does This Mean For Us?
These teachings could mean a lot for us, and even lead us down the wrong path theologically and practically, if we don’t interpret them rightly. Like for instance, if a friend was found to have cancer and you immediately told them to confess what they did wrong so they could be healed this would not be good. We all know that sin has its consequences and these include physical, emotional and spiritual consequences, but it would be wrong to assume that every sickness is the result of a person’s individual sin. Yes, sin, sickness, disease and even death are all due to the Fall of humankind, but it would not be right to blame people for sickness as a result of their sin.
Notice it says, “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven”. Meaning not every sickness is a consequence of someone’s personal sin. More importantly today’s passage lifts up two important truths that the body of Christ must celebrate and learn how to practice more effectively. One, we can pray for each other when someone is sick, and through faith bring about healing through our prayers. Though only God dictates who, how and when people are healed, God has clearly in many places in Scripture called us to pray for the sick. I have personally seen many people healed through healing prayers offered in the name of Jesus.
Secondly, it is common practice in the early church for the people to confess their sins to each other. Notice there is no need for this to be only the priest or pastor, but we are all called to confess to one another and hear the confessions of others. Martin Luther called this, “the priesthood of all believers” and added that we are all “little Christ’s”. Meaning we are called to love each other and forgive each other in Jesus’ name by the same Spirit of Christ that dwells within us. Is there a sin you need to confess? Are there people in your life that you can call and say, “Brother/sister I need to come clean with some stuff in my life, will you listen?”
There is no need to wait until Sunday to confess your sins to God and/or to another brother or sister in Christ. God has designed us to function like this in His body.
Father, we thank you for sending Jesus to forgive us of all of our sins. As we live life together in community, in the body of Christ, may we be a “priesthood of all believers” in You. Convict us of our need to pray for the sick and hear the confessions of others and offer the same forgiveness we ourselves have received through You. In Your name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment