a.

The weekly (Christian) sab-

bath rest is commemorative of the
Olristian's spiritual rest in Christ
b. (4:10) Sunday points back to
Christ's entry into His rest on His resur-
rection day when He finished the great
work of redemption through His death
and entered into His exaltation.
c. Sunday also points forward to
the believer's full entry into his eternal
rest on "the day of the Lord."
5. (Heb. 10:25) The assemblying of
the church was related to "the day of the
Lord."
6. (Rev. 1:10) "The Lord's Day."
a. This is the same Greek w6rd
as in "the Lord's Supper," which was
celebrated on the first day of the week.
b. John heard Christ preach and
teach as "the Lord of the Sabbath."
c. John saw the resurrected
Christ and was assembled with His
disciples on the (frrst) days of Christ's
post-resurreetion appearances.
d. John's phrase is apparently
one recognized by his readers. He is
identifying for them the place (Patmos)
and the time {Sunday) of his prophecy.
e. "The Lord's Day" is unmistak-
ably the Sunday of the resurrection of
the Lord of the sabbath.
7. Conclusion: A precedent set by
the apostles may be as binding as their
command. They were Spirit-inspired
men, who knew their obligation to the
law of God, yet who did not see the
seventh day sabbath as of continuing
obligation and who regarded the Lord's
day as our holy day of rest
a. ''If men will presume that
apostles filled with the Spirit appointed
the Christian sabbath without the
Spirit, they may question any chapter
or verse in the New Testament."
-Baxter
b. We keep the first day sabbath
as the Lord's day because of the authori-
ty of Christ and His apostles, illustrated
in 2000 yeats of church history.
Conclusion:
In Acts 20:7 there is the demarcation
of time according to sabbaths by the
Christian church. In that fifst is the
pregnant phrase - "the f.rrst of the sab-
baths." Luke 23:56 and 24:1 says:
"They rested on the sabbath day
according to the commandment. Now
on the first of the 'sabbaths' (literal
translation of Greek) . ... " Matt. 28:1
says: ''In the end of the 'sabbaths' as it
began to dawn towards the first of the
'sabbaths' . ... "
These phrases seem to describe the
end of one era and the commencement
of another. The old order was giving
way tO the new. Yet at the same time
the eternal principles of the sabbath-law
remained. Here are two ends of sabbaths -
the close of one and the beginning of
another. The difference is not with the
sabbath week. as a whole, but with the
end of it. The f.rrst day of the week' (on
which Christ arose) shall be thesancti-
fied day of rest D
Wlhle1Til to Crull
f((J)JT ilie lElicdlteJT
The Biblical Prescription
for Temptation
James
When should a Christian call for
the Elders to pray for for him? What
did James mean by these words? In or-
der to answer this question we will have
to consider the larger issue - How
should a Christian respond to sickness,
illness, and disease? This is a very sen- .
sitive issue, but a very practical and im-
portant one.
There are two extreme positions
held by Christians. On. the one hand,
there are those who believe that it is
not God's will for Christians to be sick
at all; that Christ bore all our diseases
in his death on the cross; and therefore,
if we enough faith, God will heal
us of all our siclcnesses now. Other
Christians treat illness in purely physi-
cal tenns. You go to the docto,:, get
your prescription ftlled, and eventually
get well. They would not think of call-
ing for the Elders, or even praying
about "it unless it were something seri-
ous.
The majority of Christians do both -
they pray, and go to the doctor! But
they often feel guilty. "Maybe if! had
enough faith God would heal me with-
out going to the doctor," they say.
How should a Christian handle sick-
by Wayne Rogers
ness? When should I call for the Elders
to pray for me?
James 5 is perhaps the most im-
portant passage in the NT for under-
standing the way Christians should han-
dle sickness today. James is not sim-
ply providing additional information to
the other Scriptures on how a Clnistian
should handle sickness. James is pro-
viding the standard operating procedure
that should govern the life and practice
of the church until the corning of the
Lord.
Before we can look at James 5 I
believe we need to review what we
know about sickness and healing in
general from the Scriptures.
I. GOD IS ABLE TO HEAL TilE
SICK
A. We believe that God is able to
heal and does heal the sick. He controls
sickness, illness, and disease for His
own purposes. He put diseases on the
Egyptians. He promised that He would
not inflict His people with those
diseases if they kept covenant with
Him, Ex. 15:26. Psalm 103:3 says
that He "healeth all your diseases."
The counsel of Chalcedon May, 1989 6
Indeed, by His death, Jesus did in fact
secure the ultimate healing of all His
people, Isa. 53:4. Rev. 21:4, 22:2-3
declare that in the New Heavens and
New Earth there will be no more sick-
ness or death.
B. We know that Jesus Christ had
the power to heal during His earthly
ministry. The Scriptures clearly tell us
that these healings were signs, they
were "significant"; they were signs that
He was in fact the Christ, the Son of
God, John 20:30-31, 6:14,7:31.
C. Jesus also gave His Apostles the
power to heal as signs that they were
His Apostles, endued with His
ity to speak and act in His name in
order to found the church, II Cor.
12:12, Heb. 2:1-4, Eph. 2:20. Apos-
tles were one of the "gifts" that Christ
gave to the Church for her foundation,
Eph. 4:11-12. It was a temporary gift
in that once the Twelve died there were
no more Apostles. In this context, the
Holy Spirit also gave others the gift of
healing, I Cor. 12:9. Since the miracu-
lous gifts were signs of the Apostles,
once the Apostles died, these gifts
would also cease.
I recognize that this last point is
matter of contention and disagreement
among Christians. If . you do not yet .
hold to that position, I hope you will
continue to read on anyway at this
point
II. GOD DOES NOT HEAL EVERY-
ONE IN THIS LIFE
There are suffficient cases in the
Bible itself where individuals were sick
and were not miraculously healed for us
to assert that it is not God's will or prac-
tice to heal everyone in this life. And,
in these cases, there is no evidence that
the lack of healing was due to sin or
lack of faith.
a. Luke was called the "Beloved
physician," Col. 4:14.
b. Timothy was told by Paul to
take a little wine for his stomach's
sake, 2 Tim. 5:23.
c. Trophimus was left ill at Mile-
tus, 2 Tim. 4:20.
d. Epaphroditus was sick unto death,
Phil 2:27. Paul said when he even-
tually got well that "God had mercy on
him." There is no indication of any
miraculous healing involved.
e. Paul had a physical thorn in the
flesh that God would not heal even
though he prayed three times that it
might be taken away, 2 Cor. 12:7-10.
f. In Matthew 25:36, Jesus said that
those who "visited" the sick did so to
Him. The implication is that there will
be sick people in the church who would
need to be visited.
fering, which would include sickness.
In 5:11, jlists Job as an example
of one who suffered patiently and perse-
vered under trials. So, we should pray
for ourselves, calling on the Lord.
1. CONSIDER IT ALL JOY.
If you will recall, James began his
epistle with the issue of facing trials,
James 1:2f. There James tells us to
consider it all joy when we encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing
of our faith produces endurance and per-
fects us, matures us. So, our frrst re-
sponse in sickness should be to con-
There are sufficient cases in the Bible itself
where individuals were sick and were not
miraculously healed for us to assert that it is
not God's will or practice to heal everyone in
this life.
g. In Acts 20:35, Paul tells the
Elders to help the sick, not to "heal" .
the sick. We will look at this in more
detail later since I think that it is signifi-
cant that it is also the Elders that James
addresses.
God did not heal everyone who was
sick in the N.T. The manner in which
these things are reported and recorded
indicates that these Brethren were not
viewed as being sick because of sin, or
that they were not healed because of a
lack of faith. In one case a medical rem-
edy was recommended. In Paul's case
the physical ailment was for God's pur-
pose in Paul's life.
III. IN TIIE EVENT OF SICKNESS
WE ARE TO MAKE TIIREE CALLS-
CALL ON THE LORD, CALL TIIE
DOCTOR, AND CALL THE EL-
DERS.
A. CALL ON THE LORD - James
3:13.
James has a great deal to say about
prayer. Before he says to call for the El-
ders, he tells us to call on the Lord, to
pray for ourselves. In 5:13, James
says, "Is anyone suffering, let him
pray. The word for "suffering" in vs.
13 is a general word for all kinds of suf-
sider it all joy.
2. PRAY FOR WISDOM.
James tells us in 1:5 to pray for
wisdom. In Luke 21: lOff. Jesus said
that when his disciples underwent suffer-
ing and persecution, God would give
them wisdom, vs. 15. Here, James
tells us to pray for what Jesus had pro-
mised. We do need wisdom in illness
in order to discern what God is doing in
our lives, and what we should do in
response. So, that is the second thing
we should do.
3. PRAY FOR HEALING.
We should pray for deliverance and
healing. In James 4:2, James tells us
that we do not have because we do not
ask. Therefore, pray and ask for healing -
be it a cold, a headache, or something
more serious such as cancer.
4. PRAY WITH RIGHT MOTIVES.
James says in 4:3 that we often ask
and do not receive because we ask
amiss, with wrong motives, only to
gratify our own desires. Therefore, we
have to ask, "Why do I want to be
healed? What am I going to do if I get
well? Am J going to serve Christ
better and more faithfully? Will I use
The Counsel of Chalcedon May, '1989 page 7
my strength for Christ? Yes, we must . eases.
examine our motives.
I am concerned that many who
desire healing may be doing so out of
selfish motives and out of false views
of healing. They believe that God has
promised to heal everyone who has
enough faith, and they don't like being
sick. It is possible for people to follow
Jesus for the loaves and fishes, as dis-
ciples in John 6:26.
For some it is perhaps a matter of
trying to prove that God exists arid to
bolster their faith. Yet, Jesus said, "If
B. CALL THE DOCTOR - 5:14.
The KJV translation has unfortunate-
ly confused Christians about anointing
with oil. The reference in James 5':14
to anointing with oil is a translation of
the Greek wordALEIPHO. In the eight
times that ALEIPHO is used in the
N.T., six are clearly used with reference
to applying oil as a body cream or lo-
tion: The meaning ofALEIPHO iS "to
rub" or to "smear". It refers to apply-
ing oil for physical purposes. In Matt.
Charles Spurgeon once said, "If. it were true
that God would heal everyone who
for healing or had someone to pray for them,
then no one would ever die." .
they will not believe Moses and the Pro-
phets, they will not believe if someone
were to rise from the dead," Luke
16:31. In John 20:29-30, Jesus said,
"Blessed are those who have NOT seen,
and have YET BELIEVED .... These
things have BEEN WRlTTEN that you
may believe that JeSus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you
may have life in His name." You can-
not prove Christianity. It is inlpos-
. sible to please God without faith.
5. PRAY, SUBMITING TO GOD'S
WilL.
James says to submit to the Lord's
will, 4:15. We must not be arrogant or
presumptuous about healing. It may be
God's will for me to be sick, to con-
tinue being sick for a whlle, to live
with a disease, and to eventually even
die from a disease or sickness. Charles
Spurgeon once said, "If it were true that
God would heal everyone who prayed
for healing or had someone to pray for
them, then no one would ever die." In
4:6-7, James says that we are to be
humble and we are to submit to God.
We must apply this to our attitude in
praying for healing as well as in all of
life.
It is these Biblical principles
in mind that we must call on the Lord
in prayer and ask Him to be pleased to
heal us from our sicknesses and dis-
6:17, Luke 7:38, 46, John 11:2, 12:3,
Mark 16: 1, the use of oil is for physi-
cal properties, and has no connotation
with symbolic or ceremonial anointing.
CHRIO is the Greek word that refers
to anointing in a symbolic or cere-
nlOnial sense. It is the word that
CHRIST comes from, Lord's
"Anointed." There are many places
where CHRIO is used in the N.T. See
Heb. 1:9, Luke 4:18, Acts 4:27, 10:
38, II Cor. 1:21, I Jn. 2:20, 27 . .
The word ALEIPHO is also used
several times in the Greek translation of
the O.T. in the common &ense ot rqb-
bing with oil. In II Chron. 28:15 the
Scripture says that the slaves were oiled
with oil as a body lotion. In Ezek.
13:10-12,14- 14, it is translated "plas-
ter,j' and refers to plastering a wall.
The point is that ALEIPHO is or-
dinarily used to refer to a common, phy-
sical use of oil. To illustrate the differ-
ence, you wouldn't say, "I'm going to
anoint the car with oil." You would
say, "I've got to change . the oil in the
car." That's the difference.
Rubbing with oij, like rubbing
with alcohol, was a common practice
use4 with many illnesses in Biblical
times. The oil was mixed with healing
spices and In l..uke 10:34 we are
The Counsel of Chalcedon May, 1989 8
tOld that the Good Samaritan poured oil
on the wounds of the injured man. In
':Rev. 3:18, the people were told to rub
eye salve on their eyes. In Isa; 1:6,
God sciid that your sores were not salved
or oiled. In other words, the "anointing"
with oil should be understood as
"rubbing you with oil" as a medication.
The 1ast reference to rubbing with
oil, ALEIPHO, in the N.T. is Made
6: 13, where tlle Disciples anointed with
oil and healed the siCk. This does not
prove that this was ceremonial "anoint-
ing," because it is still a question of
which is the proper translation in the
context. I think two things are signifi-
cant
(1) . Jesus did not tell the disciples
to anoint with oil. 1esus never anoint-
ed with oil in healing. l{e spoke, touch-
ed, even made mild and healed one man.
But He never used oil.
(2) In all the other references to
healing in the Gospels and Acts there
are no references to the use of oil as a
symbol or ceremonial act in healing.
Therefore, it seems to me that we
can say several things:
(1) Even if James were saying
"anoint" in the ceremonial sense of the
word, since it is not done in any other
place, it would be difficult to assert that
it is a matter of necessity, without
which a person can not be healed.
There is the danger that may fall
into religious superstition with refer-
ence to the use of oil. In James 5, the
emphasis is on the prayer of faith.
This is what !s said to heat the sick.
(2) t believe that when Mark 6: 13
records that the Disciples anointed with
oil that they were rubbing the sick with
oil in the medicinal sense. I thi.nk it is
significant that this was the frrst heal-
ing of the Disciples. Jesus had just
said that He was giving them the power
to heal as He had done. As we have
noted, He never used oil. Why did they
use oil, then? I suspect that since they
were "novices'' at this (Remember how
slow they were to learn many things)
that they went out and flrst rubbed the
sick with oil, as was the common prac-
tice, and then healed them miraculous-
ly.
(3) James 5, in saying call for the
Elders to come and to apply medicine,
validates the use of whatever medicine
we have available to us in order to aid
and assist us in physical healing. Yes,
call for the Doctor.
The family and friends of the sick
would apply and administer medicine in
Biblical days. Hospitals and doctors
weren't exactly on every comer. The
Good Samaritan didn't call for an am-
bulance. They wouldn't have to fear a
"Malpractice suit" either! It would not
be strange or unusual for the Elders to
come and to participate in the rubbing
with oil. Nor would it be wrong to call
for the Doctor!
It is appropriate and responsible for
Christians to use whatever medicines
are available in order to cure them of ill-
nesses and diseases.
C. CAU. FOR TIIE ELDERS - 5:14f.
1. WHO DOES JAMES SAY TO
CALL FOR?
Does he say to call for the
Apostles or faith healers? Why does
James say to call for the Elders? Why
did he not say, "Call for the Apostles
who have the power to heal"? Or,
"Call for those who have the gift of
healing"? I think that it is very signifi-
cant that he did not say to call for those
who had the gift of healing.
a. Elders did not have the gift of
healing as Elders. There is nothing in
their qualifications or function that in
any way would imply or assume the
gift of healing.
b. Acts 20:35 records Paul's words
to the ELDERS of Ephesus. In it he
says, "Help the weak." The word
"weak" .is the same word that James
uses for sick. Paul says "help," not
"heal." There was no assumption that
the Elders would have the power to
heal. And the verse implies that there
would be sick people in the church who
would need the help of the Elders, their
assistance in an ongoing condition.
c. The Elders were the continuing,
abiding office of leadership in the
church. Long after the Apostles were
dead, the Elders would still be there.
This is why I say that James is the
standard operating procedure for the
church.
What James indicates is, as even
Paul stated in Acts 20:35, that the
common practice and procedure for
dealing with sickness is calling for the
Elders, not faith healers since this is the
office, the "gift," Eph. 4:11, that abides
in the church after the Apostles are
dead
when affliction or persecution arises, he
falls away. In Luke 21:36, Jesus spoke
of the strength one would need to en-
dure the coming time of troubles.
This is the same message that
1 ames begins and ends with. James is
concerned about trials, persecution, and
temptations that Jesus had mentioned
He is concerned about perseverance to
the end, 1:2-12. In Luke 21:15 Jesus
said that wisdom would be given. In
James 1:5, James tells us to ask for wis-
dom. In other words, James is con-
cerned about the same issues that Jesus
The reason that James tells us to call for the
Elders is not as a prescri)!tion for sickness
R_rimarily, but as a REMEDY FOR
TEMPTATION.
2. WHY DID HE SAY TO CALL
FOR TIIE ELDERS INSTEAD OF
PRAYING FOR YOURSELF?
Throughout James, up to this
point, he has emphasized personal pray-
er, praying for yourself. Why now,
"Call for the Elders"? In 5: 16 James
will say, "Pray for one another," for the
frrst time. Why does he bring that up
here? In vs. 19-20, James says that one
who turns a sinner from the error of his
ways will save his soul from death. Is
there any connection? How does it all
fit together?
It seems to me that most com-
mentators and interpreters fail to give
due consideration to the Biblical - His-
torical context in which the book was
written, and the context of James 5:13f
within the book itself in seeking to
interpret the intent of calling for the
Elders.
a. The Context of the Book of James
Jesus, during his ministry, often
warned of the trials and persecution the
disciples would face. See Matthew 10,
13, 24, Luke 21:10f. In that context He
often said, "He who perseveres to the
end will be saved," Mat 10:22, 24:13,
Luke 21:19. He said in Matthew 13:21
that the stoney ground hearer is one
who receives the Word with joy, but
was.
James is concerned about PERSE-
VERANCE UNDER TRIALS AND
TEMPTATIONS IN TilE FACE OF
TIIE COMING PERSECUTION. HE
WHO PERSEVERES UNTO Tiffi
END WILL BE SAVED.
b. The Message of the Book of James.
The reason that James tells us to
call for the Elders is not as a prescrip-
tion for sickness primarily, but as a
REMEDY FOR 'TEMPTATION.
(1) The word that James uses for
sick in 5:14 is a Greek word, ''Asthe-
nai," which means "weak". It refers to
spiritual weakness which is often asso-
ciated with physical weakness. It is the
same word Jesus used in Matthew
26:41 where Jesus said, "The spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak. Watch
and pray that you enter not into tempta-
tion." James was particularly concerned
that a brother through the weakness of
his physical condition, or sickness,
might backslide into sin, James 5: 19-
20.
Spiritual weakness under temptation
is mentioned in Hebrews 10:32-39 also,
where this same word is used
(2) The word for "heal" in 5:15 is
The Counsel of ChalCedon May,1989 page 9
the same Greek word for save, "Sozo."
It is the same word translated "save" in
vs. 20. James is not metely concerned
that the sick get healed, but that they
persevere unto the salvation of their
souls. In 1:12, James says, "Blessed is
a man who perseveres under trial; for
once he has been approved, he will
receive the crown of life, which the
Lord has promised to those who love
Him." The issue is perseverance under
trials unto salvation. James is con-
cerned with salvation in the full sense
of the word. See also 1:21 and 2:14.
In other words, this is not so much a
sical sickness has spiritual dimensions.
And the spiritual has physical dimen-
sions. That's why sin often leads to
sickness.
That is why James was concerned.
He was afraid that the physically sick
might not persevere. He was afraid that
this might become the occasion of
temptation and sin. And according to
James 1:15, when sin has conceived, it
brings forth death. In 5:19-20, James
concludes with reference to saving a
brother who is backsliding into sit) .as
saving a soul from death. Therefore, I
believe that James is concerned with
God is concerned with the spiritual and the
physical. The two are interrelated. Physical
sickness has dimensions. And the
has physical dimensions. That's
why sin often leads to sickness.
medical emergency as A SPIRITUAL
EMERGENCY. James concern is for a
brother whose faith is growing weak,
and he is being tempted to sin, to for-
sake the Lord, to doubt God's mercy
(5:11). It is at this point that James
says to call for the Elders, not the faith
healers of the church, but the spiritual
shepherds of the church. This same
principle is conveyed in Acts 14:22,
"Strengthening the souls of the dis-
. ciples, encouraging them to continue in
the faith, and saying, through many
tribulations we must enter the kingdom
of God."
(3) The word for sick in 5:15 is a
different word than the word in vs. 14.
Here it is "Kamn.onta," again a word
that is used to refer to spiritual weak-
ness or . fainting, Hebrews 12:3 and
Rev. 2:3. The word for "heal" in verse
16, "Iatheta," is also used in the Bible
with reference to physical healing, Mat.
13:15 and Hebrews 12:13. "Raise up"
in vs. 15 is a word that is also used
with reference to the resurrection of the
dead.
We need to understand that God is
concerned with our physical health. We .
are not Neo-Platonic. God is not sim-
ply concerned with the "spiritual." God
is concerned with the spiritual and the
physical. The two are interrelated. Phy-
physical sickness and physical healing -
but primarily as be sees the spiritual
danger that arises from it He is more
concerned with providing a remedy for
temptation than a prescription for every
illness and disease.
When should we call for the Elders?
When in your sickness you are in spiri-
tual danger of backsliding into sin and
failing to persevere in faith. This is the
prirruny concern.
(4) James says that the "Prayer of
faith will save the one who is sick," S:
15. In trying to deal with this com-
ment, many interpret this as a special
gift of faith in the case of a particular
individual. How else, how can James
be so bold as to say that it WILL heal
or save him? There must be some spe-
cial revelation or special gift of faith,
they say.
This is totally unnecessary. James
1:5-8 tells us what is implied. Prayer,
all prayer, must be in faith. This is not
some special gift or amount of faith.
Prayer, in order to be heard, must be in
faith. The point is that the sick man is
growing weak in faith. In Matthew
24:12 Jesus warned that the love of
many would grow cold because of the
persecution. I think that is the kind of
thing that James is concerned with.
The Counsel of Chalcedon May, page 10
It's not the amount of faith, but the
reality of faith that matters. Jesus
clearly taught that if you have faith as
small as a grain of mustard seed you
can move mountains; Matthew 17:20.
problem with faith healers re-
quiring "enough faith" is that they con-
tradict the very spirit . of the words of
Jesus. And the problem is that they are
trying to get people to believe some-
thing that they are not waminted to be-
lieve, that God will necessarily heal
them if they have enough faith. Then
it is very easy when someone is not
healed to say, "Well; they just didn't
have enough faith."
James can be confident that God
will . save the sick man, not that be will
necessarily heal every sick man, be-
cause God gives grace to all His people
in order that they may persevere, and
endure to the end. GOd will preserve His
people.
(5) What about Confessing Sin?
5:15-16?
We know that sickness is caused by
sin, though not all sickness is due to
sin. John 9:3 and Job are clear ex-
amples of men whose sickness was not
as a result of personal sin.
But God may send sickness in
connection with sin. See I Cor. 11:30-
32, where some were sick and had died
for eating the Lord's Supper in an un-
worthy manner. So, whenever we are
sick, we ought to examine ourselves.
James, throughout the Book,
mentions sins that he warns them not
to commit. He warns of partiality, faith
without works, sins of the tongue,
worldliness, etc. It seems to me that
in the context of James be is concerned
$Lt:
(1) Since sin leads to death. 1:15,
and backsliding can lead to death, 5:20,
that the one who is sick should confess
his sins, IF he has committed any.
(2) Sickness itself may be the occa-
sion of falling into sin. James doesn't
allow us to blame our sins on God, the
Devil, or our circumstances, 1:13-15.
But, because the fleSh is weak, Mat.
26:41, we have to watch and pray that
we enter not into temptation. James is
saying, therefore, if a brother has com-
mitted sins in connection with his
sickness, he should con-
fess them and they will be forgiven
him. He does not have to fear that he
will die and be eternally lost because he
failed to persevere in this sense.
(6) James says to pray for one
another, 5:16; to confess your sins to
one another, 5:16. Why does James
say this? Is he teaching confession of
sins to others as the Roman Catholic
church practices it? As one Commenta-
tor put it, "A strange priest it is whose
name is 'One Another"'.
No! James is not teaching formal
or institutional confession of sins. The
reason that James said to call for the
Elders is because they are the Shepherds
of the flock. That would be logical.
But. they are not "Priests." They are
not faith-healers in some special sense
of the word.
And now James adds that we can
and should pray for one another. In
other words, praying for healing for one
another is not limited to the Elders.
Ultimately, it is not so much WHO
prays for you as long as they do pray
with FAITH. You can pray for one
another to be healed! This position
truly recognizes the "priesthood" of all
believers.
And James says to confess your
sins to one another, too. We don't
confess our sins to Priests. Nor do we
have confessionals. What James is con-
cerned about is the commission of sins
while we are sick and in a spiritually
weakened condition. Perhaps the sick
one began to complain against his
brothers, 5:9. Perhaps he swore, 5:12.
As James indicates in 5:19, his concern
is for a brother who is sinning. What-
ever sins you have committed in particu-
lar, or whatever sins you are struggling
with because of your circumstances,
confess them to one another so that
your brethren can pray for you that you
will not backslide. James is not insti-
tuting the confessional booth, or saying
that we should meet in small groups
and confess our sins to each another.
No! James is saying to confess your
sins to others as you need them to pray
for you in order to keep you from
backsliding into sin and failing to per-
severe in faith.
How are we to Handle Sickness?
1. Call on the Lord. Pray for yourself.
2. Consider it all joy when you en-
counter trials.
3. Pray for wisdom.
4. Pray for healing.
5. Pray with proper motives.
6. Pray according to God's will with
submission.
7. Call for the Doctor.
8. Call for the Elders.
9. Confess your sins.
10. Pray for- one another. 0
The Counsel of Chalcedon May, 1989 page 11