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Christians need to understand what the Bible says. However, if we don’t know why God says something, we can get confused. James 5:14-15 is a perfect example of this.
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 save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:14-15 LSB)
Wait… what?
If we’re honest, here’s how we read James 5:14-15:
When I have a flu bug, God commands me to call for my pastor. He’ll pour some oil on my head, and if he has enough faith in his prayer I’ll be healed. As an added bonus, all my sins will also be forgiven.
If that’s what God commands, then we should be doing this. The question, of course, is whether this is really what God commands. And if we dig a bit deeper, we’ll see that this strange series of verses, which seems so different from anything else in the New Testament, is actually pretty mundane and in perfect alignment with how we’re called to live our Christian life.
If you want the simple answer, it’s this: “Sick” is a poor translation choice and is better understood as “spiritually weak or weary.” The rest is the pastor’s process as he leads us in obedience and repentance, acting as God’s human instrument in restoring our walk with Jesus Christ.
If that seems wildly different from what James seems to be saying, you can check my work below.
Translating “sick”
When translating from Greek to English, Bible translators have to make some important decisions. Words don’t often translate cleanly between languages, and it’s up to them to decide what word best fits the context. They often get it right, but over time we may see that there’s a more precise word that should have been used instead. “Sick” is one of those words.
The Greek word in verse 14 is astheneō. This word occurs 16 times in the Gospels and Acts, and another 17 times in the epistles.
In the gospels, 15 of the occurrences are very clearly talking about a physical ailment. The only one that might be more than just physical sickness is in Acts 20:35. You can check the rest below:
- Matthew 10:8
- Matthew 25:36
- Matthew 25:39
- Mark 6:56
- Luke 4:40
- John 4:46
- John 5:3
- John 5:7
- John 6:2
- John 11:1
- John 11:2
- John 11:3
- John 11:6
- Acts 9:37
- Acts 19:12
If this was the only time astheneō appeared, there would be no reason to doubt that James is talking about physical illness. However, outside of the Gospel, Acts, and James, 13 of the 16 occurrences are clearly talking about either spiritual weakness or a lack of strength. I’ll include a full list and a few examples of how this word is used.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did (Romans 8:3)
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. (Romans 14:1)
And in that way, by sinning against the brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:12)
since you are seeking proof that Christ speaks in me; He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. (2 Corinthians 13:3)
Astheneō as spiritual weakness or lack of strength:
- Romans 4:19
- Romans 8:3
- Romans14:1
- Romans 14:2
- Romans 14:21
- 1 Corinthians 8:11
- 1 Corinthians 8:12
- 2 Corinthians 11:21
- 2 Corinthians 11:29
- 2 Corinthians 12:10
- 2 Corinthians 13:3
- 2 Corinthians 13:4
- 2 Corinthians 13:9
Astheneō as a physical illness:
- Philippians 2:26
- Philippians 2:27
- 2 Timothy 4:20
Now we can appreciate the difficulty faced by translators. James uses a word that has one exclusive meaning in the gospels and a few times elsewhere, but a completely different meaning otherwise. Looking at what James says about anointing with oil, and perhaps comparing it to what the apostles did Mark 6:12-13, it seems obvious this is a physical sickness.
However, when we look at the context around this particular word, it becomes more obvious that James isn’t telling us to summon our pastor when we have a virus, God doesn’t promise physical healing if a prayer has enough faith, and our pastor doesn’t forgive our sins.
So let’s look at four pieces of evidence that help us best understand what James wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Four contextual clues that explain James 5:14
#1 James already addressed physical sickness
Look at the list of situations James addresses:
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church (James 5:13-14a)
Cheerfulness is situational. If things are going well, whether from a new baby or because we’re in awe of God’s majesty, we’re told to sing praises.
The word “suffer” deals with any misfortune a person might experience in life. Whether it’s suffering from a physical disease or emotional distress from persecution, God tells that person to pray. God promises no relief or healing from suffering if we pray, but as James said at the beginning of his letter, we pray that God will give us endurance through suffering.
When we get to the word sick, we need to ask whether James is revisiting suffering or discussing a separate situation that is unique from suffering or cheerfulness. Considering the specific commands, and especially the promise of restoration, this is best understood as something different from physical ailments.
#2 “Sick” in James 5:16 gives better context
The word “sick” appears twice in James 5:14-15. However, to the original readers, they would have seen two different words.
Is anyone among you astheneō? 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 save the one who is kamnō, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:14-15 LSB)
God promises to save and raise up the person who is kamnō. Because this word is talking about the same person who calls for the elders, its meaning will help us better understand what’s really going on. And kamnō only appears one other time in the Bible.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart. (Hebrews 12:3)
This word has a clear, spiritual meaning. Someone who is kamnō is suffering from a spiritual weariness. It carries the idea of doubt, frustration, being at risk of falling away. It’s the opposite of enduring or persevering in Jesus.
Thus, the prayer and attendance of the elders are meant to bring someone out of spiritual weariness. Although God doesn’t promise us freedom from physical suffering, He does promise that He desires to pull us out of spiritual weakness. And in James 5, that continues to become more clear.
#3 The person’s restoration is spiritual
As we’ve seen, God promises a reversal of what’s happening to the person who calls for the elders. But notice, again, that this isn’t a physical healing.
And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:15)
Again we must ask if the New Testament promises that faithful prayer will always heal others or forgive their sins. Of course not. However, it does promise spiritual restoration and forgiveness of sins when we walk in repentance. We’ll see more about this in a moment, but the context continues to make it clear that the person is suffering from spiritual weariness, and thus their healing comes
#4 The “therefore” of James 5:16
Just as we looked at the preceding verse to see that “suffering” and “sick” likely refer to two different circumstances, we can also look at what James says immediately after to better understand his intention.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16)
As we’ve discussed in the past, therefore is an important word when we read our Bible. It essentially means “because of what I just said, now do this.” So what did James just say? What’s the “therefore” there for?
When you’re astheneō, call for the elders. As they lead you through your spiritual weariness, God will lift you up and forgive the sins that got you there. Therefore, because that’s true, it’s critical to confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Doing those things is the only way you can be spiritually restored.
Again, as we considered what we’ve discussed, the conclusion James makes with his “therefore” doesn’t match physical healing that God never promises. It does, however, fit exactly what God calls us to as we live a Christian life.
Summing up the evidence
The “sickness” in James 5:14 is a poor translation choice. The suffering discussed in verse 13 already covers what to do when we have physical ailments. The word translated as “sick” in verse 15 is clearly a spiritual weariness, not physical illness. We see that the person who is weary is spiritual restored, which is further confirmed with what James concludes in verse 16.
Taking the evidence together, James 5:14-15 makes more sense like this:
Is anyone among you spiritually weak? 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 save the one who is spiritually weary, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:14-15, modified from LSB)
Read the context of James 5:13-16 with this idea in mind. You’ll notice that it may not be as sensational as faith healing, oil annointing, and a Roman Catholic forgiveness of sins. However, it’s much more consistent with the rest of Scripture.
That really leaves us with one final question: What’s up with the rest of this stuff?
Understanding the rest
I will try to sum up the rest of these as concisely as possible. They won’t be as thorough as understanding the main topic, but we’ll see how understanding this spiritual weakness helps everything else fall into place.
Calling elders
Answer: Elders/pastors are in charge of our spiritual care, and God tells us to let them do their job.
Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:17)
If a person is doubting, living in unrepentant, spiritually struggling, or dealing with anything else related to their spiritual walk, they’re told to call their pastor. Why? Because that’s their pastor’s job! Among the many other things they do, one of their primary concerns is their flock’s spiritual health. Although there’s value in calling on other Christians to counsel us in our weakness, we cannot neglect the value of the pastor (or pastors) that God has placed in our lives.
The rest of what we see in this passage isn’t talking about what happens in a moment. When a pastor is leading someone out of spiritual weariness, it’s a process that can take days or months. What follows isn’t just the result of a pastor stopping by for five minutes with a jar of oil. It’s the result of a long, often painful, process that he leads us through.
James is ultimately pointing out the value, and need, for biblical counseling (also called soul care or pastoral care). I’ve discussed it as part of my psychology series, but the essence of biblical counseling is that your pastor will walk alongside you as you identify sins in your life, confess and repent, and take steps toward walking in obedience and submission to Jesus Christ. Exactly like James 5:14-15 describes.
Anointing with oil
Answer: The oil is a cultural object, but the bigger context is the care and honor a pastor shows to those who are spiritually weary.
When we read about anointing with oil, we often get Old Testament pictures of priests and kings being anointed to mark them as chosen by God. Perhaps we assume that the New Testament had people being anointed with oil and having miraculous healing. However, what James is getting at is, once again, something far more mundane and in need of context.
Oil had a variety of uses in New Testament culture. One of those, which James is hinting at, is how it was used to show honor or care for a person. Look at how Jesus chastised a Pharisee:
You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. (Luke 7:46)
In this event, a Pharisee is angry at the woman pouring expensive perfume on Christ’s feet. However, Jesus points out that this Pharisee, who is so concerned with propriety, didn’t even follow the proper customs of hospitality by rubbing oil on the head of his guest.
Jesus isn’t correcting the Pharisee for not anointing God with oil. Rather, he’s pointing out that he didn’t show proper respect and care for a guest, while this woman is going above and beyond those basic expectations by pouring perfume on Christ’s feet.
In the context of James, the elders in that culture would bring oil to show honor and care for the person suffering. It was a sign of intimacy, love, and respect for that person. The specifics of oil may not be relevant for us today, but the heart of the elders then is no different than the heart of a good pastor today.
When loving and counseling those who are weary, the pastor will show them love and honor. Perhaps that love will be hard to swallow as sin is addressed, but the heart behind everything a pastor does is a heart of love and respect.
Forgiving sins
Answer: Spiritual health requires us to walk in obedience and repentance. It’s not the pastor’s prayer that forgives our sins, but God’s faithfulness to forgive when we ask for it.
First, note how the Psalmist describes his own spiritual weakness in the midst of his sin:
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man whose iniquity Yahweh will not take into account, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not cover up; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh;” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5)
Notice the language of his spiritual weariness. His bones wasted away, he suffered all day long, he felt God’s hand upon him, and he felt like his very life essence was drained away. If you’ve every been spiritually weak, you’re nodding your head. That’s exactly how it feels when we live in sin too long and drift away from God.
Notice, too, what reverses his situation. It’s the same thing that James promises will happen. Through prayer and confession to God, the writer’s sins are forgiven and his weariness is removed. It’s not the prayer of someone else forgiving his sins, but his own acknowledgement and repentance of sins.
And this is exactly what we see in God’s word.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
It’s not a pastor’s brief prayer that forgives our sins. It’s what we do after our pastor has walked alongside us, helping us recognize and identify our sins. It’s the acknowledgment that our spiritual weakness results from our disobedience and wandering from God. And through Jesus Christ, we are promised that those sins are always forgiven and that we will be spiritually restored to God.
Seeking God in every area of life
As we wrap this up, let’s return to the full command of James:
- If you’re rejoicing, sing praises
- If you’re physically suffering, pray (but know that relief from suffering isn’t promised)
- If you’re spiritually weak, God promises to restore you when you seek counseling from your pastor and walk in repentance
He talks about circumstances going well, physical suffering, and spiritual weakness. In essence, James covers the entire human experience. If things aren’t causing us to rejoice, it’s because we’re dealing with the effects of a sin-cursed world or the consequences of our sinful choices.
And in all these situations, God wants us to bring other Christians around us as we look to our Savior. James hasn’t given us some mysterious ritual to follow for guaranteed faith healing. He’s confirming the Roman Catholic practice of confession. He’s simply reminding us that we are to look to Jesus in praise, prayer, or repentance in every moment of our lives.
