I hurt my back last week. I don’t know how it happened. It started tightening up on me last Saturday night and was at its worst last Sunday through Tuesday. It has slowly been getting better, but it is still nagging me even today.

Will you pray for me, please? All of you. Say a prayer for me. Pray for me so that I might be healed.

And pray for me, all of you, so that we might be a healthier church. A church that prays for one another is one of the three things that James, in this passage, says indicates a healthy church.

Nothing is more important to Christian life and mission than the activity of a healthy Christian community. You want to be a healthy Christian? Then you need a healthy church community.

As James brings his letter to a close in this passage, let’s consider these three things that are indicators of a healthy church community and seek these things together. A healthy church is truthful, prayerful, and charitable.‌

A Healthy Church Is Truthful

‌First, a healthy church is, according to verse 12, a truthful church.

The Kingdom of God Values Truthfulness

It’s not quite clear where verse 12 fits in James’s thought here. Does it go more with the previous verses, or with the ones that follow? The ESV puts it with the previous section but also sets it apart as its own paragraph within that section.‌

I think it fits best with what follows. “But above all, my brothers,” James begins. This sounds to me like he begins the formal conclusion to his letter at this point.

You might see right away that this verse is very similar to what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:33-37. In our study of that passage a few months ago, we summarized this teaching as “the kingdom value of truthfulness.” Citizens of God’s kingdom must be radically committed to the truth, refusing to play by the world’s game of falsehood, thinking we can advance kingdom causes through the use of lies and deceit.‌

Does this mean you cannot take an oath? Some say that. But remember, the world does not play by our rules. At the very least, it must mean that within the Christian community you and I must be committed to being truthful with one another. Let your “yes” mean “yes.” Let your “no” mean “no.”

Earning Trust

To be committed to the truth means that each of us must earn the trust of one another. It’s not simply that we should mean what we say. It also means our brothers and sisters should come to know us as people of our word.

Because we are kingdom people, gone is the need to bend the truth even just a little to get what we are after. Because we are kingdom people, gone is the need to pretend that we are something we are not. To be a healthy church we must be truthful with one another. This assumes, of course, that a healthy church is a community of people who are like family, brothers and sisters, sharing life with one another.

This is risky and uncomfortable. To be known like that means we won’t be able to craft an image of ourselves that is more to our liking and made suitable for our social media. No wonder so many church communities often feel like a community of hypocrites. Because that’s exactly what we are, but we do everything we can to keep it hidden behind the mask.

A healthy church is a truthful church. Let’s be committed to being truthful with one another and earning the trust of one another.

A Healthy Church Is Prayerful

If that sounds threatening to you, then please keep reading. When we are committed to being truthful, we should not fear being rejected. We should anticipate being loved more deeply than we’ve ever been loved before.

And this leads us to a second indicator of a healthy church: prayer. A healthy church is a prayerful church.

Always Prayer

Prayer is mentioned in every verse from verse 13 through verse 18. It is the clear theme of these verses. It is an indication of good health in a church community.

And that’s because prayer is always appropriate. It is perhaps the most basic practice of the Christian community. Something is terribly wrong if prayer is absent or not regularly practiced by all of its members.

“Is anyone among you suffering?” James asks in verse 13? The word translated suffering means to come under some misfortune or hardship.[1] It can refer to any kind of trial, “various kinds” of trials is what James mentioned back in the second verse of his letter. What trials are you facing right now? What comes to mind? You have any? Pray about it.‌

“Is anyone cheerful?” James goes on to say here in verse 13. If you are not particularly troubled or burdened down right now, then guess what you need to do? Pray. Perhaps with a more upbeat melody. The verb here is psallo from which we get the word psalm. The prayer book of the Bible is a book of songs that lead us to praise God. A song of praise is another way to pray.

Verse 14 begins with another possible condition we might find ourselves in. “Is anyone among you sick?” The word sick here doesn’t have to refer to physical illness. It is used to refer to all kinds of situations including mental abilities, spiritual condition, physical appearance, and the state of one’s conscience. But it is clear from how James refers to this kind of person that he is thinking mainly of physical ailments.[2] That would also be a situation covered under “suffering” in verse 13. The prescription for this condition is the same as the others: pray.‌ But James seems to have in mind a kind of sickness that is so debilitating that one finds it all but impossible to pray for oneself.

So, get someone to pray for you, if you must. But it is always prayer that is needed. I think it ought to be our standard rule that whenever we are together, here in corporate worship or in our Missional Family gatherings or any other time you are with a Christian brother or sister, especially one with whom you are members of the same church, that we should pray or sing a song of praise together.

Effective Prayer

Why? Well, there are many reasons, but here James gives us one very important one. A lot of attention comes to what James says in verses 14-15, and admittedly it is difficult to say with total certainty what all James intends. But the second part of verse 16 guides our understanding. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” We should pray because prayer is effective.

If a person is too sick, too weak to pray for themselves, then he or she should “call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over” them. I doubt that James is setting out directions that need to be followed to the letter.[3] Surely one could call for any other brother or sister to minister prayer to him. Verse 16, which urges the believers to “pray for one another” suggests this, too. But at least one should expect that the elders can pray. Indeed, the elders hold their office for this very purpose, to devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). So, if you need someone to pray for you, then at the very least you should reach out to the pastors of your own church.‌

James then says that the elders should pray over the sick person while “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” The association of anointing a sick person with oil also appears in Mark 6:13, “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”‌

But other than that, the practice is not found in the Bible. And in both these cases, it’s just stated without any further elaboration. Some have thought that James is urging some medicinal purpose here. In one of Jesus’s parables, a “Good Samaritan” tends to the wounds of another by “pouring on oil and wine.” This reflects conventional first century practice, but the verb James uses here, “anointing,” is not found in connection with a medicinal use of oil.‌

That leaves us with some sort of symbolism intended with the oil, either as a sign that the sick person is being dedicated for the Lord’s special attention, or perhaps as something almost like a sacrament, a visible sign of God’s presence, concern, and grace.‌

The Roman Catholic Church does view this as one of the seven sacraments of the church. Protestants like us deny this. A sacrament has to be established by Jesus and must represent the benefits of the new covenant. We say there are only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. John Calvin wrote that this anointing with oil was not “an instrument of healing” but was meant to be a symbol” of the Holy Spirit and his gifts, used to prevent anyone from thinking that the power to heal rested in the one who was praying for the sick person.[4] ‌

We can make too much of this “anointing with oil” or we can make too little of it. We make too much of it if we somehow think that oil must be used in a situation like this, that prayer for a sick person without the use of oil will not bring about the healing that is being sought. Throughout the New Testament, when we read about healings, most of them are accomplished without any such practice, so we need not think it has to be done.[5] Based on this, I would say that praying for the sick ordinarily will not involve any kind of actual anointing with oil.‌

At the same time, I want to say that we can make too little of this practice, and other physical acts that may accompany prayer such as the posture of the body (kneeling, arms lifted) or placing hands on a person for whom we pray. Such acts, while not absolutely required are also not unimportant or meaningless.‌

Hold this in mind as we read verse 15. “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” When we pray, it is the “prayer of faith” we should be aiming for. We all know how prayer can be mindless and meaningless. The prayer of faith is, at the very least, prayer “in the name of the Lord,” as verse 14 said. We are to pray by invoking the name of Jesus, believing that it is his power—his resurrection power—that is being requested on behalf of the sick person. The prayer of faith begins with the rounding of what has come about in and through the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord—the power of new creation and the inauguration of the kingdom of God. If we are going to pray the “prayer of faith,” we best know something of what Jesus accomplished for the world and our very real lives lived in it.‌

The “prayer of faith” also must mean what James has already told us back in chapter 1. God gives generously to those who petition him, but if you want to receive what you ask for, you must “ask in faith, with no doubting” (Jas 1:5-7). We must not be “double-minded,” verse 8 said, asking God for something but intending, should he grant it, to employ it for our own purposes rather than for his will alone. “Oh Lord, heal my aching back so I can get on with building my own kingdom.” Why would we expect God to grant a request like that?‌

The prayer of faith, then, is faith in God that what he wills is better than what we want or desire.[6] It is easy to think that God’s will must be in line with ours. The prayer of faith is the exact opposite: it is subordinating our will to God’s. “Heal my aching back, O Lord, but only if that is your will. Only if my healing will lead to the advance of your kingdom values and purposes. Otherwise, may your kingdom power be made manifest in my weakness.” That is how we are to pray. Our Lord prayed that way himself in the Garden of Gethsemane.‌

Verse 15 guarantees the effectiveness of the “prayer of faith.” When we pray in line with God’s will, we can be certain we will get what we are praying for. The prayer of faith is not about wanting something really, really badly. It is not about having more faith as if we have to believe enough. Faith is a gift, not a feature of our own desires and wishes, and when God makes plain to us what he wants and we pray accordingly, we can be certain it will be given to us.‌

A Healthy Church Is Charitable

Now, lastly, a healthy church is a church that is not only truthful, not only prayerful, but also charitable. In a healthy church, all the members have the same care for one another. So, let us pursue a deep and genuine love for one another.

Confess and Pray

Here’s where we start. In verse 16, James draws the application point for us from what he has been saying. Since prayer is always appropriate and promises to be effective, “Therefore,” he says, “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Confession of sin is a great way for us to practice being truthful with each other, isn’t it? We’ve been made, by God’s grace, a kingdom of priests, so you don’t have to go to the elders to be absolved of your sin. Your nearest brother or sister in Christ can do it just as well.

In our worship gatherings, we practice corporate confession and absolution, and the latter is always led by an elder. But this is also a model of what you who are baptized are called to do for one another throughout the week. Confess your sins to each other. But point each other to the absolution of sins that is ours because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And then pray for one another.

It Is God Who Saves

And when you pray, pray like a Christian. Verse 15 can sound as if the answer to the prayer may be either physical or spiritual. What does it mean for the sick person to be “saved” and raised up by the Lord? The verse ends by saying “if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven,” so we might be tempted to think that this is all about ensuring that the sick person does not die condemned to eternal judgment. But the plain sense of the context is physical healing so we should be hesitant about thinking James has only a spiritual healing in view here.‌

Praying like a Christian means refusing to fall into the fallacy that says, “Either things just work out naturally or God intervenes with his supernatural power.” We believe that God made the world and interacts with it. There is a necessary connection between what we might call the natural world and the spiritual world. And the Christian must refuse to think of such things as opposites. If we pray for someone who is sick and they get better, it is God answering our prayers whether or not there is a natural explanation for the healing. “Salvation,” then, in verse 15, is not just a spiritual word, referring to where we end up when we die. Salvation is about the whole person, embodied as God made us to be. “Healing,” then, in verse 16, is not just a physical word, referring to the resolution to our physical pains and maladies. It is also about the whole person, with our sins forgiven, working in harmony with God and his will for our lives to see his kingdom purposes advanced through us as those who bear his image.

Once more, don’t fall into the false dichotomy that assumes either God does something or we do something. Remember the prophet Elijah, “a man with a nature like ours,” James says. He was just like you, whoever you are. One time he prayed fervently that it might not rain and saw his prayer answered “for three years and six months.” Then he prayed again that might rain, and it did.

So who stopped the rain? Elijah or God?

You know the answer is “and” not “or.”

My Brother’s Keeper

Keep that answer in mind as we conclude with verses 19-20.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).

Who is it here who “brings back a sinner from his wandering,” saves them from death, and covers a multitude of sins? You or God? Of course, the ultimate answer is God, but God does his saving through his church, through a healthy church that knows who they are and lives out of that identity.

Even the youngest baptized Christian among us has the power to bring back even their pastors from their wandering. How? By praying for them.

Brothers and sisters, your prayers are no less powerful than Elijah’s and are meant to be a form of love to your brother or sister at Crosstown. So put your prayers to work, out of love for one another. That is a sign of a healthy church.

The Apostle Peter says much the same thing.

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Pet 4:7-11).

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[1] Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 500.

[2] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, Second edition, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021), 301.

[3] Scot McKnight, The Letter of James, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Gordon D. Fee (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), 440.

[4] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 4.19.18.

[5] Moo, Letter of James, 309.

[6] Ibid., 311-12.