Do you profess, but do not possess, the faith that works?

This week we have been looking at a section of the book of James that is viewed as being a little more difficult to understand. Wednesday, James addressed a situation in which a person, who professed to be following Jesus but then wandered away from Jesus, was engaged by a follower of Jesus in such a way that the one who turned away from Jesus then turned back to following Jesus. This person who was heading away from Jesus was engaged by a follower of Jesus in such a way that they ended up heading back to Jesus. 

James then revealed for us the reality that the person who engaged someone who had turned away from following Jesus in a way that resulted in them turning back to following Jesus should know that they have rescued the person who had turned back to Jesus from spending an eternity separated from God as a result of previously turning away from Jesus.

Now another question that has been provoked by James words here is “Well Dave, is James saying that we could lose our salvation? Because James seems to be saying here that a follower of Jesus can turn from the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel in such a way that they have to be turned back to Jesus or spend eternity separated from God in Hell. I mean, that sure sounds like someone can lose their salvation.”

But this morning, is that the case? Can a follower of Jesus lose their salvation? Is that what James is talking about here? Let’s look at these verses again, beginning in James 5:19:

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

As we talked about earlier, James clearly is referring to a person who has been outwardly identified as a follower of Jesus. However, as we have talked about throughout this series, an outward profession of faith does not mean an inward possession of faith. As a matter of fact, that is the whole point of the book of James. The whole point of the book of James is the faith that works.

Throughout the book of James the overarching point of the book of James is to distinguish between the genuine and authentic faith that works as opposed to the false and faulty faith that does not work. That is why we have consistently reviewed the big ideas throughout this series.

I mean, consider what James has laid forth throughout this series. In James 1:19-27, James revealed that genuine and authentic faith produces a life of integrity while false and faulty faith produces a life of hypocrisy. In James 2:14-26, James revealed that genuine and authentic faith produces acts of confident trust in God and God’s promises that provide the proof and fruit of such genuine faith while false and faulty faith produces no such acts of trust.

In James 3:13-18, James revealed that genuine and authentic faith relies on wisdom that is from God while false and faulty faith relies on wisdom that comes from the wrong source and produces the wrong results. In James 4:13-17, James revealed that genuine and authentic faith looks to God for guidance while false and faulty faith relies on human arrogance when it comes to planning for the future.  And in James 5:1-6, James revealed that genuine and authentic faith trusts God as our ultimate treasure while false and faulty faith trusts treasure as our ultimate treasure.

You see, throughout the book of James, James repeatedly comes back to the reality that just because your profess faith in Jesus does not mean that you possess faith in Jesus. Throughout the book of James, James repeatedly comes back to the reality that it is the fruit, or what is produced in our lives, that reveals whether we simply profess or actually possess the faith that works.

James point here is that the person who pursues those who are professing that they are following Jesus but are turning away from actually trusting and following Jesus in a way that results on them turning back to actually following Jesus provides the proof of their salvation.  And James point here is that the person who pursues those who are professing that they are following Jesus but are turning away from actually trusting and following Jesus are providing an opportunity for those who may only profess salvation to actually experience and possess salvation.

Then, in the last part of verse 20, James explains that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will cover a multitude of sins. Now that leads us to the next question that we need to ask and answer, which is “Well whose sins are covered?” Is James referring to the sins of the one who had turned from following Jesus but had been turned back to following Jesus? Or is James referring to the one who turned the one who had turned from Jesus back to Jesus?

Again, the rule of thumb of the nearest antecedent tells us that James is referring to the one who had turned from following Jesus but now had turned back to following Jesus. James point here is that the one who has been turned back to Jesus experiences the spiritual benefits that come from having their selfishness and rebellion forgiven. However, it is important to understand that as followers of Jesus there are spiritual benefits that we experience when we are used by Jesus to bring people to Him.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see James reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless truth is this: The faith that works pursues those who profess, but do not possess, faith in a way that provides the proof of their faith and that leads others to possess faith.  Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works pursues those who profess, but do not possess, faith in a way that provides proof of their faith and that leads others to possess faith.

You see, as followers of Jesus, one of the ways that we demonstrate the faith that works is by demonstrating the heart of Jesus that drives us to lovingly pursue those who say that they follow Jesus but are living lives that look nothing like Jesus. One of the ways that we demonstrate the faith that works is by lovingly pointing out the inconsistencies that consistently occur in the life of a person who says that they follow Jesus but live lives that look nothing like Jesus.

One of the ways that we demonstrate the faith that works is by being used by Jesus to lovingly engage those who profess to have a relationship with Jesus but are living lives that reveal that they may not possess a relationship with Jesus. And as we are used by Jesus to bring someone who professes a relationship with Jesus to the place that they actually possess a relationship with Jesus, we provide the proof of our faith as we lead others in a way that provides them the opportunity to possess faith.

So here is a question to consider: How do you respond to those who profess that they have a relationship with Jesus but that live lives that look nothing like Jesus? Do you lovingly pursue those who say that they follow Jesus but are living lives that look nothing like Jesus? Do you lovingly engage those who profess to have a relationship with Jesus but are living lives that reveal that they may not possess a relationship with Jesus?

Or do you simply judge or ignore those who demonstrate an inconsistency between what they profess and how they live out their day to day lives? Because, the faith that works pursues those who profess, but do not possess, faith in a way that provides proof of their faith and that leads others to possess faith.

Two verses with lots of questions...

At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God. James turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead.

And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. As we have talked about throughout this series, the problem with the book of James is not that the book of James is difficult to understand. Instead, the problem with the book of James is that it is not difficult to understand and we have to do something with what it says.

However, as we jump into this final section of the book of James, we will be jumping into a section of the book of James that is viewed as a little more difficult to understand. And it is in this section of this letter that we see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 5:19:

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Now to fully understand what James is communicating in this single sentence, we first need to ask and answer several questions. The first question that we need at ask and answer is “who James is referring to when he says “My brethren?” As we have seen throughout this series, when James uses the phrase my brethren, he is referring to followers of Jesus who were reading this letter.

But if that is the case, then the next question that immediately arises here involves the phrase “if any among you strays from the truth.” When James refers to the truth here, he is referring to the content of Christianity as contained in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel as being the ultimate truth. In addition, when James uses the phrase “if any among you” he is referring to someone who has been outwardly identified as a follower of Jesus.

This would be a person who has participated at some level in the life of the church. This could be a person who attends a corporate worship gathering. This could be a person who has attended a community group. This is a person who professes to others that they are a Christian who follows Jesus.

However, this person who has professed to be a Christian that follows Jesus has strayed from the message and teachings of Jesus as being the ultimate truth. This person who claims to be a follower of Jesus has turned their back on following the message and teachings of Jesus to instead wander away in a direction that is heading away from Jesus.

Now that leads us to the next question which we need to answer, which is “what does James mean when he uses the phrase “and one turns him back?” This phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to cause a person to change a belief or course of conduct with a focus on what they are turning to. Now another question that could arise here is “Well, who turned this person back to Jesus?”

Most likely this is a follower of Jesus who has engaged this individual who had turned away from Jesus. In other words, this person, who professed to be following Jesus but then wandered away from Jesus, was engaged by a follower of Jesus in such a way that the one who turned away from Jesus then turned back to following Jesus. This person who was heading away from Jesus was engaged by a follower of Jesus in such a way that they ended up heading back to Jesus. 

Then, in verse 20, James reminds the readers of this letter "let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." Now that leads us to the next question that we need to ask and answer, which is “Who is James referring to when he states “let him know”? In other words, who are we supposed to let know?"

James here is referring to the follower of Jesus who engaged the person who turned away from Jesus in such a way that resulted in them turning back to Jesus. James then explains that what we are to let the person who engaged the person who turned away from Jesus in such a way that resulted in them turning back to Jesus know is that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will accomplish two things.

First, James explains that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death. But what does that mean? As we talked about throughout this series, when James uses the word sinner here, this word refers to someone who is involved in acts of omission and commission against God and others in selfishness and rebellion against God. When James uses the word save here, this word means to save or rescue from transcendent danger or destruction.

In addition, the word soul here refers to the seat and center of our lives that transcends our earthly life.

As we have talked about earlier in this series, when we see the word death in the Bible, the word death conveys the sense of separation. As a result of sin’s entrance into the world we experience physical death. When we physically die, our soul is separated from our physical bodies. But not only do we experience physical death as a result of sin; we also experience spiritual death, which is the separation from God and the relationship with God that we were created for as a result of our rebellion against God. Now if we physically die, where our soul is separated from our bodies, while we are spiritually dead, or separated from God, we experience eternal death, or eternal separation from God.

So if James was communicating this phrase in the language we use in our culture today, this phrase would sound something like this: “Let the person who engaged someone who had turned away from following Jesus in rebellion against Jesus in a way that resulted in them turning back to following Jesus know that they have rescued their life from spending an eternity of being separated from God as a result of them turning away from Jesus”.

But whose soul, whose life, was rescued from spending an eternity separated from God? Was the life that was rescued that of the one who had turned from following Jesus but had been turned back to following Jesus? Or was the life that was rescued that of the one who turned the one who had turned from Jesus back to Jesus?

Some have tried to take James statement here to mean that the person who is being rescued from their selfishness and rebellion is the person who is turning the one who had turned from Jesus back to Jesus. In other words, the “his” in the phrase “save his soul from death” refers to the follower of Jesus who engaged the person who had turned away from Jesus in such a way that they turned back to Jesus.

However, to take James statement in such a way would be to violate a fundamental principle of language. And that fundamental principle involves the relationship of pronouns to their antecedents. This principle, or rule of thumb, so to speak is that, when it comes to pronouns, the nearest antecedent is best. In other words, the nearest antecedent, which is the noun or subject that the pronoun is referring to is best.

In the case of James statement, the nearest antecedent is the word sinner. So James here is revealing for us the reality that the person who engaged someone who had turned away from following Jesus in a way that resulted in them turning back to following Jesus should know that they have rescued the person who had turned back to Jesus from spending an eternity separated from God as a result of previously turning away from Jesus.

Now another question that has been provoked by James words here is “Well Dave, is James saying that we could lose our salvation?" We will see James answer that question tomorrow...

What prayer has to do with our spiritual growth...

This week, we are looking a section of a letter in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of James that is viewed as a little more difficult to understand. And it is in this section of this letter that we see James reveal for us the timeless and true principle that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer.

And in James 5:13-18, we see James reveal for us four different ways that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer. First, in James 5:13, we see that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to engage God. Prayer is about engaging God in a way that results in us experiencing God’s presence in the midst of whatever circumstances that we find ourselves in. Prayer is about experiencing God’s presence, whether God chooses to take us out of our circumstances or whether He chooses to take us through our circumstances.

 

Then, Wednesday, James revealed for us the reality that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity for healing. When we pray we are creating space to engage God in a way that provides the opportunity for God to bring healing in our lives as a result of the difficult circumstances that are causing suffering in our lives, whether that suffering is physical, emotional, or spiritual.

 

And we are creating space to engage God in a way that confidently trusts in God’s ability to heal and that trusts in God’s will to either bring us out of or through the suffering that we are experiencing, whether that suffering is physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature. Today, we will see James reveal a third way that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer in James 5:16:

 

 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

 

Here we see James command followers of Jesus to confess your sins to one another. Now to confess is to make an admission of wrongdoing. And what we are to admit to one another are our sins. As we have discovered earlier in this series, the word sin refers to acts of omission or commission against God and others that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God.

 

Now a natural question that arises here is “Why would James command us to confess our sins to one another?” That’s a great question. You see, so often we tend to think of confession of our selfishness and rebellion as being strictly a vertical endeavor. In other words, we view confession as something between us and God so that we can receive forgiveness from God.

 

However, when we view confession solely in this manner we miss a powerful truth. And that powerful truth is that secret sin holds great power in our lives. And while we may confess our secret sin to God, we can still attempt to tame and hide our secret sin from others. However, when we confess our sins to others, that secret sin loses its power.

 

And when we confess our sins to others, we are forced to change, because our secret sin is no longer secret. And because our secret sin is no longer secret, we are forced to be held accountable for our selfishness and rebellion that leads to that sin. And as we confess our sins to one another and are held accountable to change, the Spirit of God uses that confession and accountability as the means to make us more like Jesus.

 

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity for spiritual growth. You see to confess is to change because confession places us in a position where we are encouraged to change by those around us. And when we pray we are creating space to engage God and those around us in a way that is praying for life change. Confession is connected to life change and confession is connected to prayer. Prayer to God and prayer for one another for God’s transformational power to be at work in their lives.

 

That is what James is referring to when he uses the phrase so that you may be healed. This phrase refers to a person being delivered from something, in this case selfishness, sin, and rebellion. There is something powerful that occurs when followers of Jesus pray for one another in community with one another as they open up about the areas of selfishness and rebellion that they are struggling with.

 

It is prayer surrounding confession, in community with one another, that releases a person from the power of secret sin and that empowers a person to become more like Jesus as they experience the encouragement and support of prayer in community with others. James then reveals a fourth way that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer in the second half of James 5:16:

 

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

 

Here we see James point the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to a section of a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of 1 Kings that involves a man named Elijah. Now Elijah was a prophet who was a spokesman for God who proclaimed God’s message to the Jewish people during the reign of a King named Ahab. King Ahab ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel from 874-853 B.C. James begins by explaining that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James point here is that the prayer of a man who lives in a right relationship with God has the power to do great things. 

 

Now at this point, it would be easy to conclude that James here is referring to the prayers of super-Christians like Elijah and not ordinary Christians like you and me. However, that is not James point here. And we know that it is not James point here because of what James says in the first part of verse 17:  "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours”. Now what is so interesting here is that this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to experience a similarity in feelings or circumstances.

 

Now a natural objection that could arise at this point is “Well Dave, how could James say that Elijah experienced a similarity and feelings and circumstances to me? After all Elijah was a super prophet of God and I am here just struggling to follow Jesus.” To understand why James would point to Elijah, we fist need to understand the whole story of Elijah.

 

We meet Elijah in 1 Kings 17 after Elijah, as God’s spokesperson, predicted, proclaimed and prayed for a drought to encompass the nation of Israel. And in 1 Kings 17, we see Elijah perform a miracle to provide food for himself, along with a widow and her son. Then after the widow’s son died, we see Elijah pray to God to miraculously heal her son. And God answered her prayer by miraculously bringing him back to life.

 

Then, after 3 ½ years of drought, in 1 Kings 18, we see Elijah confront the wicked King Ahab and 450 prophets of the false God Baal.  We see Elijah courageously call the false prophets of Baal to a contest in front of Jewish nation to prove who the One True God was. We see Elijah boldly and sarcastically mock the false prophets of Baal, whose god would not answer their prayer. We see Elijah boldly pray to God to answer his prayer. And God answered his prayer. We see Elijah lead the Jewish people to destroy all of the false prophets of Baal. We see Elijah pray for rain after 3 ½ years of no rain. And God answered his prayer and provided a monsoon storm. We see Elijah outrun the king’s chariot back into the city.

 

Can you imagine being Elijah? Can you imagine praying such prayers and seeing God miraculously answer your prayers? Can you imagine how pumped Elijah must have been about God? Can you imagine how much Elijah must have trusted in God?  Really?

 

Because in 1 Kings 19, we see Elijah, after all of his amazing prayers; after witnessing all of God’s miraculous activity in his life, run with his tail between his legs in fear of his life after he was threatened by King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel. And after running from Jezebel, we see Elijah whine and complain to God in 1 Kings 19:14:

 

“"I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

 

So what happened to super Christian Elijah? What happened to Mr. the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much Elijah? You see, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. Elijah was a man who experienced the same ups and downs that we do as he attempted to follow Jesus. Elijah was a man who experienced the same mountain tops and valleys that we do when it came to how he trusted and followed God.

 

You see, James points followers of Jesus to Elijah not because he was a super Christian who prayed super prayers. Instead James points us to Elijah because James wanted to reveal for us the reality that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to overcome our weaknesses. James pointed to Elijah because when we pray we are creating space to engage God in a way that provides the opportunity for God to help us to see things from His eternal perspective and not our temporary perspective. We see God give Elijah the true perspective of what was happening just a few verses later in 1 Kings 19:18:

 

"Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."

 

You see, James pointed to Elijah because when we pray we are creating space to engage God in a way that provides the opportunity for God to overcome our flaws and failings to accomplish His kingdom mission. James pointed to Elijah because when we pray we are creating space to engage God in a way that provides the opportunity for God to overcome our weaknesses in a way that points to the greatness and glory of God’s activity in and through us.

 

So here is a question to consider: How do you view prayer? And how are you embracing and engaging in prayer? Is prayer still mysterious and intimidating to you?  Are you avoiding prayer as something that is only for super Christians? Or are you embracing prayer?

 

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer. The faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to engage God. The faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity for healing. The faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity for spiritual growth. And the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to overcome our weaknesses.

 

The Issue of Prayer and Healing...

This week we are looking at a letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. Yesterday, we saw James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works in that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer.

We talked about the reality that prayer, simply put, is entering into communion and communication with God. Prayer is creating space to enter into God’s personal presence and spend time with God. Prayer was divinely designed as an opportunity to spend time with God. Prayer is divinely designed to be the vehicle by which we experience life with Jesus and life change by Jesus.

And in James 5:13-18, we see James reveal for us four different ways that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer. First, in James 5:13, we saw that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to engage God. When we pray we are creating space to engage God. We are creating space where we can engage God with the difficult circumstances that are causing suffering in our lives. And we are creating space to engage God by praising Him for that happiness and joy that we may be experiencing as a result of our circumstances.

Prayer is about engaging God in a way that results in us experiencing God’s presence in the midst of whatever circumstances that we find ourselves in. Prayer is about experiencing God’s presence, whether God chooses to take us out of our circumstances or whether He chooses to take us through our circumstances. Today, we will see James reveal a second way that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer in James 5:14-15:

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 restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Now these two verses are two of the most discussed and debated verses in the entire Bible when it comes to the issue of prayer and the issue of healing. And over time, there have been four differing views when it comes to how these verses are to be understood. So what I would like to do is to guide us through a process by which we look at these verses in a way that asks and answers the questions that are necessary so that we can come to understand what James is communicating in these verses.

James begins verse 14 by asking the question: “Is anyone among you sick?” Now that leads us to the first question that we need to ask and answer, which is “what kind of sickness is James referring to?” Now the word sick here, in the language that this letter was originally written in can refer to a debilitating physical illness. Or the word sick can mean to be weak. So which one is it? In verse 13, James is referring to those who were suffering emotionally or spiritually and those who were experiencing joy and happiness as a result of their circumstances.  However, that does not mean that James could not also be referring here to someone who is physically suffering.

Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, how can we know whether James is talking about physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering?” Great question. And the answer would be to keep reading on to see if what James says next helps us answer that question. In the next part of verse 14, James answers his question by commanding the person who is sick “to call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord”. 

Now when James refers to the Elders of the church, he is referring to those in the leadership of the church who have been given the leadership responsibility to protect, care, lead, feed those who are a part of the church. As the leaders of the church, the Elders are to pray over the person who is sick, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The oil that was used was olive oil. Now that leads us to the next question that we need to ask and answer which is “what is the purpose and point of anointing with oil?”

There have been four different views when it comes to the point and purpose of the anointing with oil. The first view is referred to as the medicinal view, which maintains that the olive oil served to have a medicinal purpose in the physical healing of a person. The problem with this view, however, is that there is no evidence that anointing with oil was used for any medical problem. In addition, why would James only mention one remedy when many other physical illnesses could be encountered? Why wouldn’t James say “if you encounter this physical disease use olive oil, but if you encounter that physical disease use this treatment?”

The second view is referred to as the pastoral view. This view maintains that the anointing of oil was designed to stimulate the faith of the sick person. In other words, the oil served to jump-start the faith of the person so that the person would be healed. The problem with this view, however, is that while Jesus sometimes used a physical prop in his healings that stimulated the faith of the one who was healed, the value of the anointing here does not lie in any physical connection between the anointing and the illness, as was the case in Jesus healings.

The third view is referred to as the sacramental view, which maintains that the anointing is mandated by God as a physical element through which He works the grace of healing in the sick believer. This view is maintained by the Catholic Church and is called “the anointing of the sick, or, extreme unction. However, the problem with this view is that, as we will see in a few minutes, James insistence that the sick are healed through the prayer of faith suggests that the anointing itself does not convey the grace of healing power.

The fourth view views the anointing of oil as a physical action with symbolic significance. As the Elders pray, they are to anoint the sick person with oil in order to symbolize that the person is being set apart for God’s special attention and care. As the Elders pray asking God to heal the sick person, the oil serves as a symbol to acknowledge that this person is being set apart, by the Elders, for God’s special intervention and healing.

This view seems to relate best to what James says next, which is that “and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." You see, the focus is not on the anointing oil; the focus is on the prayer of faith. James point is that the prayer of faith, which as we saw in the previous phrase, was offered in the name of the Lord, will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up.

Now that leads us to the next set of questions that we need to ask and answer, which is “what is the prayer of faith? And how are they restored and raised up? Physically, spiritually, or emotionally? Is James here saying that the prayer of faith guarantees physical healing here on earth?”  Now there is a stream of Christianity, which is referred to as the Prosperity Gospel movement that would say just that. 

Proponents of prosperity theology and the prosperity gospel maintain that God desires that everyone prosper financially and physically as a result of their spirituality. Prosperity theology maintains what is called a “name it and claim it” mentality when it comes to a person’s health and wealth. In other words, if you just have enough faith, you can ask God for large material or physical blessings and He will provide. All you need is faith. “Just name it by faith and you can claim it by faith”. Those who embrace prosperity theology will refer to themselves as being “word of faith communities”. So, for the person who is sick, if they just have enough faith, their prayer of faith would provide healing.

However, there is a huge problem with prosperity theology. And that problem is this: any theological category that is true to the message and teachings of Jesus must be able to have Jesus fit into that category. Because, when you look at the definition of a spiritually mature person in prosperity gospel; that a spiritually mature person was wealthy, with good relationships and without pain or anxiety, that definition excludes Jesus.

Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed physically, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was beaten and crucified. So did Jesus not have enough faith? Did Jesus have sin in His life? Was Jesus spiritually immature? You see, Jesus would not be welcomed into the prosperity gospel movement as being spiritually mature. And if Jesus cannot fit into your theology, then your theology is faulty. Those who say that people who are not healed because they did not have enough faith are looking at faith and its results in a way that is profoundly unbiblical.

In addition, did you notice who is doing the praying in this verse. The prayer of faith that heals is not the prayer of the one who is sick; the prayer of faith that heals is the prayer of the Elders. Are the Elders therefore at fault if the prayer for healing does not bring healing in a reasonable amount of time? Would the healing have taken place if the Elders just had more faith?

The key to understanding what James is communicating here is to connect the phrase “in the name of the Lord” with the phrase “the prayer offered in faith”. You see, to ask for something in the name of the Lord, to pray for healing in Jesus name, does not simply mean that we utter Jesus name like it is a magic formula. Instead, to pray in Jesus name is to pray in a way that takes into account Jesus will. We see this reality revealed by James half-brother Jesus in John 14:12-14:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Notice what Jesus says here: "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus point is that God will respond to the prayer that is focused on accomplishing the mission of God in a way that advances God’s kingdom and makes much of God. You see, the faith that James is talking about in these verses; the faith exercised in this prayer is the faith in the God who sovereignly exercises His will.

The New Testament clearly demonstrates that God does not always will to heal the believer. For example, in John chapter 5, Jesus walked past multitudes who were praying to be healed to heal a person who did not even demonstrate faith in Jesus. And 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, God rejected Paul’s request to be healed because in Paul’s physical weakness God would be glorified. The prayer of faith is the prayer that confidently trusts in God’s ability to heal and that believes that when its God’s will for that healing to occur, the faith, which in itself is a gift from God, will be present.

But that still brings us back to the question “what kind of healing are we talking about?” On the one hand, I do not believe that James is simply and only talking about physical healing. Because if James was only talking about physical healing, why would he mention the last part of verse 15: “and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." On the other hand, I do not necessarily believe that James is only talking about emotional or spiritual healing.

Instead, I believe that James is revealing for us the reality that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity for healing. When we pray we are creating space to engage God in a way that provides the opportunity for God to bring healing in our lives as a result of the difficult circumstances that are causing suffering in our lives, whether that suffering is physical, emotional, or spiritual. And we are creating space to engage God in a way that confidently trusts in God’s ability to heal and that trusts in God’s will to either bring us out of or through the suffering that we are experiencing, whether that suffering is physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.

The letters in the Bible are filled with faithful and prayerful people who made much of Jesus through His healing power over their physical, spiritual and emotional suffering. And the letters of the Bible are filled with faithful and prayerful people who made much of Jesus through their lives of suffering. Remember, prayer is about experiencing God’s presence, whether God chooses to take us out of our circumstances or whether He chooses to take us through our circumstances.

Tomorrow, we will see James reveal a third way that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer...

The faith that works embraces and engages in prayer...

At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. James was the half brother of Jesus who repeatedly doubted Jesus claim to be God, but became a follower of Jesus who was the pastor at the church in Jerusalem and who was ultimately killed for believing that Jesus was God. James turned from being a doubter in Jesus to being a pastor of Jesus church and an author of this letter that is recorded for us in the Bible after seeing Jesus after He was raised from the dead.

And as we look at this letter that was written by the half brother of Jesus, our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around several timeless truths that occur in a life of faith that works itself out in a way that results in us living lives that look like Jesus. This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. As we have talked about throughout this series, the problem with the book of James is not that the book of James is difficult to understand. Instead, the problem with the book of James is that it is not difficult to understand and we have to do something with what it says.

However, as we jump into the next section of the book of James, we will be jumping into a section of the book of James that is viewed as a little more difficult to understand. And it is in this section of this letter that we see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works.  So let’s discover that timeless truth together beginning in James 5:13:

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

James begins this section of his letter to early followers of Jesus with a question: “Is anyone among you suffering?” Now this word suffering literally means to suffer misfortune that produces spiritual or emotional distress. James here is referring to a person who is suffering emotionally or spiritually as a result of circumstances that have come upon them.

As we discovered last week, there were followers of Jesus who were being exploited and dragged into court by those who were rich and who arrogantly believed that they were in control of their future. And James had commanded these followers of Jesus to remain calm and to remain faithful as they endured the difficult circumstances that they were facing.

James then answers his own question by commanding those who were suffering and enduring difficult circumstances to pray in light of their difficult circumstances that they were suffering through. James commanded those who were suffering to pray for the strength to endure the suffering they were experiencing in a way that revealed and reflected Jesus.

James then asks a second question: “Is anyone cheerful?” This word again concerns an emotional response to a circumstance that one was facing. James here is referring to the person who is in a circumstance that produces and promotes happiness and joy. James then answers his own question by giving a second command: “He is to sing praises.”

James here is commanding those who were experiencing happiness and joy as a result of the circumstances that they were facing to give praise to God for the circumstances that they were facing. And it is here, in these questions and commands, that we see James reveal for us a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works. And that timeless and true principle is this: The faith that works embraces and engages in prayer.

Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer. However, to fully understand this timeless and true principle, we first need to understand what prayer is. Prayer, simply put, is entering into communion and communication with God. Prayer is creating space to enter into God’s personal presence and spend time with God.

You see, one of the common misconceptions about prayer is that prayer only involves asking things from God. But the reality is that the point of prayer is not to get answers from God. Answers to prayer are secondary. The main function of prayer is a growing and continual communion with God on the deepest possible level.

Prayer was divinely designed as an opportunity to spend time with God. Prayer is divinely designed to be the vehicle by which we experience life with Jesus and life change by Jesus. You see, to pray is to change because prayer is the central avenue that God uses to change and transform us. The closer we come to the heartbeat of Jesus, the more we will see our need and the more we will desire to be more like Jesus. If we are unwilling to change, we will give up on and avoid prayer, because when we pray, God reveals to us who we are and what needs to change.

And in James 5:13-18, we see James reveal for us four different ways that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer. First, in James 5:13, we see that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer because prayer provides the opportunity to engage God. When we pray we are creating space to engage God. We are creating space where we can engage God with the difficult circumstances that are causing suffering in our lives. And we are creating space to engage God by praising Him for that happiness and joy that we may be experiencing as a result of our circumstances.

Prayer is about engaging God in a way that results in us experiencing God’s presence in the midst of whatever circumstances that we find ourselves in. Prayer is about experiencing God’s presence, whether God chooses to take us out of our circumstances or whether He chooses to take us through our circumstances. Tomorrow, we will see James reveal a second way that the faith that works embraces and engages in prayer...

The faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. So far this week, we have discovered that that the faith that works practices patience. In James 5:7-12, James reveals for us three specific ways that the faith that works practices patience.

We have seen James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while waiting on Gods timing. We have seen James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while enduing suffering. Today, we see James conclude this section of his letter by providing a third way that the faith that works practices patience in James 5:12:

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

James concludes this section of his letter by commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to do not swear. When James uses the phrase “to swear” this phrase literally means to affirm the truth of one’s statement by evoking a Divine being or an entity. This phrase conveys the sense of inviting punishment is one is untruthful.

James here is referring to taking an oath as a sign of commitment to the truthfulness of one’s words.  Instead of taking such an oath, James commands followers of Jesus that “your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.” But what is James getting at here? Is James commanding us never to take any oath at all? Why is James making this command?

I do not believe that James is commanding followers of Jesus to never take any oath at all. Instead, the point that James is making here is that, as followers of Jesus, our truthfulness should be so consistent and dependable that we need no other oath to support what we say. As followers of Jesus, we should be a people that are marked by truthfulness and integrity in our speech and our actions. James here is echoing the words of his half brother Jesus, who said the following in Matthew 5:34-37:

"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes ' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

 Here we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words. Instead of impatiently stretching the truth of our words in a way that results in our advantage; Instead of impatiently using our words in a way that exaggerates the truth and discredits Jesus; as followers of Jesus we are to practice patience in way that speaks the truth in love and in a way that makes much of Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: How patient are you? Are you patient when it comes to waiting on God’s timing? Or are you impatiently attempting to force things to occur in your timing? Are you patient when it comes to how you respond to suffering?

Do you respond to suffering by patently refusing to grumble to others? Or do you respond to suffering by impatiently lashing out at others? Are you patient when it comes to the truthfulness of your words to others? Or are you impatiently stretching the truth in order to get what you want in your time?

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works practices patience. The faith that works practices patience while waiting on God’s timing. The faith that works practices patience while enduring suffering. And the faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words.