AND IF HE HAS COMMITTED SINS, HE WILL BE FORGIVEN (James 5:14-15).
James is not talking about every kind of illness here, but only about a certain form of sickness; a sickness which is the result of certain specific circumstances. The key to understanding the passage is found in the words "And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." Healing in this section is connected with the forgiveness of sins.
God is chastening him in order to bring him back into fellowship. he repents of his sin and confesses it to God. Since the sin has also involved the public testimony of the assembly, he calls the elders and makes a full confession to them as well. They "pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." This prayer of faith saves the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. It is a definite promise of the Lord that where sickness is a direct result of sin, and where that sin is confessed and forsaken in the manner described, the Lord will heal.
Sins are forgiven only as a result of confession (1 John 1:9). The whole context has to do with confession of sins and the restoration of a backslider.
James is not talking about every kind of illness here, but only about a certain form of sickness; a sickness which is the result of certain specific circumstances. The key to understanding the passage is found in the words "And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." Healing in this section is connected with the forgiveness of sins.
God is chastening him in order to bring him back into fellowship. he repents of his sin and confesses it to God. Since the sin has also involved the public testimony of the assembly, he calls the elders and makes a full confession to them as well. They "pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." This prayer of faith saves the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. It is a definite promise of the Lord that where sickness is a direct result of sin, and where that sin is confessed and forsaken in the manner described, the Lord will heal.
Sins are forgiven only as a result of confession (1 John 1:9). The whole context has to do with confession of sins and the restoration of a backslider.
No comments:
Post a Comment