James
5:12 ¶ But above all things, my
brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any
other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall
into condemnation. 13 Is any among you
afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of
faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like
passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it
rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave
rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death,
and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James
concludes with several admonitions. First, our word is to be our word and we
are not to swear. Our word should be drawn from such upright character that it
would not be questioned. Christ said in the popularly called ‘Sermon on the
Mount’.
Matthew
5:33 ¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath
been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt
perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s
throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is
his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head,
because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
From
verse 13 onward the power of our communication with God is elevated. I take
this passage in connection with all of the other passages and verses on prayer
in the Bible which tempers these statements. Whether in sickness or health,
praying for forgiveness or healing is very powerful. This is a great principle
that is not lessened when the answer to your prayer is no. God sees things from
the point of view of eternity, as if they are events that have already
happened. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much shows
that prayer is honored particularly when made by someone who is obedient to God
even though God already knew who the righteous person would be and what their
prayer would be and their need or concern before time began. I’ve read
it explained this way.
“Theologians
explain that prayer doesn't change God's mind because God is eternal and
unchanging; instead, prayer is seen as a means for God to work through in
accordance with His existing plan. Prayer is not about persuading an unwilling
God, but rather a way to participate in His will and see His plan unfold in
specific ways, often by God responding to changes in human behavior like sin or
repentance, which He foresaw from the beginning.”
He
responds to your prayer, as He has always responded to that prayer He knew you
would make and don’t think that He’s going to change a million other people’s
futures or circumstances because of your prayer. Your prayer acknowledges God’s
sovereignty over your life and should line your thinking up with His will,
always taking the long view of eternity. You may not be healed in this life.
You may even die but if you belong to Christ you will live forever. James
finishes in verse 20 with the statement that when you pray for someone leaving
the path of righteousness because it is, indeed, impossible to pursue
righteousness when one is zealously clinging to error, and they turn back to
the right path, you have done a great thing. You delivered them from their sin
and changed their mind and their lifepath.
So,
James is complete and this bold letter warns us to walk the walk and not just
talk to talk. This is a nuts and bolts view of our faith. We pick up our
Christian “toolbox” each day follow the path that Christ has laid down for us.
It is worth reading again whether you agree with my interpretation or not.
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