CCC #4: Confession - Part 3 - James 5:16 - 'Healing'

The Corrupt Christian Concepts Series

Photo by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

(All scripture quotes are from the BSB unless otherwise noted.)

James 5:13-16 Synopsis

I am going to give an early synopsis of what is going on in the latter part of James 5. If that intrigues you, then I have a lengthy study showing how I came to this conclusion.

Some of you may shake your head at this conclusion. All I ask is that you hear me out and be ready to change your mind. If you still are not convinced, then so be it.

I will say that this has been an arduous study - James is challenging.

My Conclusion Synopsis

In James 5:7-20, James is focused on encouraging his audience to persevere under trials and temptations. He actually starts his letter this way!

In James 1:2 he says to be joyful in trials and temptations! Most of the context in chapter 5 is the same vein. He starts and finishes his letter with the same theme. He wants to encourage his audience in their trials.

These trials and temptations are disheartening some in the audience, causing them to give up and give in. Some are in a severe depression. They need encouragement and advice on dealing with this.

The word 'sick' used by James in this passage can have the meaning of mental or emotional turmoil. All of the words have been used in scripture in this way - some of them have only been used in this way.

James gives the progression of how to deal with suffering and the impact of discouragement and depression.

1. First - personal prayer.

2. If you are still struggling, call in reinforcements - the elders of the church - to anoint you with oil to give you good cheer and pray that you can snap out of it.

3. If you have anxiety about any sin that you may have committed during this time of struggle, be assured that you are forgiven - either by God, the elders, or others. Take that off your list of anxieties.

4. Finally, if you continue to struggle with depression over your sin, get with some trusted believers so you can verbally agree that those sins are forgiven. The prayers of these righteous ones are powerful to help you build your faith in the gospel and help you get out of the ditch you are in.

I do not believe James is referring to healing physical sickness, though physical sickness could be a trial causing depression. The depression itself is what James is seeking to be healed in this passage.

Based on the words used, this is a serious issue. This depression has taken these believers out. They are barely functioning - it is a major struggle to walk well.

Confession of sin in verse 16 is directly tied to the “forgiven sin” mentioned in verse 15. James wants other believers to verbally confirm and encourage the struggling believer to have faith in the forgiveness of their sin.

Again, this is not a general sin listing. This is very specific to the sin being discussed in the passage. Confession is a tool of encouragement for the struggling believer, this is not a condemning shameful thing at all.

It is interesting - today we have industrified James' advice. The entire Christian counseling market is based on this chapter (whether they realize it or not).

If you disagree with this conclusion or are just intrigued, please continue reading. I will present a detailed argument and you can decide.

The Book of James

Perhaps there is no epistle in the new testament other than Hebrews that is as confusing as James, or has been used to come up with so many 'interesting' interpretations.

What do these two epistles have in common? They are both written to an audience of Hebrews. Hebrews is obvious, but James says he is writing the 12 tribes who have been dispersed - clearly referencing Hebrews.

As we learned in my last article, there were many Jews living in Gentile cities. Apparently if there were 10 Jewish men in a city, then they would start a synogogue. It was to these people James wrote.

While it is clear that James is writing to Hebrews, and many of them are believers, like I argued in my first CCC, this does not mean that every word in his epistle is intended for believers. Some are - some aren't.

Either way, the same as Hebrews, there is a distinct Jewish context in James' writing. Anyone who seeks to understand the book of James must take this into consideration.

Other than anointing with oil, however, this context does not impact this specific passage much. But it is still something to keep in mind when reading or studying James.

Much Controversy over James

I am not doing a full study of James at this time, but if you study any of James, you must give credence to the controversies. There is much disagreement about James and has been for a long time.

Apparently Martin Luther had some major issues with James. You can read more details here:

https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/martin-luther-james-bible

While many don't go as far as he did in their criticism, there is still much disagreement even about this passage.

Hyper Dispensational View

I hate to ever mention an 'ism', but apparently some of my views I covered in CCC#1 could be linked to the hyper dispensational view of scripture by those who insist upon putting beliefs into “isms”.

However, best I can tell, I disagree with that view in nearly everything. I simply believe that an author might write to his audience, and if that audience is Hebrews, there might be Hebrews specific material in the writing.

I have little time or interest in figuring out yet another 'ism'. If we agree on some things, fine, but don't paint me into a corner.

This applies to James because apparently this very rigid view of time periods, covenants, and people groups would say that because James is written to Jews, there is not a single application or intent for believers.

As I covered in CCC #1, that is nothing like my belief. There is a Jewish context to the writing - meaning that there will be references to Jewish traditions or specific issues a Jew would face - however, that does not mean there is no application or intent for believers.

Some who seem to discount covenants argue against this by saying all the epistles were written to another audience, so the dispensationalist is throwing out all the epistles.

That is a straw man argument that ignores the contrast between Jew and Gentile in scripture. I must defend the dispensationalist in that. But that is not my focus today.

The culture of a believer's spiritual community does impact them however. We must learn to distinguish cultural references from doctrinal.

Anointing with oil was a Jewish cultural thing that was meant to cheer up or honor someone. This does not mean we copy this exactly today. We recognize why it was done, and go for the same effect, but use our culturally relevant customs.

Ultimately, my point is that my views don't completely line up with the dispensationalist. Again, I truly despise 'isms'. They mostly provide a way to paint others into a false corner so you can feel better about yourself.

James Can Be Evangelistic

I do believe much like Hebrews, Romans, and other places indicate, one of the Jewish issues is struggling to accept Christ and the new covenant.

Thus, some of James writing will be evangelistic-ally specific to Jewish faith struggles. Here is an example:

James 4:8 - “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

There are multiple ways this verse contradicts the gospel as laid out by Paul and others - unless it is evangelistic. Only then does it fit with the gospel.

A believer is already near God, the Trinity dwells within - John 14:23 - “…We will make our abode in him…” A believer is never referred to as a sinner in other places, but a saint.

The linchpin is that believers have a new purified heart, filled with God's love, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts are already pure. I have covered these passages in other articles.

Unless Martin Luther is right, and James has a different gospel than Paul, then clearly James is sometimes speaking to unregenerate Jews who think they are near God already by Law keeping.

Yet, these particular people are not near because they do not have the Spirit. They are participating in the church and learning about the gospel, but they still need to draw near by faith and stop trusting the works of the Law.

Believers Have Murdered the Righteous?

There is another example in the very chapter where we are looking. In James 5:1-6 James is warning about trusting your riches to save you. At the end of this warning, he writes in verse 6:

“You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.”

“The righteous” is often used to describe believers, because we are the righteousness of Christ. That is what we were birthed as. This cannot be talking about believers! I discuss this further below.

Can't James Write to Multiple People?

Once again, however, this is not all of his writing. Clearly, some is intended for believers. I simply don't understand why it can't be both. Were the epistolic writers so black and white they could not reach a diverse audience?

Given that James wrote to the 'dispersement', this wasn't even a specific church. Thus, he would potentially have even less personal knowledge of his readers’ spiritual condition than the author of the book of Hebrews.

James 5:1-6 doesn't even seem to have the church audience in mind at all. It seems to be written to the general Jewish society that was ignoring widows and orphans and persecuting the church.

However, James' writing style, word choices, and other factors do make interpretation difficult, even considering these contexts.

Those who do not consider these contexts have an even more difficult job. Thus, I feel Martin Luther's pain, and others who have tried to interpret James.

Because of the difficulty interpreting James, my conclusion will have to be labeled an “informed opinion”.

It will be based on: the context of the passage; my amateur study of the Greek; some common sense and experience; and above all, the clear knowledge of the gospel presented in other places.

Who Was the Author of James?

Here is a good historical piece concerning the author of James.

https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-the-book-of-james

One thing to realize is that he most likely never left Jerusalem. That was his main location and he led the church there - mostly made up of Jewish believers.

Perhaps some of the 'dispersement' were people who had moved from Jerusalem, but there is a good chance he did not specifically know those to whom he wrote, as I mentioned above.

There is also the idea that he probably had a co-author for this letter. Read the above article for details, but this might explain the translation difficulties. There may have been a 3rd party writing down James' thoughts.

Clearly whoever wrote it had a scholarly command of the Greek language and it seems unlikely a younger son of a carpenter would fit this picture. James would have needed help to write this epistle.

There are some who think the book of James was a compilation of various concepts from his sermons. These would have been compiled with his authorization of course, but it was a way for the dispersement to hear important bits from his sermons.

This would make sense. The Jerusalem church was going through some rough times like famine, etc. His themes of taking care of widows and orphans would make a lot of sense in this context. It would have been quite personal for him.

None of this diminishes the book of James authority to be in the canon of scripture. However it was written, or where the content came from, I still confirm what resulted was inspired by the Holy Spirit. God used humans as they were to write scripture.

But all of these contexts are helpful for studying James.

Another Reference

I am certainly not the only one to come to these conclusions about this passage. I found many who have done the same. Here is one that I found interesting:

https://macarisms.com/2012/12/19/diagnosing-james-chapter-5/

Another interesting thing I found was a discussion where an atheist used this passage to attempt to discredit scripture. He did not allow for how James uses the words translated 'sick' to be ever used other than physical.

Fascinating, because this is exactly what the traditional view believes about this passage. It does not use this to undermine scripture, but it also does not allow for 'healing' other than physical.

These words are quite interesting as we will soon find out, but both takes are wrong.

James 5:16

Ok. Besides 1 John 1:9, James 5:16 is probably the biggest place people go to justify their sin listing ritual.

I have not delved deep into Catholic doctrine, but apparently this verse is the primary basis for “confession booths”.

They still get it wrong since “each other” does not indicate priests, nor does the person confessing go anywhere - they call the elders to them - but I digress.

In context, this overall passage is where they get the doctrine of “extreme unction”. No offense to Catholics, but reading the details of this doctrine and the ritualistic repetitions that go along with this sound quite pagan to me.

Of course, I believe all 'religion' is based on the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”, so there are fleshly pagan tendencies embedded even in 'God' based religions, but that is for another day.

Either way, there is certainly little in this passage to confirm either of these Catholic doctrines. However, even for non-Catholics, this passage can still be confusing and used to produce all sorts of bad ideas.

I will remind you that this is the only verse in any new testament epistle instructing confession of sin to another person. And again, only 1 of 2 epistolic verses about confession of sin at all.

This passage still does nothing to challenge my claim that a singular focus on sin for confession is not scriptural.

James 5:13-16

Let's jump in. I will quote surrounding verses for context, and we will begin studying them. They are a bundle of fun - I love a challenge.

James 5:13-16 - “13-Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

“14-Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15-And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

16-Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”

Suffering

I ask for patience as I study each of the major words in this passage. The first is 'suffering'. Here is the Discovery Bible Copyright 2021 word study:

“2553 kakopathéō (from 2556 /kakós, "of a malicious disposition" and 3806 /páthos, "pain")

The literal meaning is that you are experiencing pain cause by someone else with malicious intent.

For our study this is a malicious harming. James uses this word in verse 10 to describe the 'afflictions' of the prophets and Job caused by outside forces.

Job is a good example because his 'suffering' hits every type of trial and tribulation. Yes, he was even sick, but that was only a small part of the trials and tribulations.

As the example of Job demonstrates, sickness is not the thrust of this word. Suffering comes in all forms, and discouragement, depression, or disheartenment can be the result.

And this seems to be the full context of this passage. Here is verse 8:

“You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

Notice the emphasis on “strengthen your hearts”. A better word is “focus your hearts". The word is 'stérizó’, and here is a bit from Strong's Concordance on biblehub.com that gives the literal meaning:

“…(literally) to turn resolutely in a certain direction…”

This is not ‘purification’ of the heart, which only Christ can do. We can still 'steer' our pure hearts in certain directions and live from them or not. He is reminding them that this world is not their home, and they need to focus on this truth, among others.

Again, sickness could play a role in this depression, but the primary focus of James in this passage is the result of the affliction - not the affliction itself.

He wants his audience to maintain the strength of their faith and avoid debilitating discouragement and depression over their trials - no matter what the root cause of their trials is.

Two Words Translated 'Sick'

There is definitely translation mischief in regards to the word 'sick'. So, the Greek words in verse 14 and 15, both translated 'sick', are not the same word, or even rooted together.

Here is the first word 'sick' in verse 14 from Discovery Bible Copyright 2021:

“Cognate: 770 asthenéō – to be ill, without strength; to languish. See 772 (asthenēs).”

This is a word used to describe physical sickness in the Gospels (usually connected to healing by faith), so thus as a standalone word without context I could see a good reason to translate 'sick'.

However, we don't find this much in the epistles. There, it tends to be more like the other meaning: weakness of soul or languishing. I will get into a study of this word in a bit.

Here is the totally different Greek word 'sick' used in verse 15 from Discovery Bible Copyright 2021:

“2577 kámnō – properly, become weary (this was a common meaning for this term from 900 bc on, J. Thayer); weary to the point of sickness; "spent," ready to collapse (especially from over-work).”

Now I recognize that this still says 'sickness' in the definition listed here, but this clearly has the idea of weariness of soul, not physical sickness.

This weariness could lead to sickness, but it is not specifically sickness, it is the point right before.

Here is the only other verse that uses the word kámnō:

Hebrews 12:3 - “Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The author of Hebrews is telling his audience to keep their eyes on Christ - so that they would not grow weary. I mean, sure, you can get so exhausted it makes you physically sick, but that is not the idea here.

This is an emotional exhaustion where we “lose heart”- get discouraged and depressed. His use of “lose heart” makes the meaning clear. James use of this same word kámnō is telling.

I believe he has the same meaning as the author of Hebrews, thus translating it 'sick' and not ‘weary’ is a poor choice by the translation committees.

Only literal translations like YLT or LSV translate this 'distressed'. That is a much better word than 'sick'.

More About ‘asthenéō’

I am simply going to quote several verses using this word from several different epistles with a brief comment after each verse.

Romans 4:19a - “Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body…”

This is the chapter where Paul is demonstrating how Abraham was justified by faith. Paul uses this same word translated 'sick' in James 5 to say Abraham did not ‘weaken’ his faith.

Clearly this does not mean physical sickness since the object is faith. But let's continue…

Romans 14:2 - “For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.”

Once again, Paul uses this word to describe a faith that is weak.

Note: the less strict and uptight believer is the stronger believer, but that is another CCC.

However, again, this cannot be physical 'sickness'. It is weakness of the soul or mind - which is part of the soul.

Galatians 4:9 - “But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”

Here, Paul is referring to the Torah which he calls 'principles'. Much like Hebrews does, he calls the Torah 'weak' and uses the same root word as James.

Again, unless Paul is humanizing the Torah and saying it is sick (he's not) - this cannot mean physical sickness.

1 Corinthians 11:30 - “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”

Ok, this one is interesting. Eventually this passage will be another CCC because some really damaging ideas come out of it (like God kills His children when the misbehave).

This is the chapter where Paul chastises the Corinthians about their abuse of the Lord's supper.

For our current study, Paul uses the same word which is translated 'weak' here, and then a totally different word (arrōstoi) for 'sick'! Curious. That word does clearly mean physical sickness in the Greek in all use cases.

So, what to make of the two different words? Obviously Paul wasn’t saying “that is why many of you are sick and sick”. He would not repeat two words where he intended the same meaning.

I believe he is contrasting two different things. Once again, this is an emotional or mental - soul based weakness. Their poor mindset and destructive actions caused more than just physical damage, it was also damaging their soul.

Thus, an example of this word being used to describe something that is clearly contrasted with physical sickness, so it could not be that.

Philippians 2:27 - “He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.”

Paul is describing how the Philippians prayed for Timothy's sickness. It is clearly physical sickness in context. So, yes, even in the epistles this word can mean physical sickness. But this is the only epistolic passage with this context.

‘Asthenéō’ Conclusion

Of the 70+ times the word is used, around 15% does reference physical sickness. All but one of these are in the Gospels, not the epistles.

However, even in the Gospels there is some tie to 'faith' and/or an internal affliction. There are many other Greek words for 'sick', but this one is chosen for a reason. It could be demonstrating the connection to their faith being strengthened along with their body.

An example is Luke 8:2, where this word is used only together with demonic possession. Obviously this would be a special kind of soul or spiritual 'sickness', not the typical physical malady.

The rest vary in context, but it is mostly generic weakness. One time scripture describes Christ being in a physical body as weakness using this word.

When Paul says about Christ that “when I am weak, He is strong” he uses this word. It describes weak faith, mental and emotional weakness, and all other sorts of weakness.

So, I guess the question is what context does James use it in? Well, let's try to figure it out, but first, more words!

Anointing with Oil

Here is part of the word translated 'anointing' description from Discovery Bible Copyright 2021:

"Anointing" (218 /aleíphō) usually applied olive oil on the face, to refresh a guest. Oil was also applied to the feet to soothe and show honor (courtesy, respect). Anointing shares a "penetrating comfort" to impart strength and healing (joy).”

Apparently there are several different kinds of anointing in scripture. Some are ceremonial, however, this is the word used for the everyday anointing that was a custom in Jewish society.

Some say that this indicates James is saying “go to a doctor” along with prayer, however, that is truly reading into the text. Plus, it is the elders of the church who are called, not a doctor (unless medical training has now become part of being an elder).

Including this usage in James (the only non-Gospel usage), this word is used 9 times in scripture. Only once does it seem to be used in a context of physical healing (Mark 6:13).

I will give you a couple of examples of how it is used.

Matthew 6:17 - “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face…”

Here, Christ is castigating the Pharisees for their “fake fasting”. They would do this as a display of their 'holiness'. Their attitude was “My fasting is better than your fasting. NaNaNa.”

They would take the normal discomfort from this ritual (fasting will be yet another CCC) and multiply it by 10. They would make themselves look extra miserable and despondent.

Christ is advocating that the proper response is to anoint your head (with oil) and cheer yourself up and look as if nothing is happening.

For our study, this shows how the Jewish society used anointing. It's purpose was to cheer the heart and/or as a way to have a more appealing physical look.

This is by far the majority usage of this word, but let's look at one more.

Luke 7:46 - “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.”

Christ clearly wasn't physically sick in this passage, so why did He scold His host? Because again, this was a Jewish custom bestowing honor on a guest.

Again, it was meant to cheer the heart or improve the physical appearance of the guest for their time spent with the host. It was not meant to heal physical sickness.

Given this is the majority usage in scripture for this word, once again, we are left asking the question, how was James using it?

‘Restore’ = Salvation

The word translated ‘restore’ is ‘sózó’. It is most often used to describe salvation. Here is the word study from Strong's Concordance on biblehub.com:

heal, be made whole.

From a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. Deliver or protect (literally or figuratively) -- heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

I like the phrase “be made whole” to describe this. This is truly the meaning of 'holiness'. God is 'whole'. There is nothing that needs to change about Him that will make Him better. He simply 'IS' - “I AM that I AM.”

Wholeness was the original state of Adam and Eve. And now, because of the finished work of Christ, God offers this wholeness to us. This is captured in this word 'salvation'.

This wholeness has many components, and thus this word is used in scripture to reference these various components. This will be it's own CCC one day, but for now, a brief synopsis:

• Our spirit (heart) is made whole at our new birth. We are given a new spirit connected to Christ. It is a new creation. Our spirit is born of God. He only births good and holy things.

• Our soul (mind, will, emotions - our psychology) is being made whole as we grow in Christ. He is bringing us to 'completion'. However, while still under the influence of sin, it can be influenced and drawn away from truth. In the final kingdom, that sin influence will be gone - Christ will be the only soul influence.

• Our body will be made whole at the resurrection, when we receive a new one. However, we can still offer our fallen bodies as a living sacrifice as they are good and acceptable tools for God. As Paul says in Romans 8:11 - the Spirit can bring life to your 'mortal' body.

In rare contextual cases this word can be related to being saved from something physical, but it mostly refers to God saving us (98%). This is the same word used in Ephesians 2:8:

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

This is quite intriguing. So, again, we are left with determining what wholeness James is referring to? Is it spirit, soul, or body wholeness?

Could it be all 3? Certainly, so far, all of these words can reference all aspects of salvation. So what is James up to?

“Raise Him Up”

Another interesting word. Most often when a passage refers to “Christ being raised from the dead” this word is used.

From Strong's Concordance on biblehub.com:

egeiró: to waken, to raise up.

Here is an interesting usage:

Ephesians 5:14: “So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5 is a passage of instructions on what walking well looks like. The context of this verse is one of my favorite verses, verse 8. Let's quote verses 8-10:

“8-For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9-for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10-Test and prove what pleases the Lord.”

Once again, Paul anchors behavior in identity. You can only walk in the light because Christ has made you light. Only a new creation can walk in faith and act new.

When he says to test, he means test what your mindset about Christ is producing. Do you believe you are a child of light or not?

In Ephesians 4:20, Paul says this:

“But this is not the way you came to know Christ.”

Once again, he was referring to the fact that knowing Christ well never produces bad behavior. Your behavior is a fruit of how well you know Christ and believe His finished work.

Thus, in verse 14, he is using a quote to say that when a believer is behaving badly, it is like their mind is in a stupor, as if they were dead, and they need to be raised up - not to newness of life - that happened at salvation; but to a new way of thinking.

Once again, this is a poetic way of saying: repent. When our minds are stuck in a rut of lies, we need to wake up, change our mind, and believe the truth of the gospel.

'Healed' in Verse 16

So, the word 'iasasthai’ is translated 'healed', which certainly lends to it being physical sickness. However, along with physical healing, you can have mental, emotional, or spiritual healing.

But let's check it out this word further. Here is what Strong's Concordance from biblehub.com says is the meaning:

“heal, make whole.

Middle voice of apparently a primary verb; to cure (literally or figuratively) -- heal, make whole.”

Wow, that just blows my mind. The exact same meaning as restore or save: make whole. Again, this can apply to body, soul, and spirit.

There is only one other place this exact word (meaning with all the same grammatical effects) is used. And only in certain manuscripts (like the KJV, etc.). Here is the NKJV:

Luke 4:18a - “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…”

Interesting. In some texts this word 'heal' is related to a “broken heart” which means emotional or spiritual healing.

But let's look at some other places the root of this word and other forms are used. The majority of the use in the Gospels is for physical healing, no doubt, but we do have this one.

John 12:40 - “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”

This is John quoting Isaiah, but for my purposes, this is a heart and a mental healing. It is a healing of their understanding of the gospel. Thus, this word, even in the Gospels, can have a non-physical meaning.

Matthew 13:15 - “For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’”

This is similar to John 12:40. Christ is referring to the Jewish people in this and bemoaning the fact that, as He says in John 5:38-40, “they search the scriptures for life but refuse to come to Me.”

This is the root of the same word for heal. This is heart and understanding type of healing. This is spiritual, mental, and emotional healing, not physical.

Iasasthai Conclusion

While it is certainly true that this word is used for physical healing, we see that it can refer to spiritual and soul type of healing too.

Matter of fact, the only other place the exact form of the word is used in any manuscript does refer to '“brokenhearted”. This is clearly spiritual or perhaps emotional healing.

Now, yet again, we must begin to put all of this information together and try to figure out how James was using it.

One More Tiny Word: TAS

So, this is a word that is most often translated 'the'. But the description of this word on biblehub.com is the longest of any word I have ever seen. Apparently it is quite flexible.

The long and the short of it is that this is a definite article. In Strong's, the word 'your' is in brackets for verse 16 because it is a translator choice. They are once again making a judgment call based on their interpretation of the context.

I think using 'the' actually works better in verse 16 and makes quite the difference to the meaning. This word is used because James is connecting these sins to the previous verse. But I will cover these verses below.

Just remember the word 'the'.

Putting This All Back Together

Now that we have dissected this passage, let's try to put it back together verse by verse, and then I will draw several conclusions. I started the article with the strongest conclusion IMHO.

As a reminder, the verses right before this passage under discussion are James encouraging his audience to persevere under trials and tribulation. That is clearly the context.

Again, some trials could be physical in nature, but an attitude or mindset of perseverance is what James is encouraging here in all types of trials.

So, with all of this in mind, let's examine the verses in question.

James 5:13

“Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.”

This verse comes right out of the perseverance section. Suffering is a good translation. Paul used this to describe himself being in jail.

Initially private prayer is the prescription for this suffering. I then believe James describes the continuation of a process to deal with the emotional trauma cause by suffering through trials.

James 5:14

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

I am going to paraphrase based on the word studies I did above using the alternate meanings that I believe fit the context better.

“Because of the suffering I just mentioned, are any of you becoming weak in faith, downhearted, or discouraged? Then you should call on the elders to pray and anoint you with oil in Christ's name to cheer you up and encourage you to persevere.”

This is a strengthening of verse 13. First is personal prayer during suffering. If you are still struggling, then get further help from the elders of the church to encourage you.

James 5:15

“And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Let me paraphrase again:

“And this faith based petition will rescue the one who has fallen into a spiritual or emotional malaise. The Lord will wake the person up. Any sin that is a result of this struggle will be forgiven.”

One important thing to notice is the word “will”. Twice James is absolutely imperative that whatever is ailing the person will be taken care of. If this is physical sickness, then clearly following these instructions should absolutely provide healing.

We realize that this certainty simply does not exist in real life. While God does miraculously heal people even today, this process described by James rarely works for physical healing.

Perhaps this is because physical healing is not his focus. However, this process is almost guaranteed to work for mental and emotional anguish. Even the world recognizes a form of this to help those with emotional struggles.

A few thoughts about 'forgiven':

• Who is doing the forgiving is not mentioned here. We cannot add to scripture. Is this God's forgiveness, forgiveness from the elders, or someone else entirely? We don't know for sure.

• We do know God's forgiveness is a gift. We are forgiven for all sin for all time - past, present, and future. This makes me think perhaps it is not referring to His forgiveness.

• Again, the fact sin is mentioned seems to veer away from physical sickness. Yes, rarely, a person's sin can be a direct cause of sickness, yet generally sin is something that is an attitude or action.

• In the context of James encouraging them to have a mindset of joyful perseverance, he seems to be concerned that they would be worried about being forgiven, which would discourage them even more.

• In this case, it could be anxiety over God's forgiveness, the elders, or other people. James is encouraging them to take forgiveness off their worry list.

No matter what, we cannot say James is saying that the elder's prayer was bestowing them forgiveness from God. That would contradict many other clear passages in scripture.

I believe James was trying to help relieve their minds. He was saying, “Despite the fact that your hardships have got you down and discouraged, both God and your fellow brothers and sisters have your back. Neither is holding your sins against you.”

James 5:16

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”

Ok, finally to the confession verse. Here is my paraphrase:

“Because of what I just wrote, agree with one another about what the gospel says about the sins you are worried about (specifically that they are forgiven) and pray for one another so your soul (mind, will, and emotions) can be made whole again.

The prayer of any believer (who is the righteousness of God) is active and full of strength to help you set your mind on the power of Christ, and to stop worrying.”

Remember, confession is not sin listing. It is verbal agreement of a belief - professing a belief about a subject. In this case, the sins caused by being downhearted, discouraged, and depressed. These are the specific sins that have been previously discussed in the passage.

I believe this connects to the forgiveness. That is what your are agreeing with your fellow believers about: the person who is struggling is forgiven. This is absolutely not a generic sin listing.

James is purely connecting the impact of the suffering on these people and how it could cause them to worry and sin. They need encouragement that they are OK. That is the purpose of this particular 'confession'.

I realize this is quite different from the traditional interpretation, but I am absolutely convinced this is what James meaning and intent is. This entire passage is a continuation of his encouragement of perseverance under suffering.

No matter what, this is not some ongoing sin listing to other believers that elevates sin and tempts them. This is a very specific situation where believers are encouraging another who is dealing with massive anxiety and discouragement.

The Three Conclusions

So, I will briefly discuss what I see as the only 3 conclusions that could be possible with this passage.

My Conclusion

I put my conclusion at the beginning of the article, please go back to the top and review if necessary. But my entire study was tinted with this conclusion.

Traditional Conclusion

So, the traditional interpretation (with Catholic roots) is that this is only about physical sickness.

This sickness can be caused by sin. The elders are called in to provide 'healing' of the sickness and ‘forgiveness’ for any sin that may be a part of it.

This forgiveness happens when the person lists off their sins to another person. And through this process the sick bed-ridden person is healed and “raised up”.

Thoughts on why this could be:

• Some (but not all) of the words used can be used for physical sickness

That’s really the only thing going for it. I have mentioned many of the issues I have with this already but to review:

• Forgiveness comes as a one-time gift from God - not ongoing confession of sin

• James is very adamant that this 'healing' will happen because of this process

• The surrounding context is all about difficult circumstances that are causing hardships. While this could lead to sickness, it is more likely to lead to '“losing heart” or massive discouragement.

Ultimately, there is more going against this view than for it.

An Alternate View

I suppose some might call this an ultra dispensational view like I mentioned earlier, however, I'm not saying the entire epistle is evangelical. But perhaps this section could be.

First, as I mentioned, the section about the wealthy that James starts with does not seem to be pointed at believers. A rich believer would not have “murdered the righteous”. “The righteous” would describe a believer.

Like in Hebrews, the use of 'brothers' in a Hebrews context does not automatically mean believers. It can mean unregenerate Hebrews brothers and sisters. Scripture shows that this affectation was used for fellow Hebrews - believers or not.

The discussion of judgment in the middle of the passage has Torah overtones. Also, there are many epistolic passages that talk about the fact that as believers we will not be judged by God. Christ took our punishment.

In the last verse, James says “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death…” Again, the term sinner is not used for believers in the epistles, Paul calls them saints, not sinners.

Believers are saints who sometimes sin (verb). Their identity is not the noun 'sinner'.

Also, he says this will “save the soul from death”. Is this a believer? Contrast this with Matthew 10:28:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Thematically this could be quite similar to Hebrews. It is clear in Hebrews that the author is trying to encourage perseverance in believing the new covenant gospel.

Thus, this section on healing could be a deeper meaning of literal spirit healing - i.e. salvation.

If these unbelieving Hebrews who have been hearing the gospel are getting discouraged from continuing to learn about Christ, then the church can take action and pray and encourage them to turn from the sin of unbelief and put their faith in Christ.

Or, perhaps James has multiple meanings - that is entirely possible.

Issues With This Interpretation

• The section on evil rich people seems like a totally standalone topical section where James is castigating the rich people in his society.

• There was a famine going on and a lot of hardship. James may have been frustrated to see all these local rich people (mostly fellow Jews) who would not help those in the church who were in need.

• In 5:7, James' first encouraging thought is be patient for the Lord's coming. This would seem to indicate believers who would be looking forward to the Lord's coming, not unbelievers.

• The judgment is not indicated to be from God. This could have been avoiding earthly judgment from others (see verse 12). James was giving wise advice to believers, but not about 'final' judgment.

• The term sinner in verse 20 is not a noun, it is an adjective. However, still, this form never describes believers in scripture.

Possibly, at the end, much like the beginning of the chapter, James is changing context. However, if brother is believers above, then it should be here.

A believer can absolutely “wander from the truth”. We can get crazy mindsets that need correcting, than can hurt our souls. James uses the word for soul, not spirit or heart.

James may simply be using the word 'sinner' differently from the other authors. He could be using it to refer to the same believer as above who is struggling.

This would make sense. He is showing how the entire process he just described can help to save fellow believers from the very soul crushing depression that can lead to further soul damage.

Final Thoughts

I realize this has been quite long and confusing at times. I understand why the traditional interpretation is 'traditional' - it is potentially easier.

However, there are many holes in it as I have described. It doesn't really fit the context of the passage.

The alternate interpretation that this is evangelistic is also full of holes. The fact he encourages them to be patient for Christ's coming is a major hole in this conclusion.

Thus, I stand by my interpretation. The entire context is James encouraging believers to endure hardships, and demonstrating how the elders in the church and the fellow believers can encourage this perseverance.

The suffering can cause major soul damaging consequences even to the point of wanting to give up. James is advocating for a specific methodology that will bolster the spirits of believers who fall into despair.

He clearly wants to encourage these people that their sins are forgiven. They are under enough stress already, they don't need a poor understanding of the gift of forgiveness, or worry about the elders in the church looking down on them, to burden them even more.

James understood what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-9. In 5-8 Peter writes a list of growth qualities for a believer such as knowledge, self-control, kindness, and love. Then he makes a profound statement:

“But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”

Don't get caught up on the word 'past' - all of our sins are in the past as soon as we commit them. Again, this is not doing away with our “once for all for all time” forgiveness.

Peter is saying that not recognizing our purification is a major blocker to growth. The stress of worry about our sin, and not setting our mind on things above - the finished work of Christ - will stop our growth in its tracks.

James is Concerned about Growth

Ultimately, James is concerned about his audience growth. This is indicated in the last sentence of the letter.

Note: here we find the actual Greek word for 'turn' as opposed to repent!

James is saying that if the body of believers helps a fellow family member turn from error that they have been caught in, it will “cover a multitude of sins”.

He recognizes the spiral one can get into as one bad mindset births another. If loving and caring brothers and sisters in Christ carefully step in with compassionate help, then the spiral can be stopped.

This is much like Paul in Galatians 6:1.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”

There is a difference however. In James, he is putting the empetus on the person struggling to reach out, while Paul is making it more about someone on the outside reaching in. But the results are similar.

This is the only interpretation that fits the context of the passage and real life experience. I simply don't see physical healing of a natural sickness here, though it could fall under general hardship and dishearten someone.

But ultimately the healing James is referring to is mental and emotional, not physical. The trauma may be caused by sickness, persecution, or anything else, but it is the soul malaise that James is fighting.

Ultimately, he is instructing that we need to reach out to trusted people in our spiritual family for help in these situations.

Final Thoughts

There is a reason I covered repentance first. I realize that my conclusion here may be hard to wrap the mind around if you have had a mindset of physical sickness. It will be difficult to change your mind.

However, I ask you to review carefully what I have written and prayerfully consider the context of this passage. Ultimately, what you believe is between you and God, you certainly don't answer to me.

For my purposes of concluding this study of confession, however, I believe my premise stands. James is not advocating a general, ongoing sin listing to each other.

Again, confession does not mean sin listing anyway. It is verbal agreement with a belief. I believe the agreement James is advocating about sin is that we are forgiven. He wanted the believers to encourage each other to focus on the gospel - specifically forgiveness.

It was the specific sins that were flowing out of their being down and discouraged that are in focus for the confession. This was a temporary action to help draw them out of their depression. It was not intended as universal instruction for every sin we ever commit.

Sometimes even believers will get into a state of depression where we forget the promises of God in the gospel. It is those times that we need some outside help to remind us that God loves and forgives us.

And that is James' purpose in James 5:7-20, and that is the purpose of confession in this passage. Yet again, scripture is putting our focus on Christ and His work and the promises of God, not on ourselves and our work (or lack thereof).

And once again, religious tradition is corrupting this idea and making it about us and elevating sin by focusing on sin - not the Savior.

I hope at a minimum you will take away from this study a renewed focus on Christ and God's good news promises.

If you are like the person who has been knocked down by circumstances and struggles, don't hesitate to reach out to your spiritual community for prayer and encouragement.

We may not anoint with oil anymore, but we do have dark chocolate! Even just knowing someone has your back will encourage you.

One Final Thought

It has sadly been my experience that often it is our spiritual communities themselves who are the most condemning and throw people's sins in their faces. This hurts my heart.

Scripture never ignores sin. But both in this passage and in Galatians 6, the emphasis is on gentleness and compassion, and cheering up the fellow believer - not condemnation.

It is the kindness of God that leads to repentance. Condemnation never changed anyone's mind, it only drives them into more fear and discouragement. That is the opposite of James' desire!

I'm sure there were some in James' church who had a fit he was advocating taking oil and blessing these worthless people who couldn't pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. There will always be those who value self-effort.

However, every believer must choose their own mindset. And I pray you choose the mindset towards other believers that James is advocating: don't pile on them with your self-righteous judgmental attitude.

But do cheer them up, especially by reminding them of God's perfect love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

And who knows, once you have encouraged them and helped the Spirit bring them back from the mental and emotional brink, then they will be in a place to return the favor in the future when you need it - as we all do.