The antidote to hardship is to pray. Home >> Bible Studies >> James Studies >> James 5:13-20 These small group studies of James contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. When a Christian endures hardships, he must commit himself to intense prayer. So, these Christians no longer had the day-to-day contact with theirleaders. A rebuke of the ungodly rich. Coming from the villages of Caesarea Philippi where Jesus first announced his suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection (8:31). James thus advocates a model of community that admits no distinctions between rich and poor, with regard to health as well as to wealth. Power In Suffering (5:13) In verse 13 James returns to the subject of suffering. The book of Numbers can be a theological quagmire. 9 And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Most congregations have not been as comprehensively transformed as James would wish for them — but rather than writing off this letter as unrealistic or impractical, we would do well to begin experimenting with the kinds of community practices James proposes. The preceding chapters in the Epistle of James have described the ideal of a congregation that lives cooperatively, harmoniously, in concord with heaven’s peaceable grace — and that repudiates wrangling, privilege, and domination. Anyone who is afflicted should feel confident to ask for help from their neighbors, and the congregation’s leaders will pray on their behalf and treat them with oil (used for medicinal properties among pagan healers as well as among Jews and Christians) in the name of the Lord. The duty of mutual confession and prayer (James 5:16a) C. Eph 6:18, “…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”. Then he must pray. We find relief from affliction in prayer. In the cases of both physical infirmity (manifest in sicknesses) and spiritual infirmity (manifest in sins), James believes that our faithful solidarity and sharing are effectual in remedying our weakness. Is anyone cheerful? These two questions run the gamut of life’s experiences: “Is anyone among you suffering? The resort to God in sickness (James 5:14–16a) 1. The reliance of living faith on God (James 5:13–18) A. Php 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”. But on the other hand, Protestantism generally has ignored it altogether. Your explanations have a calming and reassuring effect on the reader: A reminder that God is an ever-present help in the time of trouble. Sermon James 5:13-20 Life Together Check out these helpful resources Biblical Commentary Sermons Children's Sermons Hymn Lists James 5:13-20 Life Together Dr. Mickey Anders Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was martyred in 1945 at the hands of the Gestapo when … James is going to do this by showing us how powerful prayer can be for your life. 16 Therefore confess your sins. These verses — presumably omitted from the lectionary reading to avoid controversy about oath-taking in civil life — prepare for the even more delicate topic of 5:15b and 16, where James explains that the community should sustain a high enough degree of mutual trust to confess their sins to one another. Through the letter as a whole, James urges his readers not simply to assent to metaphysical claims about Jesus and God, but to receive the gospel of transforming grace, and in receiving that gospel to permit their lives to be transformed into the image of that grace. But the *apostles and leaders of the church did notgo. There are some religious groups which engage in "healing services" today, and use oil to anoint the sick to produce a miracle. 5:18-20). 27:13-14, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed, That I would see the goodness of the Lord. A large number of the Christians had left *Jerusalem and had goneto live in other countries. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! One can conclude “the habit of prayer should be, and indeed is, one of the most obvious features which differentiates a Christian from other people.”7 An Exposition of James 5:13-18 In 5:13-16, we see three acts that promote full integration into James’s beloved … In previous chapters, James envisions a community where class and poverty do not divide disciples; here, he applies the same logic to grief and illness and sin. James addressed some of the problems, temptations, and sins that can be faced in the church and among all those who call themselves Christians. James wrote to help them. 1. Let them call the elders. This exhortation stands in no assignable connection with what goes before. Biblical Commentary (Bible Study) James 5:13-20. Secret sins corrode our souls, but they also corrode our relationships with others. to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Confession brings with it the assurance of God’s forgiveness; prayerful anointing (“the prayer of faith,” 5:15; “the prayer of the righteous,” 5:16) will, in James’s ideal congregation, powerfully and effectually remedy both spiritual and physical ailments. Thus, in verse 19, James encourages his audience to strive to bring back a neighbor who “wanders from the truth,” which restoration will have positive effects not only for the reformed sinner but also, apparently, for those who restore the sinner to “the truth” (5:20). 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. James addresses communities more than individuals (“to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora,” 1:1), and he promotes an ethic of integrity that emphasizes building one another up. St. James orders the sick person to be anointed in reference to his cure; but they anoint the sick in the agonies of death, when there is no prospect of his recovery; and never administer that sacrament, as it is called, while there is any hope of life. Let him pray. Some of it's words are used in more than one way in the Bible, and their meaning must be determined by the context. | Powered by WordPress. These verses describe some of the goings-on one might expect to observe in the sort of community James has in mind. The New Testament always uses the word “pray” for prayer to God. The benefits of our caring for one another are not always (we may even say not usually) immediately obvious. If one among you suffers, let him pray; if one is of good courage, let him sing psalms. The context of healing from this verse forward is not physical healing but the healing of hurts from people through prayer. This is such a great interpretation and application of James 5:13. We keep praying until we get an answer – “Yes” or “No.” We may not get an answer right away. Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing James 5:13: Mark 7:32 Acts 16:20-25 James 5:12 : James 5:14 >> The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. The resort to prayer in diverse circumstances (James 5:13) B. In contrast to this stands the proper use of the tongue, Jas 5:13. He wrote to encourage them to live asChristians should, i… (5.) The hesitancy of people to ask for or to seek prayer from the leadership of the church in such circumstances is a true mystery. The more fully we can trust others with even our painful failings, the more readily we can share with them in the forgiveness that releases us from the power our sins hold over us. This is such a great interpretation and application of James 5:13. But James also trusts that forces greater than common sense will support and amplify our well-being. This was written not long before the siege of Jerusalem; during which, as well as after it, huge calamities came on the Jewish nation, not only in Judea, but through distant countries. Although the Letter of James breaks off somewhat abruptly at this point, these verses reinforce the practical working-out of the general principles that James has been expounding earlier in the letter. The results of the prayer of faith (James 5:15) 3. A harmonious, mutually-concerned congregation will evince the sort of relationships James endorses here. 1. Paul prayed three times about a physical problem he endured. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is … So in every situation, we must learn to live with a God-ward, God-dependent focus. . We need to pray as individuals, and we need to pray with others. Your email address will not be published. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Prayer will keep us from capitulating to outside pressure. .” The Greek indicates that we are to keep on praying when we engage trouble. Job also is proposed as an example for the encouragement of the afflicted. In 5:12, he insists that disciples tell the truth at all times, to the extent that they need never take oaths (since everything they say is true). At the same time, James considers Elijah the example of someone who, although human in every way, wrought extraordinary effects by his righteousness and his confident prayer. wisdom for a blue jean faith “So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. In our American culture we keep our business quiet, and let others do the same. James therefore reminds the congregation that faithfulness requires patience (5:7-11). If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. “Don’t get discouraged in prayer. If one member is sick, the whole congregation is weaker. Esther is a strange and difficult book for several reasons, first and foremost because it is apparently non-theological. James 5:13-20 Commentary by Micah D. Kiel. Although perplexing to some, Jas. 14 Is any among you sick? 5:13-20 is actually a practical passage in which James tells Christians how to respond appropriately in certain scenarios. My father is an ordained minister. b. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group. Times of affliction are times for prayer in God’s economy. . ii. “In fulfillment of God’s purposes …. See ch. Each circumstance of life is a time to pray: trouble, happiness, and sickness -- all are an occasion for prayer and worship (5:13). The word “suffering” signifies to suffer hardship. Keep it up.” Prayer is the believer’s great weapon in times of adversity. James 5:13 Context. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another . will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. The calling of the elders to pray for the sick (James 5:14) 2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. James clearly puts the initiative on the person in need: let him call. It seems that the church has a tendency to be always going from one extreme to another. Is any cheerful? However, there is great power in confession. James 5 – The Life of a Living Faith A. James agrees, for he says, "if he have committed sins" (v. 15), implying that sin might or might not be at the root of the sickness. James presents the idea that unless a Christian confesses and deals with his sin, God will set him on a course of physical sickness or even death (1:15, 21; 5:20). "James"s emphasis on prayer in this section is especially noteworthy since few things undergird perseverance more effectively than prayer. 5:13-18) and restoring the wayward (Jas. James here refers to Mt 5:34, &c. let your yea be yea—Do not use oaths in your everyday conversation, but let a simple affirmative or denial be … James now addresses his comments to those enduring hardship, misfortune, and trouble. Your explanations have a calming and reassuring effect on the reader: A reminder that God is an ever-present help in … Grant's Verse-by-Verse Logos Bible Software. Prayer is the believer’s great weapon in times of adversity. This is surely true in plain, common-sense ways; we care for one another by paying attention to symptoms of illness, by providing the resources for health, by guarding against irresistible temptations, by living up to others’ high expectations of us. Required fields are marked *, Notify me of followup comments via e-mail, Designed by Elegant Themes Although James uses the form of imperative verbs, the context of the whole letter warrants our reading these verses not just as an array of commands; we do well to read these also as a description of what the ideal congregation behaves like. How does one pray then, when it is difficult to pray for oneself? Whereas in preceding passages he has focused on the destructive consequences of intemperate speech, here he emphasizes the positive necessity of telling the truth. James fires off two short questions (a third follows in 5:14), with crisp, short answers. Jam 5:13. ” That’s how the opening verses of James have described the purposive nature of God’s “generous acts of giving” and God’s “every perfect gift.”. New believers especially refer are those of persecution; but κακοπαθεῖν has here an entirely general meaning. James addresses what the saint should do in the following five situations: (1) When the Saint Suffers, (2) When the Saint Smiles, (3) All suffering and all blessings come from God for His glory and our ultimate good. Nothing is more important during the trial than prayer. Let him pray. As James would say, such experiments make an occasion for faith to show its effects in our works, and for our works to bring faith to completion. All idolized treasures will soon perish, except as they will rise up in judgment against their possessors. About This Expository Bible Study on James 5:13-20. (1-3) The rich and the illusion of wealth. The people James addresses are those defeated in the spiritual battle and are under God’s discipline of physical sickness. James also reintroduces the topic of truthfulness as an aspect of community life. (James 5:13-16) There have been various ideas about the meaning of this passage. He is to sing praises” (5:13). 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