Mutual Confession - Part 2

In the last post, a description was given of a fellow believer who was so spiritually downtrodden due to suffering, that he called the mature believers of the church to pray for him.

One particularly interesting instruction is given for the mature believers in this situation, "anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). While some have argued that this is a symbolic anointing with healing powers, the word translated "anointing" is the common, every day word for "rubbing with oil" If James had meant the ceremonial anointing, he would have used a different Greek word.

The setting then develops into the mature believers in the church not only praying for the suffering brother, but also providing medical treatment. If we continue the picture of a believer who had been suffering for the sake of the gospel, beatings could very well have been given. The mature believers were to care for the spiritual and physical needs of this suffering brother.

Their ministry was one of encouragement through spiritual and physical support in the name of the Lord - under His authority, as He would have done it if He had been physically present.

As the mature believers pray, their prayer of faith will save, or restore, the weakened brother. Again, James is not using words related to physical sickness, but to spiritual weakness. The weakened brother will be restored to spiritual strength through the Lord's intervention (v 15a). 

The forgiveness of sins underscores that this is a spiritual restoration, not a physical one (v 15b). While there are examples of physical ailment being a result of sin, the Bible does not teach that this is always the case. However, ongoing sin will always lead to spiritual defeat. The mature believers can help the defeated believer recognize his sins and confess them.

With that setting in mind, we arrive at the verse in question: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (v 16a).

It seems that James is transitioning, using the above example of a spiritually-distressed believer as a warning to the church.

The tense of "confess" is not a one-time act, but an ongoing practice. My paraphrase of this verse would be something like this, "So that this does not happen, keep on confessing your sins to one another and keep on praying for one another that you may stay in a continuous state of health."

Only by keeping short accounts with God and with one another, and by praying for those spiritual struggles and sins of one another, can we maintain spiritual health.

The next post will consider practical ways of confessing sins to one another and praying for one another.