James 5:12-20

12: But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

13: Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14: Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 
15: and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 
16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 
17: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18: Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19: My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
20: let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

*** 

James began his closing remarks by saying “above all” not to swear an oath by any means. Simply let your yes be yes, and your no, no. Keep your word. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 5:33-37. On the one hand, don’t swear by something you have no control over. On the other hand, when one swears by something or someone else, it gives the appearance that your word is only trustworthy if it is backed by something else—that you can’t be counted on to keep your own word. Speak only for yourself and let your own word be good. Have the integrity to keep your word, making you a person who can be trusted and counted on to do what you say, as God Himself does.

James spoke to those who were suffering, telling them to pray. To those who were cheerful he said to sing praises. Anyone who was sick was to call for the elders of the church. The elders were to pray for those who called on them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer offered in faith would restore the sick one, who would be raised up and forgiven of any sins he may have committed.

We often see sickness in the Scriptures being a result of sin—disobedience to the commands of God. (Although, not always, as Jesus revealed in John 9). James advised to confess their sins to one another and pray for each other so they may be healed. He explained the power of the righteous’ prayers, giving Elijah as an example. Elijah prayed for the rain to stop because of the idolatry going on throughout the nation, and then he prayed for it to start again 3 ½ years later (1 Kings 17-18). God answered his prayers.

When we remain in right-standing with God through the blood of Jesus as He provided for us, we too will see effectiveness in our prayers. We must help each other in this—praying with each other, confessing and forgiving sin. James closed by saying anyone who turns one who has strayed from the truth back to the Lord, has saved a soul from death and covered a multitude of sins. Jesus died for every sin and every sinner. How much sin will never be committed when a soul turns to the Lord?


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