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Scripture Reading: James 5:12-20
In this message we shall consider the last two sections of the Epistle of James: speaking honestly without swearing (5:12) and healthy practices in the church life (5:13-20).
In 5:12 James says, “But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth, or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no be no, that you do not fall under judgment.” We should not swear, because we are nothing, and nothing is under our control or up to us (Matt. 5:34-36). To swear displays the acting of our self-will and our forgetfulness of God. But to let our yes be yes and our no be no is to act according to the divine nature we have received through regeneration, in the consciousness of the presence of God, with the denial of our self-will and sinful nature.
What James says in this verse reminds us of the word of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:37: “But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatever is more than this is of the evil one.” Here the Lord is saying that our word should be simple and true: “Yes, yes; No, no.” We should not try to convince others with many words.
In 5:12 James says that if our yes is yes and our no is no, we shall not fall under judgment. Our genuine faithfulness and sincerity in our words according to the divine nature we partake of will keep us from God’s judgment.
Once again, James’ word about judgment reminds us of a word spoken by the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 12:36 and 37 the Lord says, “I say to you that every idle word which men shall speak, they shall render account concerning it in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be convicted.” The Greek word for “idle” is argos, composed of two words: a meaning not, and ergon meaning work. An idle word is a non-working word, an inoperative word, having no positive function, useless, unprofitable, unfruitful, and barren. In the day of judgment those who speak such words will render account concerning every one of them. Because this is the case, how much more must we account for every wicked word! In Matthew 5:37 the Lord gives us a serious warning. This warning indicates to us that we must learn to control and restrict our speaking.
What James says in 5:12 fits in with the subject of this Epistle — practical Christian perfection. Our way of speaking has much to do with this. Speaking honestly and with restraint is a virtue of Christian perfection. But if we are loose in our speaking, we will fall short of much perfection. Therefore, after telling us not to swear, James says that our yes should be yes and our no should be no, so that we may not fall under judgment.
As a godly man, James could never forget the coming judgment, and he lived under this judgment. I hope that we all shall have the understanding that whatever we do will be judged. For example, our talk on the telephone will be judged by the Lord. When some sisters are on the telephone, they talk without any restraint. Apparently, they do not realize that whatever they say will one day be judged according to the Lord’s word in Matthew 12:36-37.
Concerning swearing and unrestrained speaking, James was serious. However, certain believers are not serious regarding these things. To them, it seems that there will not be any judgment. They may have the concept that once they have been saved from eternal perdition, there will be no more problems. But we know according to the New Testament that all believers will have to give an account to the Lord at His judgment seat.
What was on James’ heart as he was writing this Epistle was the matter of practical Christian perfection. Because of his concern for Christian perfection, he says in 5:12, “Above all things, my brothers, do not swear.” After saying so much about the tongue in chapter three, he gives such a word about swearing in 5:12.
Anyone who swears is not an honest person. He who swears is a liar. Anyone who is honest has no need to swear. The reason we Christians should not swear is that we are honest. Anyone who swears is a person who is pretending, and his swearing is a sign that he is not honest. Swearing, therefore, is a sign of pretense.
The basic reason for not swearing, however, is that nothing is under our control. Neither heaven nor earth is ours. Actually, we do not even belong to ourselves, and we cannot control anything. Because nothing is under our control, we should not make an oath. Once again we see that our speaking needs to be restricted.
In 5:12 James indicates that we should not speak excessively. Unnecessary talk always causes trouble. If we speak carelessly, we may exaggerate and not be honest. But if our speaking is restrained, we can exercise ourselves to speak honestly.
In 5:13 James goes on to the matter of healthy practices in the church life: “Does anyone among you suffer evil? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” Praying brings us the strength of the Lord to endure suffering, and singing praise keeps us in the joy of the Lord. The Greek words rendered “sing praise” also mean sing psalms, or play on a stringed instrument. Whether we pray or sing praise, we should contact God. In any environment and under any circumstance, humble or exalted, grievous or joyful, we need to contact the Lord.
In verse 14 James continues, “Is anyone among you weak? Let him call to him the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord.” In this verse James refers to someone who is weak because of sickness. Weakness leads to sickness (1 Cor. 11:30), and sickness causes more weakness.
In verse 14 James encourages the one who is weak to call the elders of the church. To call the elders of the church to pray for weakness due to sickness implies that there is no problem between the calling one and the church represented by the elders; that restitution has been made between the calling one and the church, if the sickness is due to the calling one’s having offended the church (see 1 Cor. 11:29-32); and that there has been a thorough confession of sins one to another by the sick one and the elders (James 5:16).
In verse 14 James speaks of anointing with oil in the name of the Lord. Two Greek words are translated anoint: aleipho, the word used here and in John 12:3, is the common term for applying oil: chrio means to anoint officially for office as priest (Acts 10:38), king (Heb. 1:9), or prophet (Luke 4:18). Chrio in connection with Christos (Christ) is used for the anointing of the Son by the Father (Acts 10:38). To anoint with oil signifies to impart the Spirit of life, who has been poured upon the Body of Christ as the anointing oil (Psa. 133:2), to the sick member of the Body, through the representation of the elders of the church, for the healing of the sick one (1 John 5:16).
“In the name of the Lord” signifies oneness with the Lord. The anointing in 5:14 is not by elders alone, but by their being one with the Lord, representing both the Body and the Head.
In verse 14 we have the only direct mention of the church in the book of James. The one time James speaks of the church is in reference to the negative matter of healing sickness. Furthermore, the matter of turning back a brother who has been led astray from the truth is also a matter related to the church life. Hence, what James says concerning the church involves negative matters, praying for the sick and restoring backsliders.
James’ concept was filled with the things of Judaism and not much with the things concerning the church. In contrast to James, Paul was permeated, saturated, and soaked with the matters of the church. Again and again in his writings, he speaks regarding the church. In his Epistles Paul writes concerning Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church in a profound way. But in this Epistle James has little to say about Christ, the Spirit, life, or the church. Although we appreciate James’ emphasis on practical Christian perfection, we must go on through the help of Paul’s ministry concerning God’s economy to see that the church is built up with the riches of the all-inclusive Christ.
In 5:15 James goes on to say, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.” The Greek word rendered “prayer” is not the usual form of the word for prayer. This word is translated vow in Acts 18:18 and 21:23.
In verse 15 James mentions both sickness and sins. Committing sins is often the cause of sickness (John 5:14). In such cases forgiveness is always the cause of healing (Matt. 9:2, 5-7; Mark 2:5). For this reason, in the first part of verse 16 James says, “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”
In 5:16b-18 James says, “An operating petition of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man of like feeling with us, and in prayer he prayed that it should not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.” The words “in prayer he prayed” indicate that a prayer from the Lord was given to Elijah, in which he prayed. He did not pray in his feeling, thought, intention, mood, or in any kind of motivation from circumstances or situations for the fulfilling of his own purpose. He prayed in the prayer given him by the Lord for the accomplishing of His will.
In verse 16 James speaks of the operating petition of a righteous man. This indicates that in praying for the sick, we need to pray in the way of an operating petition. This means that we should not pray without a burden. Rather, we need to pray as Elijah prayed.
In verse 17 James says that in prayer Elijah prayed that it should not rain. In other words, Elijah prayed in a prayer. The King James Version says that Elijah prayed earnestly. However, to pray in a prayer actually does not mean to pray earnestly. James does not tell us that Elijah prayed in earnestness; he says that Elijah prayed in a prayer.
What is the meaning of this expression, to pray in a prayer? The prayer that Elijah prayed was great, for he prayed that it would not rain on earth for three years and six months. This is much greater than praying for the healing of a sick person. After three and a half years, Elijah prayed again, this time praying that heaven would give rain. Elijah could pray in this way because God gave him a prayer, because God burdened him with a prayer. In other words, Elijah had the burden to pray in a particular way, and that burden was a prayer given to him by God.
We should not pray according to our memory, observation, or our own burden. On the contrary, we must have a burden from God to pray for a certain thing, just as Elijah was burdened with the prayer given to him by God. God gave Elijah a prayer, and in that prayer Elijah prayed. This is not a matter of praying in earnest. It is a matter that God, in His move and according to His plan, gave Elijah a prayer, and Elijah was burdened to pray the prayer that God gave him. Therefore, Elijah prayed in a prayer.
In 5:19 and 20 James goes on to say, “My brothers, if anyone among you is led astray from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.” This may imply that the sick one in verse 14 was led astray from the truth and needed to be turned back.
According to the context of these two verses, the sinner in verse 20 is not an unbelieving sinner but a believing brother who has been led astray from the truth and is turned back from his error to the truth. Hence, the salvation of his soul does not refer to the eternal salvation of the person, but refers to the dispensational salvation of his soul from the suffering of physical death under God’s discipline.
First Peter 1:5 and Hebrews 10:39 are also related to the saving of the soul. The salvation in 1 Peter 1:5 is not salvation from eternal perdition, but salvation of our souls from the dispensational punishment of the Lord’s governmental dealing. Hebrews 10:39 speaks of the gaining of the soul. At the time we believed in the Lord Jesus and were saved, our spirit was regenerated with the Spirit of God (John 3:6). But we must wait until the Lord Jesus comes back for our body to be redeemed, saved, and transfigured (Rom. 8:23-25; Phil. 3:21). As to the saving, or gaining, of our soul, it depends upon how we deal with it in following the Lord after we are saved and regenerated. If we would lose it now for the Lord’s sake, we shall save it (Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25; 1 Pet. 1:9), and it will be saved, or gained, at the Lord’s coming back. This will be a reward to the overcoming followers of the Lord (Matt. 16:22-28).
In 1:21 James speaks of the saving of our souls. The salvation of our souls, according to the context of that chapter, implies the endurance of environmental trials (vv. 2-12) and the resisting of lustful temptation (vv. 13-21). James’ view concerning the salvation of our soul is somewhat negative and not as positive as that of Paul who says that our soul can be transformed by the renewing Spirit even to the image of the Lord from glory to glory (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 3:18).
In 5:20 the saving of the soul from death is not a matter of salvation from eternal perdition. Rather, it is a matter of dispensational discipline by physical death (1 John 5:16). In verse 20 “from death” should equal “raise...up” in verse 15.
In verse 20 James says that the one who saves a soul from death will also cover a multitude of sins. “Cover a multitude of sins” is an Old Testament expression (Psa. 32:1; 85:2; Prov. 10:12) used by James to indicate that to turn an erring brother back is to cover his sins so that he is not condemned. “Cover...sins” should equal “sins...forgiven” in verse 15, as in Psalm 32:1 and 85:2. The sins in 5:20 are the sins committed by the erring brother, which brought forth death to him (1:15).
Some writers have suggested that in 5:19 and 20 James is talking about the salvation of a lost sinner. They claim that the sinner here is a lost one, that the saving of the soul is a matter of soul-winning, and that death equals eternal death, that is, eternal perdition. This interpretation is not correct. In verse 19 James is speaking to brothers and concerning anyone among the brothers who may be led astray from the truth and then turned back to the truth. This indicates that such a one formerly was in the truth. If he had not been in the truth, how could he have been led astray from the truth? Since he has been led astray from the truth, he must have previously been in the truth. Furthermore, verse 20 speaks of a sinner being turned back from the error of his way. This also indicates that once he was in the truth, that he has been led astray from the truth, and that now he is returning to the truth. Certainly this does not refer to an unsaved sinner. Yes, in verse 20 James uses the word “sinner,” because in the sight of God a misled believer is temporarily a sinner. His being led astray is a matter of sinning. Hence, because he has been led astray, he becomes a sinner for the time being. Therefore, to bring him back to the truth is to bring a sinner back to the truth. This sinner, therefore, is a backslidden brother.
In 5:20 James also says that the one who turns such a sinner, such a backslidden brother, will save his soul from death. We need to pay attention to the fact that James does not say “save him,” but says, “save his soul.” We need to differentiate “saving him” from “saving his soul.” What we have in verse 20 is a matter of the salvation of the soul.
In this Epistle James has already spoken concerning the salvation of the soul. In 1:21 James says, “Wherefore, putting away all filthiness and abundance of malice, receive in meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Saving the soul is not a matter of initial salvation; it is a matter of the progressing stage of salvation, the stage of transformation (see note 55 in 1 Peter 1). Those who have been saved initially need to receive more of the word that can save their souls. Hence, according to 1:21, after our initial salvation we still need a further salvation, the salvation of our soul.
The saving of the soul in 5:20 is not related to saving the person from eternal perdition; it is to save his soul from a certain kind of suffering. According to 1 John 5, sin may cause one’s physical death because of God’s discipline. A believer may sin and then be warned by God. If he ignores this warning and continues in sin. God may discipline him and allow him to become sick. This sickness is a discipline and also a warning to repent, forsake that sin, and give up a life of sinning. If this believer does not repent, God may discipline him further to the extent that He cuts short his physical life. As a result, this believer dies.
The fact that a believer may die as the result of sin does not mean that he will perish eternally. Once we have been saved, we are saved eternally. On the day we believed in the Lord Jesus we were saved once for all, and we shall never be lost. However, if a believer remains in a life of sin, he may be warned and disciplined by God through sickness. First, God may discipline him with sickness as a warning to come back to the truth. Then the church may have someone try to bring this person back. But if this one remains in sin, this may force God to exercise further discipline and allow him to die.
Suppose you are burdened to turn a misled believer back to the truth. To turn him back is to save his soul from physical death. This is the proper interpretation of 5:19-20.
What James says in these verses has nothing to do with eternal perdition or eternal salvation. The question of eternal salvation was fully resolved at the time we believed and were saved. Nevertheless, if we are led astray and go back to sin, we may suffer sickness as God’s discipline. If we do not repent, we may suffer an early death.
When someone dies, it is the soul, and not the body, that especially suffers. Physical death is a very real suffering to the soul. To be saved in our soul from such suffering is to be brought back to the truth. This is what it means to bring back a backsliding believer and thereby save his soul from physical death.
What James describes in these verses is part of the church life. However, it is a negative aspect of the church life. In this Epistle we cannot find positive things covered by James with respect to the church life. Although what James says concerning the church life is on the negative side, we can still receive much positive help from what he has written in this book. In particular, we can receive help concerning practical Christian perfection.
