11 Nov 11
1 edit
Originally posted by Proper KnobHi, look at the verse in its context,
So how do you interpret James 5:16?
How do we know who are the righteous as chosen by God?
(James 5:13-16) Is there anyone suffering evil among you? Let him carry on
prayer. Is there anyone in good spirits? Let him sing psalms. Is there anyone sick
among you? Let him call the older men of the congregation to [him], and let them
pray over him, greasing [him] with oil in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of
faith will make the indisposed one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has
committed sins, it will be forgiven him. Therefore openly confess your sins to one
another and pray for one another, that you may get healed. A righteous man’s
supplication, when it is at work, has much force.
In the immediate context clearly 'good spirits' are contrasted with 'suffering evil.'
This implies that James was discussing spiritual sickness. In this regard and proving
conclusively that James was referring to spiritual illness is the fact that he
encourages confession of sins in connection with the hoped-for healing. As for the
righteous man, well, there are a host of scriptures which indicate that righteousness
is relative, a righteous man therefore must be understood in this context.