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It is written:
James 5:14-20-Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails 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 land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Several times in my ministry as a Gospel preacher, I have been asked by people (especially those who are physically sick and sometimes seemingly near death) to anoint them with oil as I pray over them. This of course leads us to a study and consideration of this passage of Scripture in James. From this study, several questions need to be asked.
Who Are The Ones That Are Sick?
The first thing to notice from this passage is that the ones in the passage who are “sick” are members of the church, i.e., they are Christians. Notice that James says is anyone “among you” sick. The Greek phrase translated here as “among you” is used numerous times in James, and in each occasion it is shown that Christians are the ones being addressed. Notice the following passages (emphasis added, M.T.).
James 1:25-26-But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
James 2:1-5-My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”. 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
James 3:12-13-Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
James 4:1-Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
James 5:13-20-Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails 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 land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
The contextual clues from the phrase “among you” make it clear that the one who calls for the elders for anointing are Christians and members of the church of Christ.
Who Does This Passage Claim Does The Anointing With Oil?
James is clear that the “elders” of the church are the ones called upon to do the praying and anointing with oil in these situations. The words of Reese here are insightful.
“Several lines of thought are suggested by this brief mention of elders. (1). There must have been a group of men in each congregation who were recognized as ‘elders.’ As was true of the Jewish communities that chose leaders in the centuries before Jesus established His church, the Christian congregations apparently chose their leaders from among the older and more mature members. The first mention of elders in the church at Jerusalem is just 14 years after Pentecost, when Paul and Barnabas make their famine visit to Jerusalem (Acts 11:30). The Jerusalem Conference, A.D. 51, is the next mention of elders (Acts 15:6). If our proposed date for the writing of James (AD 52) is correct, then James 5 would be the third earliest reference to elders, and it implies they are functioning all over the Diaspora wherever James’ Christian readers happened to live. (2). “Church” says that wherever James readers are living, they are grouped into local congregations, and these congregations have elders who lead, rule, teach, shepherd, oversee, and serve the members of the congregation. (3). James speaks of ‘elders’ (plural) in complete harmony with the New Testament which consistently portrays a plurality of elders within each local congregation (Acts 14:23; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:12). (4). Having been summoned, the elders come to the sick person’s home, rather than the sick person being brought to a public healing service. (5). Some have tried to answer the question, ‘Why call for the elders?’ Did some of them have miraculous gifts? Do they represent the whole church when they pray over the sick, so that each member was, as it were, praying for the sick person through their chosen leaders? Because of their maturity, are they recognized to be men of prayer? After all, sickness is a time when prayer is especially needed and appropriate.” (Gareth Reese, New Testament Epistles: James, 1, 2, 3 John: A Critical And Exegetical Commentary, 363-364 (Nook Edition): Moberly, Missouri: Scripture Exposition Books LLC)
What Kind Of Sickness And Healing Is Under Consideration In This Passage?
There is a lack of clarity as to what types of sickness and healing are under consideration in this passage. There is a case that can be made for both spiritual sickness and healing, and for physical sickness and healing.
Moo provides an excellent overview of both viewpoints.
“14 James now mentions a third circumstance in which prayer is especially needed: sickness. The Greek word behind the NIV is … sick is astheneō, often translated “to be weak.” This word and its cognate noun (astheneia) and adjective (asthenēs) are applied to all kinds of situations in the NT: mental ability (Rom 6: 19); spiritual condition (Rom 5: 6); general physical appearance (2 Cor 10: 10); the conscience (1 Cor 8: 7, 9; cf. Rom 14: 1, 2); or one’s bodily constitution. 557 In this last sense, the word means simply to be “sick” or “ill,” and this is the sense almost universally given the word in this verse. But a few scholars have proposed an alternative meaning, “to be spiritually weak.” 558 The word translated “sick” in the NIV of v. 15 (kamnō) can also have this meaning (see the notes there). Moreover, the language of v. 16—“ that you may be healed”—usually has a spiritual connotation in the NT. And other key words in the context, it is argued, point in the same direction: “save” (sōzō; translated “make well” in the NIV) and “raise up” in v. 15. What James is describing, these scholars contend, is a person who is spiritually weak. The spiritual leaders of the church need to pray for this person so that his or her fervor for the Lord might be restored. An exhortation to pray for such a situation would fit very well at the end of a letter that has regularly chastised its readers for just such spiritual lassitude. 559 The verb astheneō, along with its cognate noun and adjective, can certainly apply to various situations in the NT. In Acts 20: 35, Paul urges the Ephesian elders to “help the weak [tōn asthenountōn],” the word here probably referring to those who are “economically weak.” 560 Paul famously brags about his “weakness,” through which God’s power is at work (2 Cor 11: 21, 29, 30; 12: 5, 9, 10; 13: 4, 9; see also 1 Cor 4: 10). And Paul encourages believers who are “strong” in faith to extend love and consideration to those who are “weak” in faith (Rom 14: 2, 21; 1 Cor 8: 7, 9, 11, 12). “Weakness” is used to describe the condition of all humans in their natural state (Rom 5: 6; 8: 26; Heb 4: 15; 5: 2; 7: 28). Perhaps the closest parallel to the word in the sense of “spiritually weak” is 1 Thess 5: 14b: “encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (see also, perhaps, Rom 4: 19, which says that Abraham did not “weaken in his faith”). The upshot of this brief survey is that, on the one hand, yes, astheneō can mean “to be spiritually weak,” but, on the other hand, the word and its cognates very rarely have this meaning. 561 I think it is also very unlikely that the word “weak” refers here to spiritual weakness. The word refers to physical weakness, or illness, in the majority of its NT occurrences. More importantly, it universally has this meaning in the NT material that has exercised the greatest influence on James’s vocabulary and theology: the Jesus tradition. In the Gospels, astheneō always denotes physical illness (Matt 10: 8; 25: 36, 39, Mark 6: 56; Luke 4: 40; John 4: 46; 5: 3, 7; 6: 2; 11: 1, 2, 3, 6; see also Acts 9: 37; 19: 12; Phil 2: 26, 27; 2 Tim 4: 20). 562 The same is true of the cluster of terms and concepts that we find here. The verb “save” is frequently used in the Gospels to denote the restoration of those who are ill (see the notes on v. 15), as is, as we might expect, the verb “heal” (v. 16). But perhaps the most striking parallel comes with the reference to “anointing with oil.” Only once elsewhere in the NT is the practice mentioned, and then as a means of physical healing (Mark 6: 13).” (Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)), 428-430 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
A good case may be made for both spiritual and physical healing in this passage. The combining of the “healing” with confession of sin is perhaps one of the strongest arguments in favor of this being a spiritual restoration taking place.
However, there are also good reasons to see this passage as describing physical healing.
“While Paul often uses “to be sick” (ἀσθενέω) spiritually, always in the Gospels (and almost everywhere else) the verb refers to physical illness. Given an early date for James, his dependence on Jesus’ teaching, and the fact that the other sufferings mentioned in his letter have referred to concrete physical problems, the latter connotation is more likely here. 16 Motyer draws out five points from these verses that imply how serious an illness James is here discussing, suggesting that this sick person is bedridden and potentially helpless even to pray for him-or herself: (1) the elders are called to the sick person; (2) the elders do all the praying; (3) the person is called “worn out” or “exhausted” in v. 15 (his understanding of κάμνω); (4) the faith is also that of the elders, not of the sick person; and (5) the elders pray “over” the person as if that one were confined to a prone position.” (Craig L. Blomberg, Mariam J. Kovalishyn, James, 242 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
The writings of the church fathers reflect that some accepted the ideas of physical healing and also of spiritual healing from this passage.
Hilary of Arles: “This sickness is the sickness of sin. If someone is struck down by his own thoughts, then he should pray on his own, but if he has committed some sin he should ask for the church’s prayers. The custom mentioned here is followed even today, for the grace of mercy is symbolized by oil.” (Introductory Tractate on the Letter of James. [PL Supp. 3:81.])
Bede: “Just as he has already advised the person who has been injured, so now James gives his advice to the one who is ill. In order to prevent the foolishness of complaining, he told the injured person to pray and sing, and now he tells the person who is sick, either in body or in faith, to call the elders in proportion to the gravity of the illness which he is enduring. James does not advise this person to call the younger members of the church because they are less experienced in such matters and run the risk of saying or doing something which will make matters worse. We read in the New Testament that the apostles did this sort of thing, and the custom is retained in the church, that the priests will anoint a person who is ill and pray for his healing. And this is not the prerogative of the priests only, for in cases of necessity any Christian may do this, provided that he uses only oil which has been consecrated by the bishop. And of course anyone who anoints a sick person in this way must invoke the name of God over him while doing so.” (Concerning the Epistle of St. James. [PL 93:39.])
Oecumenius: “The apostles did this even during the time when our Lord was still on earth. They anointed the sick with oil and healed them. [Mrk 6:13.] Commentary on James. [PG 119:508.])
It is unwise to be dogmatic on whether this is physical sickness and healing or spiritual.
What Purpose Does Anointing With Oil Here Serve?
Sometimes in the Bible (and in extrabiblical literature), the use of oil for medicinal purposes is noted.
“The actions of the elders indicates their specific Christian function. They pray over (ἐπ’) the person (the preposition gives the picture of the prayer directed toward the person or perhaps of hands laid upon the person in prayer and anointing), which was well known among Jews (Pss. 35: 13; 41: 4; Jb. 2: 11; Tob. 1: 19; Sir. 7: 35; 31: 9–15; b. Β. B. 116a; b. Ber. 34b (Bar.); b. Sanh. 101; Abot R. Nat. 41; IQapGen 20: 21–22, 29), anointing the person with oil simultaneously (while the participle indicates that the prayer rather than the oil is the primary act, the construction reads naturally with the anointing being part of the prayer act). The use of oil in healing was not uncommon in the ancient world (Is. 1: 6; Je. 8: 22; Mk. 6: 13; Lk. 10: 34; Jos. Ant. 17: 172; War 1: 657; Life Adam 36; Apoc. Mos. 9: 3; SI. Enoch 22: 8–9; 8: 35; Philo Som. 2.58; Plato Menex. 238; Pliny Nat. Hist. 23.39–40; Galen 2.10; cf. H. Schlier, TDNT I, 230–232).” (Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James (New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC)), 347 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
Again:
“New, however, is the anointing with oil, found in the NT only here and in Jas 5: 14. Olive oil (Gk. elaion) was a staple of life in antiquity, serving as food, anointing, sacrifice, lamp fuel, and medicine. Rabbinic sources frequently cite the medicinal value of olive oil for curing illnesses as well as for exorcising demons.” (James R. Edwards, Jr., The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)), 3548-3540 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
It is possible that if the healing of this passage is discussing physical healing, then the elders are being called upon to pray for the sick man as they apply medicine to help him in his ailment. Keep in mind here that sometimes in the Bible praying with a person is conjoined with laying hands on him.
Matthew 19:13-Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
If this is talking about a spiritual healing, then perhaps the idea is that this erring Christian repents and is anointed with oil as a symbol of being devoted back to God’s service. Moo provides us a great overview of the use of oil in the ancient world.
“The practice is mentioned only one other time in the NT: Mark says that the twelve “drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (6: 13). Unfortunately, Mark gives no more of an explanation for the anointing than does James. Theologians and scholars have debated the meaning of the practice for a long time. Interpretations can be divided into two main categories, with subdivisions in each. 1. A practical purpose a. Medicinal Oil was widely used in the ancient world both as a skin conditioner and as a medicine. A NT example is Luke 10: 34, which describes the good Samaritan as coming to the aid of the man who had been beaten and robbed: “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.” Ancient sources testify to the usefulness of oil in curing everything from toothache to paralysis (the famous second-century physician Galen recommended oil as “the best of all remedies for paralysis” [On the Powers of Simple Medicines 2.10]). Considering this background, we might suppose that James is urging the elders to come to the bedside of the sick armed with both spiritual and natural resources—with prayer and with medicine. 574 Both are administered with the Lord’s authority, and both together can be used by him in healing the sick. b. Pastoral As a different kind of practical purpose, others suggest that the anointing may have been intended as an outward, physical expression of concern and as a means to stimulate the faith of the sick person. 575 Jesus sometimes used physical props in his healings, apparently with just such a purpose. 2. A religious purpose a. Sacramental A sacramental understanding of this practice arose early in the history of the church. On the basis of this text, the early Greek church practiced what they called the euchlaion (a combination of the words euchē, “prayer,” and elaion, “oil,” both used in this text), which had the purpose of strengthening the body and soul of the sick. The Western church continued this practice for many centuries, as well as using oil for anointing on other occasions. Later, the Roman church gave to the priest the exclusive right to perform this ceremony and developed the sacrament of extreme unction (in AD 852). 576 This sacrament has the purpose of removing any remnant of sin and of strengthening the soul of the dying (healing is considered only a possibility). The Council of Trent (14.1) found this sacrament “insinuated” in Mark 6: 13 and “promulgated” in Jas 5: 14. Since Vatican II, the rite has been called “the anointing of the sick” and is recommended for any person who is dangerously ill (not just for the dying). 577 Healing is viewed as a possible outcome, but the basic purpose of the rite is to bring spiritual comfort to the person who is ill. As redefined in this way, the rite reflects more closely the purpose of Jas 5. Protestants, of course, will still have issues with the claim that the rite is a sacrament to be performed only by a priest. A somewhat similar view of anointing with oil is held by those who think the oil becomes a “vehicle of divine power,” conveying healing power to the sick person. 578 Much as partaking of the Lord’s Supper conveys to the believing participant a strengthening in grace, so anointing may be mandated by God as a physical element through which he works the grace of healing in the sick believer. b. Symbolic Anointing frequently symbolizes the consecration of persons or things for God’s use and service in the OT. Typical is Exod 28: 41: “After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.” The same usage is continued and expanded in the NT, where anointing is often a metaphor for consecration to God’s service (Luke 4: 18 [= Isa 61: 1]; Acts 4: 27; 10: 38; 2 Cor 1: 21; Heb 1: 9 [= Ps 45: 7]). If James has this background in mind, then he would be recommending that the elders anoint the sick person in order to vividly show how that person is being set apart for God’s special attention in prayer. 579 In order to reach a decision among these options, we need first to consider the force of the Greek word that James uses here. Scripture employs two Greek words that mean “anoint”: chriō and aleiphō. James’s choice of the latter word in v. 14 may shed light on the significance he attributes to the action. Aleiphō is used only twenty times in the LXX. Of dubious relevance are the seven times where the word refers to rubbing whitewash on a wall (all in Ezekiel, translating Heb. tûh). But the word frequently refers to the rubbing of oil on the face or body with a beautifying or hygienic purpose (nine times, usually with Heb. sûk). And the verb has a ceremonial significance in four verses. The precise meaning of Gen 31: 13 is unclear, but in Exod 40: 15 (twice) and Num 3: 3 aleiphō denotes the ceremonial anointing of the priests, whereby they were set apart for the service of God. We cite Exod 40: 15 as an example: “Anoint [aleipseis] them just as you anointed [ēleipsas] their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing [chrisma] will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” Note that in this verse the verb aleiphō appears to have the same reference as the noun chrisma. This use of words from the chri-root is very common in the LXX. In most of its seventy-eight occurrences, it designates the consecration of priests, sanctuary furnishings, or the king of Israel. Only three times does it refer to a cosmetic treatment. Significantly, neither word is used with reference to medicinal purposes in the LXX. The NT usage of chriō maintains this pattern and extends it. The word never refers to a physical act but is always a metaphor for consecration (see references in 2b above). As in the LXX, aleiphō most often designates a cosmetic or hygienic anointing (Matt 6: 17; Mark 16: 1; Luke 7: 38, 46 [twice]; John 11: 2; 12: 3). It is possible, however, that the word has some symbolic overtones in the account of Jesus’s anointing (John 11: 2; 12: 3). The significance of these data for Jas 5: 14 is not clear. One could argue that James would have used chriō if he had intended the anointing to have a symbolic significance, since this is the word that most often has this connotation in the Scripture. On the other hand, considering NT usage, aleiphō was the only word James could have chosen if he wanted to signify an actual physical act of anointing. 580 And neither word has a medicinal significance in the Scripture (leaving aside for the moment the verses at issue, Mark 6: 13 and Jas 5: 14). (In Luke 10: 34, where “oil” [elaion] clearly has a medicinal use, the verb epicheō, “put on,” is used.) Lexicography does not, then, definitely rule in or out any of the four main options. But other factors suggest that James probably views the anointing as a physical action symbolizing consecration. Positively, as we have seen, this is by far the most common symbolic significance of anointing in the Bible. Negatively, each of the other views suffers from one or more serious difficulties. The medicinal view is problematic for two reasons. First, evidence that anointing with oil was used for any medical problem is not found—and why mention only one (albeit widespread) remedy when many different illnesses would be encountered? 581 Second, why should the elders of the church do the anointing if its purpose were solely medical? Surely others would have done this already were it an appropriate remedy for the complaint. 582 The pastoral interpretation of the anointing has much to be said for it and can be incorporated into the view we are arguing. But the value of the anointing does not lie in any physical connection between the action and the malady, as was the case with most of Jesus’s healings (e.g., he rubs the eyes of a blind man [Mark 8: 23–26] and places his fingers in the ear of a deaf person [Mark 7: 33]). It lies, rather, in the symbolic connotations of the anointing. One’s attitude toward the sacramental view will depend on one’s view of sacraments in general. But James’s insistence in v. 15 that the sick person is healed through “the prayer of faith” suggests that the anointing itself does not convey the grace of healing power. We conclude, therefore, that “anoint” in v. 14 refers to a physical action with symbolic significance. The verb aleiphō can have this meaning, being used equivalently to chriō in the LXX with reference to the consecrating of priests (Exod 40: 15 [cited above]; cf. chriō in Exod 40: 13; Num 3: 3). Josephus can also use aleiphō with symbolic meaning, parallel to chriō; compare Jewish Antiquities 6.165 (“ he [Samuel] took the oil and anointed [aleiphei] him [David], … explaining that God had chosen him to be king”) with 6.157 (“ to anoint [chisai] from among his [Jesse’s] sons him [David] whom he himself should point out as the future king”). And while chriō is usually used in these texts, James has probably chosen aleiphō because he refers to a physical action that the elders are to carry out. As the elders pray, they are to anoint the sick person in order to symbolize that that person is being set apart for God’s special attention and care.” (Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)), 432-437 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
Based especially on the use of the word “anoint” with oil in the Greek Old Testament, Moo believes that the Christian is being set apart to God’s special care. In other words, as the Christian repents, he is forgiven by the Lord and then shown to be set apart again for God’s service by the anointing of oil.
This, of course, raises another issue.
Could it be that the passage is referencing both physical and spiritual illness?
Could the Christian in consideration here be suffering physical illness as a result of spiritual sin?
We do know that sometimes in the Bible, physical illness may be brought upon us by sin. For example:
John 5;1-14-After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ “. 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
Jesus’ words in John 5:14 imply that the man suffered his ailment as a result of personal sin. Other Scriptures bear this out as well:
1 Corinthians 11:28-32-But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Here, the Corinthian Christians were mistreating their poor brothers and sisters in the Lord and taking the Lord’s Supper. However, because of their sin, they were becoming “weak” and “sick,” so that many were “sleeping,” i.e., had died!
As a result, perhaps this passage in James is telling us about a Christian who as a consequence of his spiritual sin was suffering from a physical illness. If so, then his repentance combined with the anointing of oil would bring about physical healing parallel with his spiritual healing. (Note well: this does not mean that all physical suffering is a result of personal sin-see Luke 13:1-9; John 9:1-4). Indeed, notice that the erring Christian here is promised restoration! Now, if this passage is talking about physical sickness and healing, then it is possible that reference here to the definite promise of Divine healing was limited to the Apostolic age of the church when miraculous gifts were still available (Acts 6:1-6; 8:14-19; 19:1-6; Romans 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Corinthians 13:8-10). However, this does not necessarily rule out anointing with oil today any more than it rules out praying today!
“It is true that the verb for “anoint” (ἀλείφω) here is not the uniformly symbolic one (χρίω—as in “Christ,” the anointed one), but still it is one that implies a ritual anointing in eight out of its nine NT occurrences.24 This observation scarcely precludes seeking medicinal help; it just means that is probably not what James has in mind here.” (Craig L. Blomberg, Mariam J. Kovalishyn, James, 243 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
What About Anointing With Oil Today?
With all these things in mind, here are some conclusions I believe we may draw from this text in James.
First, the person who requested prayer and subsequently received anointing with oil was a Christian.
Second, the ones who performed this prayer and anointing with oil were the elders of the local church that this Christian was a member of.
Third, there is a case that can be made for the sickness to be either physical, spiritual, or a combination of both.
Fourth, the usage of the anointing with oil seems to be that the oil was symbolic of God’s sanctifying and consecrating work on the person. Stated differently, the oil was a symbol of God’s Presence on the person. If the sickness was physical, then the oil was used as a symbol that God would work to bring healing to the person. If the sickness was spiritual, then the oil was symbolic of God’s forgiveness and consecration of the Christian back to fellowship with Him and the work of the church.
Fifth, if the sickness here is physical, it is possible that the passage refers primarily to the miraculous age of the church. However, even if that is the case, it does not mean that the same practice could not still be used in our day and age. The imagery of anointing with oil as a symbol of consecration predates the miraculous age of the church, and continues on even today.
Sixth, oils were used for medicine. There is therefore a remote possibility that this passage is describing the elders asking God’s blessings on common medicines that were being used to treat a sick person. The same is certainly relevant today as well.
Seventh, if this passage is talking about spiritual healing (a distinct possibility), then we see here a reference to using oil to anoint the repentant Christian as a symbol of being brought into fellowship with the church. There would be nothing wrong with such a practice today.
Eighth, if reference here is to physical sickness brought on by sin, then repentance and restoration of the person may possibly bring about physical healing in harmony with the Lord’s will.
Ninth, in the absence of elders in the local church, the Bible makes it clear that the work of the preacher or evangelist is to supplement such until qualified men may be brought into the presbytery. Paul told the young preacher named Titus:
Titus 1:5-For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
Titus 2:15-Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.