James 5:12-20

James 5:12-20

James 5:12 – “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.”

· V.12 – I believe that James is recalling what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:34-37, “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

So, what does this swearing an oath by heaven or earth really mean?

First, before moving on with this question lets discuss how confusing scripture can be at times and how that can be resolved. There are many verses or ideas like this that at first glance seem to make little sense or sometimes they even seem weird to us because the phrasing and wording seems odd. It’s easy to just blow these verses off and move on and I’ve done that many times, but I’m learning that by doing so I’m missing out on some pretty cool truths that bring greater depth and understanding, truths that are now transforming how I study and in turn, my spiritual life. Crazy, huh?! But remember Paul said we must, “Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, a workerwho does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15.

I believe much, if not all, of this confusion or misunderstanding, or in some cases, no understanding can be resolved by four things which are the following: referring to the original language, understanding the historical context in which it was written (this takes considerable study), as well as written context (we must read the entire thoughts of the author), and seeking the Holy Spirits help. This all takes effort, but as Paul mentioned previously that we must be diligentwhich means careful and serious in your work, or done in a careful and determined way, using a lot of effort, or marked by persevering, painstaking effort. Are we getting the picture?

I’m convinced that the word of God is meant for those that are serious about knowing Him, those that are diligent, and not meant for the casual half-hearted believer or for the un-believer. Yes, some of the bible can be interpreted by most people, especially those that earnestly seek truth, but the deeper meanings were meant for those that seek Him with a whole heart that work at it and persevere, like gold waiting to be discovered. It seems like much of scripture is purposely written in such a way that it takes careful study to discover the deeper meanings or it could be that much of the confusion is in the translation or lack of historical context, however, whatever the reason it’s necessary to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve studied and have been stumped by what the writer was saying, but then asked the Lord to open my heart to its meaning and it suddenly makes sense. But many times, as mentioned, it’s in the translation where the meaning gets confusing. It’s essential to look up confusing words or phrases in their original form, to read in context and learn the historical context in which the text was written. When reading the word of God, we must take on the attributes of an investigating journalist, a person whose job is to ask who, when, where, what, why, and how. The more effort we put into studying His word, the more understanding we’ll have which will in turn transform our lives from being merely hearers, but true doers of the word that will transform, not only us, but those around us. Remember that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. And, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account,” Hebrews 4:12, 13.

Biblical study is no different than any other form of study or activity, the more effort we put into it the more we’ll get out of it, but with biblical study we have an indispensable Helper. In this life we must put in the work to achieve benefits and rewards and as Paul puts it, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Ok, that was longer than expected, but I think it was worth going over. Let’s move on to the question: “What does this swearing an oath by heaven or earth really mean?”

From what I’ve learned it was common during this era for both Jew and Gentile to swear an oath to something greater than themselves such as God or for the pagan’s their many gods and it was considered legally binding in most cases. It was a big deal to swear an oath and if someone making such an oath didn’t follow through legal consequences were possible. But what exactly is Jesus and James getting at? I believe the deeper meaning here is that we’re to live in such a way that we need not swear by anything and that our character is consistently honest with others, that our words are binding and once spoken we follow through, but more importantly that our hearts are in alignment with our words and our actions. Let your yes be yes and stick to it and your no be no and don’t let people persuade you otherwise, if you know it to be true. We should never emphasize by swearing upon anything, our character must be marked by integrity, first in our hearts and then emanating outward in our actions and words. As you recall James puts it this way in James 1:22-25, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 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.”

The meaning of integrity can mean soundness, complete or undivided, and adherence to a moral code. Synonyms are honesty, righteousness, uprightness, goodness and virtuousness. People of integrity are straight shooters that are not just aiming at the bullseye, but are hitting it consistently. Remember what Paul said, when in a race we’re to run in such a way as to win, but our goal is not a race or a target it’s in living ‘The Jesus way.’

We’ve all known people that say one thing and do another or they’ll swear they’ll do something, but never do it and they usually have an excuse. Or other’s that say ‘I swear to God’ or ‘it’s the God’s honest truth.’ These are the people you come to distrust because their yes is not yes and their no usually is not no. They’re constantly trying to convince others that they’re trust worthy knowing in their heart that they’re not. All of us know when we sin because God has written His word on our hearts, Romans 2:14, 15 (see verses below in ref.) These people are like chaff blowing in the wind, whichever way the wind blows so they also go, “Are they as straw before the wind, and like chaff which the storm carries away?” (Job 21:18)

This behavior, left unchecked, could lead to repression of their God given conscience in that it could become seared, no longer able to discern truth from error. The term used for this behavior is sociopathic, there are different levels of this behavior varying in degree. The signs of this behavior are worth mentioning because we’re living in a time of mental illness like no other and as Christians, we need to be able to recognize and learn how to deal, not only with this type of behavior, but with all types of personality disorders. We may never come across a full-blown sociopath, but we know many that suffer from some of its traits such as egocentricity or lack of empathy. Here are just some of the signs of this behavior: Violating the rights of others, minimizing others’ feelings and how they affect other people, chronic manipulation, gaslighting, denial and deceit, difficulty forming healthy relationships, callousness, and lack of remorse, acting impulsively without concern for consequences, attempting to gain power and control through aggression, substance abuse and in more extreme cases physical violence and resistance to social norms and laws.

We all know people that demonstrate some of these traits, even healthy individuals can demonstrate some of them at times, but don’t worry this doesn’t make you a sociopath, it only means that you are a fallen and broken person. The biggest difference between a healthy person that’s broken and an unhealthy person is that the healthy person’s conscience is in tacked and sensitive. Those that are abiding in Christ will demonstrate the fruits of the spirit which are, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:22, 23. In addition, a true believer’s life will be marked by a desire to be in community, finding joy in helping others, being transparent and genuine, without deceit, humble, tender hearted, etc. As you can see the traits of those that have a seared conscience are opposite of those that have the presence of the Holy Spirit. This makes one wonder if most, if not all, mental conditions, good or bad, are possibly symptoms of our spiritual condition?

Ref. verses

Ecclesiastes 5:5

“Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”

Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something asholy. And afterward to reconsider hisvows.

Acts 5:4 (Ananias & Sapphira were disingenuous and lied not only to Peter, but to the HS.) “While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Romans 2:14, 15

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Galatians 5:22-26

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

James 5:13 – Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

V.13 – It’s strange how James shifts topics so drastically from verse 12. But on second thought is it such a drastic switch? Maybe at first glance, but after some research and some thought I think it reinforces and complements the preceding text, not only verse 12, but 10 and 11 as well. If I’ve only learned one thing in the study of James is that he’s very direct, he’s a straight shooter or yes is yes and a no is no kind of guy and I’ve come to respect his writing more in this study. What I think the Holy Spirit showed me here is that God wants us to be as straight with Him as James is in his writings. When we’re suffering, we pray and be honest about our feelings, good or bad, and boldly ask God to intervene, but above all else we must have a heart of gladness that sings praise to our God. The second part of this verse is more difficult to understand. Are we to sing psalms only when we’re cheerful? Short answer, no! But again, the underlying meaning, I believe, is that the Spirit of God is one of praise and worship, we’re to sing in the light and in the dark, during the cheerful and good times and when life is beating you to the ground and is kicking you while your down. This seems very strange from a non-spiritual point of view and sadly this is where most believers dwell, this is where we truly struggle and it separates those that persevere and those that don’t. What will it take for us to break through this seemingly impenetrable ceiling and praise Him in the pains of life and say like David, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips,” Psalm 34:1. This is something we must do as believers, but it’s supernatural and not done through effort it comes through abiding in Jesus.

Ref. verses:

Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Hebrews 13:15

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

Psalm 100:4

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Acts 16:25

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Ephesians 5:10

“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”

2 Chronicles 20:21, 22 (Jehosaphat’s victory over his enemies, God confused them as they sang.)

“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

James 5:14-15 – Is anyone among you sick (weak)? 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.

V.14, 15 – Referring back to verse 13. Further discussion of this verse is important to help explain my answer to verses 14 and 15, so bear with me.

From my reading I’ve come to learn that the early Church was a singing church. And through out the Church’s history the healthy churches were the singing churches. Here are just a few quotes that give the reason for their joy and their ultimate expression in song:

· “When Bilney, the martyr, grasped the wonder of redeeming grace, he said, "It was as if dawn suddenly broke on a dark night."

· “Archibald Lang Fleming, the first Bishop of the Arctic, tells of the saying of an Eskimo hunter: "Before you came the road was dark and we were afraid. Now we are not afraid, for the darkness has gone away and all is light as we walk the Jesus way."

· “When Pliny, governor of Bithynia, wrote to Trajan, the Roman Emperor, in A.D. 111 to tell him of this new sect of Christians, he said that his information was that "they are in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it is light, when they sing in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as God."

However, and most importantly, the reason for the given examples is to demonstrate that our outward expression of singing must emanate from our hearts for this is where joy begins. It comes through a regenerated heart that has a desire to magnify and glorify the Creator, it comes by knowing “the wonder of redeeming grace.” Our outward expression is just an overflow of our hearts. Our inner man must be in harmony with the outer man, otherwise our singing is just a clanging symbol to the Lord. We may be able to fool others by our outward praise, but God knows the heart. True worshippers worship in spirit and in truth, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth,"John 4:24. Did you catch the truth part in this verse? This emphasizes the importance of sincere and genuine worship, remember the meaning of integrity. In Matthew 23 Jesus gives a scathing response to the Pharisee’s for their hypocrisies for He know their hearts and their hearts did not align with their outward appearance nor their words. Like the Pharisees we can certainly give an appearance of being a Christian, but our hearts may not belong to Him. I for one don’t want to stand before my King and have Him say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,” Matthew 7:23.

Now building on this let’s now move on to V.14 and 15. A thought occurred to me as I read these two verses, could it be that our prayers are hindered because our inner man is not aligned with our outer? Is our hypocrisy or sin limiting our ability to perform miracles? Short answer, yes, I’m convinced it does. Should we be seeking signs and wonders? No! Jesus makes it clear that we’re not to seek signs and wonders, ref. Matthew 16:4. The signs and wonders by Jesus and the apostles were meant to validate God’s work, to establish the validity of the Church and the message of Jesus. Does this include miracles? No, but our motives for healing should be one of restoration that brings God glory and praise and not solely in the result for our well-being. Again, motive is the question, is our asking one of selfish well-being or is it in the desire to validate God’s power and to bring Him praise. God understands our condition, remember He lived among us in the flesh and experienced pain and suffering as we do, but we must desire Him more than are well-being or our healing. Should we ask? Absolutely! But it must come with the right motives or from a pure heart. Hebrews 2:4 states that God gives out miracles and gifts according to His will. Our request must be according to His will

1 John 5:14, 15 puts it this way, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” Verse 15 is a difficult passage to understand and I found a great straight forward answer from myholybible.org,

“V.15 conveys a message of confidence in the efficacy (the power to produce an effect) of prayer. The verse tells the reader that if they pray according to God’s will, they can have assurance that God hears them and that their requests will be granted. This verse emphasizes the relational aspect between the believer and God, suggesting a level of intimacy and trust that allows the believer to be confident that their prayers are not only heard but also answered.”

The writer here mentions intimacy between believer and God or a deep relationship that is genuine and not fake. This seems to be the theme throughout James; to be doers not only hearers of the word and to accomplish this we must be genuine committed believers. It all comes down to this, as mentioned earlier, those who worship him must worship Him in spirit and truth. Also recall James 1:7, 8, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

There is one more aspect to our prayers being answered, that is worth mentioning; could it be that we lack true regenerated joy in our hearts? True belief generates joy or gladness and joy and gladness generate more belief, joy and belief go hand in hand. Joy is a sign that we’re truly regenerated and that our hearts are pure before the Lord, it’s a gift that come by living a consecrated life, it’s supernatural. Are we fooling ourselves somehow into thinking that God will answer our prayers if we are living a life of contradictions where are outward appearance appears righteous, but our hearts aren’t truly His? Remember, our character must be marked by integrity, first in our hearts and then emanating outward in our actions and words, don’t be living a double life where are hearts are disingenuous. I’m not sure if I’m truly on to something here, but I do believe it deserves much thought and meditation/prayer. We must always examine ourselves, both our inner man and the one that everyone else sees, are we truly living out our lives in genuine belief? Do we truly see ourselves as God sees us or are we just fooling ourselves and others as well? I believe our modern society has polluted us, the Church, I’m convinced the enemy has deceived many of us into thinking that a half heart is better than no heart, that living for God on our terms is sufficient, that living fully for God will make us stand out too much and make us appear weird or foolish. However, God is teaching me otherwise that He must have all of me, I must give Him everything or have nothing, there is no middle ground. Not for me, not anymore. The Lord spoke to my heart a long time ago, and this goes for any believer, when He said, “I did not save you to continue living an ordinary life this is not the purpose I've created you for; I've created you specifically for one purpose, to dwell in the extraordinary. To live a righteous life before Me and to delight yourself in My ways, like David before you, to be a man after My own heart! This seems to be quite consistent with what has just been said, we’re not to continue in our past ways! James reiterates this repeatedly throughout this book. Now we’re a new creation and must live accordingly and that means aligning our hearts with His and this comes through spending time with Jesus and abiding in Him so that we develop a strong relationship with Him. In the shadows of darkness is where He found me and this journey from that dark place is where I bonded with Jesus, a bond that will never be broken and when God speaks to your heart there is no going back! This is where we find Jesus it’s in the brokenness of life, but we must not lose hope and never give up. Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

A review of the definition of abide:

Dictionary – To bear patiently, to endure without yielding, to wait for, to accept without objection.

Biblical – Refers to remaining or staying in a continuous connection with God, emphasizing active engagement in faith. Abiding involves living in accordance with His word and maintaining an ongoing relationship. For instance, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” This invitation emphasizes mutual presence and dependence in your spiritual walk, reference John 15 below.

I believe we have a lot more power at our disposal than we realize, but we have not because we ask not or we’re asking for the wrong things that are not in accordance to His will? I guess that’s the real question, are we asking according to our will or His? (Refer to James 4:3) Do we desire Godliness or just a quick fix? Some serious things to think about.

Ref. verses:

John 4:46-48

And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

Hebrews 2:4

“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

John 15:4-8

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Matthew 16:4

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

James 4:2, 3

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James 5:16-18 – 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.

V.16 – I believe much of this verse is answered in what was said in the previous two. Abiding brings forth righteousness and God is clear that He hears the cries of the righteous, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles,” Psalm 34:17. What hinders our prayers is disobedience, which is sin. Unconfessed sin before God and our unconfessed trespasses or sin to one another. When confessing sin to one another we must use discernment or we may end up hurt or disillusioned by others. Confessing sins at will is not usually edifying for all parties, depending on the sin. We must take into account a believer’s maturity some may not be able to cope with a particular sin and/or it may make them feel uncomfortable, we must always consider to whom we are confessing too, not only for our wellbeing, but for theirs. This is when we use discretion, first seek the Holy Spirits wisdom and He will give you discernment. There are times that confessing our sins, which could be a multitude of things, to groups can be very beneficial in helping us and others grow, to see others exercising humility and seeking redemption. Also, having one person in your life that you absolutely trust that has Godly wisdom is essential, go to them and confess the sin. Another thing to avoid is to confess sins to the opposite sex, unless of course it’s your spouse or a relative, this is usually safe (smile). If our sin is a trespass against one of the opposite sex, I recommend that a third party be involved and again it depends on the relationship, is it a mature believer, is it someone we’ve known for a long time and trust them? I can’t stress it enough that discernment will keep you and others from further sin. Confessing the wrong thing to the wrong person or group can lead to further sin, usually from the receiving parties. If we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us it will be a beautiful thing, when one confesses to another, but use discretion. When God’s hand is in situation where all parties are yielded to the moving of the Spirit the outcome is awesome, but if we rush in and confess things to those that can’t handle it can make a bigger mess of things, guaranteed.

V.17, 18 – This is a great example of a righteous man, Elijah, but a nature like ours. Did you catch that? He wasn’t anything special, but we have a special God that can do great things through us if we allow Him. Elijah put his faith into action and trusted God implicitly; he was bold and very courageous and it was because of His deep belief and subsequent trust that he was able to perform such great miracles, but of course he was appointed by God to do so. However, I wonder if we’re any less capable than he to perform such miracles? Are we lacking in our devoutness and willingness to risk a deeper a connection with God? We must ask ourselves what keeps us from becoming an Elijah, Abraham, Moses, Paul, or Peter? I believe our inhibitions, fear, and willingness to give up our sinful nature are apart of it, but could it be in our heart of hearts that we really don’t want to fully surrender our lives over to Him, to fully abide? I do think that’s the just of it, what we’re truly afraid of is surrendering all of our heart to Him, afraid of the cost it will entail to our lives. Yes, there is a cost, but our perspective is skewed because we see through a lens of worldly wisdom. What we gain verses what we lose all depends on the lens you view this life through, is it through God’s infinite and wonderful plan for each of our lives or is it through our finite and limited foresight bent on comfort and self-fulfillment? In essence, when we give up our lives for His plan, we gain life and have it more abundantly, whereas when we think we gain life through worldly wisdom we lose our lives, not only for eternity, but the lives we live in the flesh will be at best unfulfilling and at worse misery. Living in the flesh, especially as a half-hearted believer, leads to misery every time. Take it from one that has lived it firsthand…

Ref. verses:

John 10:10

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

James 19: 19, 20 – 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 deathand cover a multitude of sins.

V.19 – The thought that comes to my mind when I read this verse is that there’s always a risk of conflict when confrontinga back slider. When confronting it’s essential that we’re prayed up, that we don’t have a plank in our eye and that our motive for correction is purely out of love and from a desire of restoration. This is why it’s so important to live a life that is uncompromised or consecrated, one that has a solid reputation of holiness. This may lessen the likely hood of conflict, but not eliminate it. As a believer I’m learning that conflict just comes with the territory and is something we need to get accustomed to and learning how to respond to it constructively is essential. If we’re living as we should, when faced with confrontation, we’ll have confidence, wisdom, self-control, and power that comes with obedience in dealing with these situations in a Godly manner. Did you know that it’s our responsibility as healthy believers to confront and help restore those that have back slid. Galatians 6:1, 2 says this, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Most of us will shy away from this because of the risk of conflict, but we also can’t be the other extreme, like the devil seeking out those that we may devour with our self-righteousness, so to speak. We can’t be looking out for everyone’s speck, we must first examine our own hearts, seek wisdom, and only approach another when the Holy Spirit gives us the ok. Be very careful about your flesh’s desire to expose a sin in another’s life, for it will backfire every time, it must always be done with love and with God’s guidance.

In addition, as genuine believers, we should always be open to healthy criticism of our actions or behavior, none of us are perfect and from time to time we make mistakes or slip into patterns of behavior that are not healthy or maybe we’re causing others to stumble. One sign of a genuine believer is in how they take criticism; do they reflect or deflect?

Another thing worth mentioning when we’re dealing with a back slider, they could be battling habitual sins that have been occurring for some time, this is when it can get difficult, for their hearts can be more hardened, this is when I’d generally recommend a third party and again it depends on the nature of the sin and your relationship with the person.

V.20 – This verse is a tricky one or at least at first glance, but again once researched it’s not what it appears to mean. What stood out to me is James, it would seem, is stating that it’s possible to lose your salvation? I found a solid explanation of this verse from salvationbygrace.org and again it’s breaking the words down into the original translation to find the meaning (study):

As for “saving a soul from death,” I conclude that James is talking about physical death, not eternal damnation. The Greek word translated “soul” is “psyche,” which has within its scope of meaning both “life” and “person.” For example, Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life [psyche] a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). But, no one would argue that Christ gave up His eternal soul. He did not risk eternal judgment; He gave up His mortal life. So, we could safely translate that clause as “he will save a life from death” or “he will save a person from death.” In other words, by bringing a wandering saint back to the truth we help them avoid premature death – just as God brought death on people within the Corinthian church for participating unworthily in the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30). It was a means of judgment, but not eternal separation.

This may be what the Apostle John had in mind when he wrote –

“If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death,” 1 John 5:16-17. I’m not certain if the reference to 1 John 5 supports V.20 or if it makes it more confusing. John never specifies what sins he’s referring to, the readers probably knew, but we can only guess. I can’t find any cross reference either? I do know that there’s only one sin that leads to spiritual death and that’s the rejection of Christ’s work on the cross, which is disbelief. However, this is not what James is talking about here he’s referring to a sin or sins that will lead a believer into a place of possibly harming themselves or possibly harming others or risk losing their salvation. Ok, before throwing rocks at me over that last statement let me be clear, as believers we have assurance of our salvation (ref. to John 6:37, just one of many verses assuring our salvation, this is my favorite because Jesus said it). It’s impossible for a true believer to lose their salvation no matter what sin they may commit, remember that salvation is God’s work not ours and depends on His work not ours, and it’s He who decides the length of our lives. What I believe James is saying is that these believers that continue in a pattern of sin may be led into a place that they may never recover and God chooses to take them home prematurely. We all have choices, something that God will never infringe upon, but He will intervene, such as correction or chastisement or in some cases, death. This may seem extreme, but we must remind ourselves that physical death is once and spiritual death is forever. This verse is a stern reminder that God is judge and can do with us as He wills and He will never allow us to throwaway the gift that came at such a great cost for Him. Aren’t you glad that you have a God that not only loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, but a God that loves us so much that He won’t allow us to throw away our birthright, it was a gift given by His design that we didn’t earn. I don’t think we can even imagine how many times God has intervened and delivered us from our foolish behavior or the grace He’s given us over the bad decisions that we’ve made in our lives. I for one thank Him for His grace and for His patience and mercy. Ref. verses: Matthew 7:3-5 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” 1 Corinthians 11:29, 30 “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 sickamong you, and many sleep (death).” (Also, as mentioned earlier, the judgement of Ananias & Sapphira, as their bodies were put to death, but not their salvation, that’s what I believe. They were made examples of for the early Church and for us today not to take God lightly, that He is a holy God and requires holiness and honesty from His Church. We are to never lie to Him or the Holy Spirit as they did. I’m certain that God is still doing this today with certain believers that are caught in habits of sinfulness that they can’t overcome so God takes them home prematurely to save them from further sin, sin that may lead to the death of the spirit.) 1 Peter 4:7-8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Jonn 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (* From v.14) What does this anointing with oil represent?

The following are some interesting facts, but this is not an exhaustive list for sure:

· Christ comes from Christos, a Greek word that means ‘the anointed one,’ or ‘the chosen one.’ The Hebrew for word for ‘the anointed one’ is ‘the Messiah.’

· First, we’ve already learned that Christ is not really a name, but a title, ‘the anointed one.’ This is very significant because the word anoint is tied to Jesus, the Messiah. The point here is that the act of anointing has sacred meaning, whereas the oil is merely symbolic of this anointing. However, oil was sometimes mixed with medicinal spices to aid in healing illnesses.

· The first mention of anointing in the Bible is found in Genesis 28:18, where Jacob anoints a stone pillar as a memorial to his encounter with God. Anointing oil, often a mixture of olive oil and spices, was used to consecrate priests, kings, and sacred objects. (Consecrate – to set apart as sacred.)

· The following are some examples of consecrating in the Old Testament:

o In Exodus 30:22-25, God provides Moses with a specific recipe for the sacred anointing oil, emphasizing its holiness and exclusive use for consecratingthe tabernacle and its furnishings, as well as Aaron and his sons as priests.

o And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine, Leviticus 20:26.

o Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward,” 1 Samuel 16:13.

o “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor,” Isaiah 61:1. In this verse Isaiah is referring to the coming Messiah, Jesus. Jesus quotes this verse when He spoke in the synagogue early in His ministry and then said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” Luke 4:21.

o “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him,” Acts 10:38.

· As we’ve learned we can see that the oil has a symbolic meaning of separation or to be set apart. The application of the oil was representing the separation; the oil itself had no power. A similar practice is baptism, the water does nothing, but it does represent new life in Christ and a spiritual cleansing that comes with being born again. It’s simply an outward expression or declaration of this new life to the world.

· In the New Testament, consecration takes on a spiritual dimension through the work of the Holy Spirit. Believers are consecrated through faith in Christ, becoming a royal priesthood and a holy nation,1 Peter 2:9. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit serves as the anointing that empowers and sanctifies believers for service and witness, 1 John 2:20, 27.

· Anointing and consecration, therefore, are integral to understanding the biblical narrative of God's relationship with His people, highlighting themes of holiness, divine calling, and the transformative power of God's presence.

So, the question is should we anoint with oil today, as James suggest in v.14? Well, as we’ve learned oil is symbolic of God’s healing power and restoration. It represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit and faith in God’s ability to bring about healing and wholeness. Is it necessary? I don’t believe so, but it can’t hurt either. However, with the New Covenant the external or symbolic was done away. When Christ died on that horrible, yet glorious, cross the vail to the Holy of Holies was torn in two. We, His holy priesthood, are now allowed to enter into His tabernacle of Grace, into His very presence, the Holy of Holies, without any symbology or sacrifice other than this, a broken and contrite spirit. For He now seeks a greater sacrifice, one of the heart one that is consecrated or set apart for His good use.

I believe James is telling his readers throughout this book that to be doers of the word we must have a consecrated heart as he said in James 1:21,23, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” To be doers we must have the Word/Jesus implanted in our hearts, and as we’ve learned about anointing, we’re now set apart to do good works by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit indwelling. I like to believe that our outward good works are symbolic of the anointing of oil, they are both an external or visible declaration of God’s work in our lives.

Ref. verses:

2 Corinthians 1:21, 22

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Hebrews 1:9

“You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

1 John 2:27

“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”