Objection: Elders Should Anoint the Sick with Oil but Leave the Results to Our Sovereign God

Any elders who “leave the results to our sovereign God” are violating the very passage in question (James 5:14-15), where it is stated that the prayer of faith, not the prayer of petition, will save (heal) the sick person.  The prayer of faith NEVER leaves anything up to God.  Instead, it acts in agreement with God’s Word – His already-known will.

By its very definition, the prayer of faith can only be prayed when you know for sure that you are asking in accordance with God’s will.  No “sovereignly-made” exceptions for some sick people are provided for here.  No matter who it is, if the person has requested anointing with oil by the elders, the elders are to believe that the Lord will raise the person up.  After all, that is what God said: The prayer of faith WILL save the sick person and the Lord WILL raise him up.  What if he’s sinned?  The Lord will forgive him, so his sin won’t stop him from getting healed.

There is nothing indefinite in James’s instructions.  God, in His sovereignty, has already given His Word to us that the practice He commands here will work.  That is our basis for praying in faith.  Now it is up to us to believe and act on God’s clear instructions.