Objection: James 5 in Context Speaks of a Believer Who Has Sinned and Spiritual Healing

James 5:15 cannot refer to a believer who has sinned because James said that if the sick person has sinned, he will be forgiven.  But the believer receives total forgiveness for ALL sins the instant he is born again.  He can’t possibly be forgiven when the elders show up because he’s already forgiven!  (For a LOT of proof of this fact, which is unknown by most of the church world, see What 1 John 1:9 Really Means.)

This objection got going because someone thought that “The prayer of faith shall save the sick” means that the sick person will be forgiven from sins (saved) instead of healed.  The very context disproves this, because the Lord will “raise up” the person.  This does not mean that He will levitate a forgiven sinner – it clearly means that he will raise the sick person up from his sickbed.  Besides, the word save is used in Luke 18:42 of healing from blindness (“Thy faith hath saved thee”).  In fact, this Greek word sozo is also used about a dozen other times in contexts that unmistakably refer to physical healing.  (See the topic Saved! for a list of them.)

This objection carries no weight, because even if the person has sinned, God will heal him anyway because of his obedience to honor the Lord’s command to call for the elders.  So, what are we proving?  James says that if you did sin or if you didn’t sin, God would heal you in either case, and the prayer of faith by the elders would raise you up in either case.  Thank God, you can be healed!  God, through James, says so!

Of course, a study of the New Testament Scriptures on healing will prove to you that there is no such thing as spiritual healing anyway.  Your spirit is born again, not healed, when you receive Jesus Christ, and from that point on, your spirit does not need to be healed!  It’s already created after the image of God in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24).

You can see the goodness and forbearance of God in operation here.  Even if you have sinned against Him and gotten sick as a result, God will still heal you when you follow these instructions.  God is truly merciful and quick to forgive!