Objection: Laying Hands on the Sick Is Not Part of the Great Commission

There are different versions of the Great Commission in different gospels, but a quick reading of Mark’s version immediately does away with this objection.  Mark 16:15-18 was one continuous discourse by Jesus.  “Go ye into all the world...” was part of the same speech as, “They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.”  Also, the reason to go and teach all nations was that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).  (The KJV uses the word power but the Greek word actually means authority.)  Anyone who says you can divide Mark’s record of the Great Commission down the middle must be making some other erroneous assumption, such as healing not being for this current dispensation or Mark 16:9-20 not being in some early manuscripts.  These objections are covered adequately elsewhere in this book.

The apostles certainly thought that laying hands on the sick was part of the Great Commission.  They went out and did it, to which many New Testament Scriptures cited in this book attest.  In fact, it was so important to go out with this power that Jesus said not to go out until they got it (Luke 24:49)!  We have no biblical basis for reversing this today and thinking that Jesus now wants us to go out with no power.

James 5:14-16 is binding on the church today.  We are still to minister in faith to the sick.  It is part of New Testament doctrine.  The book of James did not pass away with the last apostle!  If any church obeys James 5, the sick will be prayed over in faith and they will recover.  James 5 is part of the same New Testament as Mark 16 and Matthew 28, and it will be in effect just as long!