Our church have been working through the book of James recently through Sunday sermons and discussions at our life groups. We recently came to James chapter 4 and the strong instruction not to judge one another because that is to place ourselves as judges over God’s Law. This led to a good question “If we are not meant to judge, then is there any place for discernment, accountability and challenge?”
Spoiler alert! I believe that James answers this in chapter 5. We tend to focus in when looking at 5:13-20 on the instructions regarding to healing. Now, whilst I think there is a good thing in calling the elders to pray for healing, I don’t think the rest of Scripture suggests that this is something that is restricted to the elders in the church. So, whilst I think the instruction here is helpful if we want to think about what to do when sick, I would argue that the passage isn’t primarily about “healing” but rather about something else.
The big clues are:
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.[1]
Then:
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.[2]
First, the elders’ concern when coming to pray for the person is not merely, perhaps even primarily on their physical well-being but on their spiritual condition. The greater aim is that when the elders leave, the person will have peace about forgiven sin. Secondly, whilst James has warned us in the previous chapter that we are not to judge, he concludes his letter by highlighting our responsibility for the spiritual welfare of others. Just as it shows a lack of true faith to say “bless you” whilst doing nothing for their practical needs when they need food and clothing, so too it is faithless to in effect say “bless you” without seeing to a person’s spiritual need to be fed on Christ and to be clothed in righteousness.
But what James also does here is help us to see the context and environment for this. First of all, I do think that there is a primary responsibility on elders to be proactive in terms of raising issues and challenging. This protects the church from becoming judgemental busybodies. Secondly, rather than people setting themselves up as judges and condemning others, the expectation is that we confess our sin to each other. In other words, these things tend to work best when it starts with the Holy Spirit convicting of sin. Indeed, I think it is implicit that whether or not the sin is the direct cause of sickness in verse 13, that Gpod has used the person’s sickness to draw their attention to their on spiritual need.
This helps to create a grace culture instead of a legalistic one. Instead of condemning others as we set ourselves as judges over them, we show concern to see them restored and fruitful as part of the body.
[1] James 5:15.
[2] James 5:19-20.
Faithroots 