September 21, 2025 // James 5:13-20
APPLICATION: Read & watch/listen to James 5:13-20
Sermon: James 5:13-20
Prayers in times of Trouble vs. 13
Praise in times of Joy vs. 13
Prayers in times of Sickness vs. 14-15
Prayers in times of Confession vs. 16-18
Prayers in times of Restoration vs. 19-20
Life Application:
Some Sources of Spiritual Numbness
After the Revolutionary War many leading preachers from the original colonies migrated to Kentucky, where they pursued wealth and sometimes left active involvement in ministry. One of these was Elijah Craig, who moved to Kentucky from Virginia in 1787. He purchased one thousand acres of land, engaged in continuous land speculation, established the first saw and grist mill in Kentucky, and built a paper mill. An observer wrote about him that these business activities “impaired his ministerial usefulness.”
Another preacher who left Virginia for Kentucky was John Taylor. He, too, became sidetracked from spiritual matters after his move. He wrote in his personal journal of the hard manual labor needed to make a successful living in Kentucky: “We had no time to pause and think, but go right on to work.” After two years he was able to boast, “I was the richest man in the county where I lived.” However, he had to admit that “through the course of this two years, I preached but little.”
Both of these men had endured hardship, persecution, and had been relatively poor in Virginia. Building up wealth had not been their previous goal. In fact, one zealous minister in Virginia, Samuel Harris, had refused to take a man to court for money owed to him, money which he desperately needed. Harris’s explanation was that he “didn’t want to lose time in a lawsuit he could spend preaching saving souls.” For some church leaders the new opportunity to seek material goals served as an anesthetic on the spiritual life.
Some zealous ministers showed a preference for political power rather than for spiritual power. James Garrard, a preacher who had moved to Kentucky, left his preaching in 1796 to become governor of the state. Historian Robert Semple sorrowfully wrote, “For the honours of men he resigned the office of God. He relinquished the clerical robe for the more splendid mantle of human power.” Semple also spoke of another talented minister from the Roanoke Association in Virginia who, “misled by ambition,” set himself up as a candidate for Congress. These words do not suggest that involvement in politics signifies automatic spiritual declension. Semple’s words suggest that in the above instances a love for political power had replaced a pursuit for spiritual power.
A quest for wealth and power can consume all our energies. Those who have wealth and power face the additional temptations of pride, greed, and an attitude of self-sufficiency. The wealthy can also take advantage of their condition to practice injustice and dishonesty toward the poor and needy.
James saw wealthy people who were facing these temptations and yielding to them. He warned both the rich and poor—the majority of his Christian readers—of the numbing effects of wealth and the pursuit of power.[1]
Digging Deeper :
A. Praying for the Sick (vv. 14–15)
These verses contain great encouragement for offering prayer for the ill. However, we should not take his statements as a promise of sure healing if we pray with enough faith. John’s statements in 1 John 5:14–15 remind us that all prayer is subject to the reservation that God’s will be done. Sometimes God intends to leave the sickness with the ill person and allow that person to trust more deeply in God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:7–10).
First John 3:22 teaches us that the obedience of the intercessor is a factor in receiving answers to prayer. Those who rush into prayer fresh from a disobedient lifestyle need not expect marvelous answers to prayer for healing the sick.
Sometimes remaining in sickness is God’s plan for the individual. Paul advised Timothy about how to deal with his “frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). The advice did not hold out hope for immediate healing, but contained information for treating the illness. In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul announced that he had left “Trophimus sick in Miletus.” Paul did not feel encouraged to expect immediate healing for his friend.
James’s words encourage Christians to pray in all instances of sickness. In some instances God will provide the assurance that he intends to heal. As we pray, we must recognize that ultimate healing depends on God’s will. This is an implied but unstated condition in the absolute promise for healing in verse 15. We can be assured that God uses all prayer for healing to accomplish good in the life of the sick person. Sometimes the good which God does will provide immediate strength and an experience of divine grace, but not instant healing.
B. Eternal Death (v. 20)
James promised his readers that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death. Some interpret death as a reference to physical death, but it seems better to understand the reference as a discussion of eternal death, separation from God for eternity.
The Bible uses “death” in at least three different ways. First, it uses the term in the way we normally do to talk of physical death. This is the condition of a person who is not breathing and has no heartbeat. Second, the Bible sometimes uses “death” in reference to spiritual death. This is the condition of being physically alive but without the life of God in the individual’s personality. You are “dead in your transgressions and sins” until you accept Christ as Savior and are converted (Eph. 2:11).
Those who die physically in the condition of spiritual death pass into eternal death. This is the third usage of “death” in Scripture. It describes the condition of living in eternity without God. This is what the Bible calls existence in hell. James 5:20 warns against this eternal death.
James wrote persons who professed to know Christ. If they wandered from Christ, they would experience devastation and spiritual harm. Believers, however, cannot lose their salvation. They will not experience eternal death. “Through faith,” God keeps them “until the coming of salvation” (1 Pet. 1:5). Though they wander, God will bring them back to himself.
Those who experience eternal death are those who have never confessed Christ in faith as their Lord and Savior and those who profess faith in Christ but have never truly come under the power of the gospel. With an empty profession devoid of saving experience with Christ, they continue in their waywardness and enter into eternity without a true relationship with Jesus Christ. They then experience eternal death.
Those who experience rescue from sin through faith in Jesus spend eternity in the presence of God. Those who succumb to sin’s enticements remain eternally separated from God. This condition is eternal death.[2]
Questions to Consider:
Prayer (Verses 13-18)
Prayer and Suffering:
When do you find it more difficult to pray—when you are suffering, or when you are cheerful? How can we use prayer to strengthen our faith in difficult times?
Prayer and Joy:
When good things happen, how should we respond according to James 5:13? Is it easy to remember to thank God, or do we sometimes forget?
Praying for the Sick:
Who is a sick or weak believer to call for prayer, according to verse 14? What does it mean to anoint with oil in this context?
The "Prayer of Faith":
What is the significance of the "prayer of faith" (v. 15), and what does the phrase "in Jesus' name" mean?
Confession and Community (Verse 16)
Confession to God:
How do you feel about confessing your sins to God? What does God promise to those who confess their sins?
Confession to One Another:
Why does James tell us to confess sins to one another? Is this a difficult practice for you, and why?
Healing and Restoration:
What kind of healing comes from confessing sins to one another? How does this practice break the power of secret sins?
Restoration and Discipleship (Verses 19-20)
Restoring the Erring:
What does James tell us to do if we see a fellow believer wander away from the truth? What does the word "gently" or "wisely" imply?
Love and Truth:
How can believers lovingly and rightly help one another live out the truth of the Gospel? What is the difference between supporting someone and agreeing with their actions?
The Blessing of Restoration:
What is the ultimate blessing for a believer who brings a sinner back from their error? What does this teach us about the importance of the Christian community and mutual accountability?
Prayer Time:
[1] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 339–340.
[2] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 356–357.
Sermon: James 5:13-20
Prayers in times of Trouble vs. 13
Praise in times of Joy vs. 13
Prayers in times of Sickness vs. 14-15
Prayers in times of Confession vs. 16-18
Prayers in times of Restoration vs. 19-20
Life Application:
Some Sources of Spiritual Numbness
After the Revolutionary War many leading preachers from the original colonies migrated to Kentucky, where they pursued wealth and sometimes left active involvement in ministry. One of these was Elijah Craig, who moved to Kentucky from Virginia in 1787. He purchased one thousand acres of land, engaged in continuous land speculation, established the first saw and grist mill in Kentucky, and built a paper mill. An observer wrote about him that these business activities “impaired his ministerial usefulness.”
Another preacher who left Virginia for Kentucky was John Taylor. He, too, became sidetracked from spiritual matters after his move. He wrote in his personal journal of the hard manual labor needed to make a successful living in Kentucky: “We had no time to pause and think, but go right on to work.” After two years he was able to boast, “I was the richest man in the county where I lived.” However, he had to admit that “through the course of this two years, I preached but little.”
Both of these men had endured hardship, persecution, and had been relatively poor in Virginia. Building up wealth had not been their previous goal. In fact, one zealous minister in Virginia, Samuel Harris, had refused to take a man to court for money owed to him, money which he desperately needed. Harris’s explanation was that he “didn’t want to lose time in a lawsuit he could spend preaching saving souls.” For some church leaders the new opportunity to seek material goals served as an anesthetic on the spiritual life.
Some zealous ministers showed a preference for political power rather than for spiritual power. James Garrard, a preacher who had moved to Kentucky, left his preaching in 1796 to become governor of the state. Historian Robert Semple sorrowfully wrote, “For the honours of men he resigned the office of God. He relinquished the clerical robe for the more splendid mantle of human power.” Semple also spoke of another talented minister from the Roanoke Association in Virginia who, “misled by ambition,” set himself up as a candidate for Congress. These words do not suggest that involvement in politics signifies automatic spiritual declension. Semple’s words suggest that in the above instances a love for political power had replaced a pursuit for spiritual power.
A quest for wealth and power can consume all our energies. Those who have wealth and power face the additional temptations of pride, greed, and an attitude of self-sufficiency. The wealthy can also take advantage of their condition to practice injustice and dishonesty toward the poor and needy.
James saw wealthy people who were facing these temptations and yielding to them. He warned both the rich and poor—the majority of his Christian readers—of the numbing effects of wealth and the pursuit of power.[1]
Digging Deeper :
A. Praying for the Sick (vv. 14–15)
These verses contain great encouragement for offering prayer for the ill. However, we should not take his statements as a promise of sure healing if we pray with enough faith. John’s statements in 1 John 5:14–15 remind us that all prayer is subject to the reservation that God’s will be done. Sometimes God intends to leave the sickness with the ill person and allow that person to trust more deeply in God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:7–10).
First John 3:22 teaches us that the obedience of the intercessor is a factor in receiving answers to prayer. Those who rush into prayer fresh from a disobedient lifestyle need not expect marvelous answers to prayer for healing the sick.
Sometimes remaining in sickness is God’s plan for the individual. Paul advised Timothy about how to deal with his “frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). The advice did not hold out hope for immediate healing, but contained information for treating the illness. In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul announced that he had left “Trophimus sick in Miletus.” Paul did not feel encouraged to expect immediate healing for his friend.
James’s words encourage Christians to pray in all instances of sickness. In some instances God will provide the assurance that he intends to heal. As we pray, we must recognize that ultimate healing depends on God’s will. This is an implied but unstated condition in the absolute promise for healing in verse 15. We can be assured that God uses all prayer for healing to accomplish good in the life of the sick person. Sometimes the good which God does will provide immediate strength and an experience of divine grace, but not instant healing.
B. Eternal Death (v. 20)
James promised his readers that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death. Some interpret death as a reference to physical death, but it seems better to understand the reference as a discussion of eternal death, separation from God for eternity.
The Bible uses “death” in at least three different ways. First, it uses the term in the way we normally do to talk of physical death. This is the condition of a person who is not breathing and has no heartbeat. Second, the Bible sometimes uses “death” in reference to spiritual death. This is the condition of being physically alive but without the life of God in the individual’s personality. You are “dead in your transgressions and sins” until you accept Christ as Savior and are converted (Eph. 2:11).
Those who die physically in the condition of spiritual death pass into eternal death. This is the third usage of “death” in Scripture. It describes the condition of living in eternity without God. This is what the Bible calls existence in hell. James 5:20 warns against this eternal death.
James wrote persons who professed to know Christ. If they wandered from Christ, they would experience devastation and spiritual harm. Believers, however, cannot lose their salvation. They will not experience eternal death. “Through faith,” God keeps them “until the coming of salvation” (1 Pet. 1:5). Though they wander, God will bring them back to himself.
Those who experience eternal death are those who have never confessed Christ in faith as their Lord and Savior and those who profess faith in Christ but have never truly come under the power of the gospel. With an empty profession devoid of saving experience with Christ, they continue in their waywardness and enter into eternity without a true relationship with Jesus Christ. They then experience eternal death.
Those who experience rescue from sin through faith in Jesus spend eternity in the presence of God. Those who succumb to sin’s enticements remain eternally separated from God. This condition is eternal death.[2]
Questions to Consider:
Prayer (Verses 13-18)
Prayer and Suffering:
When do you find it more difficult to pray—when you are suffering, or when you are cheerful? How can we use prayer to strengthen our faith in difficult times?
Prayer and Joy:
When good things happen, how should we respond according to James 5:13? Is it easy to remember to thank God, or do we sometimes forget?
Praying for the Sick:
Who is a sick or weak believer to call for prayer, according to verse 14? What does it mean to anoint with oil in this context?
The "Prayer of Faith":
What is the significance of the "prayer of faith" (v. 15), and what does the phrase "in Jesus' name" mean?
Confession and Community (Verse 16)
Confession to God:
How do you feel about confessing your sins to God? What does God promise to those who confess their sins?
Confession to One Another:
Why does James tell us to confess sins to one another? Is this a difficult practice for you, and why?
Healing and Restoration:
What kind of healing comes from confessing sins to one another? How does this practice break the power of secret sins?
Restoration and Discipleship (Verses 19-20)
Restoring the Erring:
What does James tell us to do if we see a fellow believer wander away from the truth? What does the word "gently" or "wisely" imply?
Love and Truth:
How can believers lovingly and rightly help one another live out the truth of the Gospel? What is the difference between supporting someone and agreeing with their actions?
The Blessing of Restoration:
What is the ultimate blessing for a believer who brings a sinner back from their error? What does this teach us about the importance of the Christian community and mutual accountability?
Prayer Time:
[1] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 339–340.
[2] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 356–357.