prayer (James 5:15)? The Scripture is no warrant for thinking that the elders particularly had the gift of healing. We are not told that. The actual cause of healing was not the olive oil, the gift of healing, or ev en the prayer of faith. The Bible tells us /'the Lord will raise him up." Modern day healers are gener ally just the opposite of the proce dure James is suggesting. The pas sage speaks of one sick person, many elders and a home. Healing campaigns generally involve many sick people, assembling in a large auditorium or tent and a meeting conducted by one healer. The "prayer of faith" does not refer to a special kind of prayer, or to cer tain degrees of faith. James, in keeping with the context, is stress ing the fact that prayer, like all other aspects of the Christian life, must be accompanied by faith. "Whatever is not of faith" says the book of Romans, "is sinful." The word "saved" (vs. 15) does not always refer to spiritual deliv erance. It can also apply to recov ery from a condition of illness. "Sick" here designates the weari ness which attends physical illness. The Bible does not teach that all physical ailments are the result of sin in the life of the individual. Some physical problems may be traced to unconfessed sin. This is why believers ought to seek cleans ing every day lest death, which ov ertook some of the Corinthian be- livers, should confront us as well.
Glen |ones studying hard (until he spotted our camera!) in the Biola library.
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