Practical Application of James 5:14-15 Anointing
James 5:14-15 instructs, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" [1]. This passage provides guidance for the Christian community regarding sickness and spiritual care.
The literary context of James 5:14-15 falls within a broader section of James that addresses practical Christian living, including warnings against the rich, exhortations to patience, and instructions on prayer and mutual care within the church [4, 8]. The immediate verses preceding this passage discuss patience in suffering and the power of prayer in general [2].
Historically, the letter of James was likely written in the AD 40s, an early stage in the development of the church [6]. The "elders of the assembly" (ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia) refer to qualified Christian leaders selected for their age and spiritual maturity, responsible for the well-being of the local congregation [6].
The practice of anointing with oil has received varied interpretations. In the Roman Catholic tradition, this passage is often cited in connection with extreme unction, though some commentators, like Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, argue against this interpretation, noting that the text refers to "elders" collectively rather than a single priest [3]. John Calvin, a prominent Reformed theologian, viewed the anointing as a practice tied to the miraculous gift of healing present in the apostolic age, suggesting it was not intended as a perpetual sacrament for all times [5, 7]. He observed that Christ and the apostles used various means for healing—touch, word, or anointing—indicating flexibility in external practices [7].
The oil itself is often understood to symbolize divine blessing and healing [6]. The emphasis in the passage is on the "prayer of faith" offered by the elders, which is said to "save him who is sick" and result in the Lord raising him up [1]. This suggests a connection between physical healing and spiritual well-being, as the passage also states, "If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" [1]. This link between sickness and sin is also seen in other biblical texts, such as Matthew 9:2 and John 5:14 [2]. The efficacy of the prayer is attributed to faith, as seen in cross-references like Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:22 [2].
Sources
- James “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, -- James 5:14”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “James 5:15 cross-references: Isaiah 33:24, Matthew 9:2, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:21, Mark 2:5, Mark 11:22, Mark 16:17, John 5:14, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Corinthians 12:28, James 1:6, James 5:13, James 5:16, 1 John 5:14”
- James (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on James 5:14: let him call for the elders--not some one of the elders, as Roman Catholics interpret it, to justify their usage in extreme unction. The prayers of the elders over the sick would be much the same as though the whole Church which they represent should pray [BENGEL]. anointing him with oil--The usage which Christ committed to His apostles was afterwards continued with laying on of hands, as a token of the highest faculty of medicine in the Church, just as we find in Co1 6:2 the Church's highest judicial function. Now that the miraculous gift of healing ”
- James (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on James 5 (introduction): In this chapter the apostle denounces the judgments of God upon those rich men who oppress the poor, showing them how great their sin and folly are in the sight of God, and how grievous the punishments would be which should fall upon themselves (Jam 5:1-6). Hereupon, all the faithful are exhorted to patience under their trials and sufferings (Jam 5:7-11). The sin of swearing is cautioned against (Jam 5:12). We are directed how to act, both under affliction and in prosperity (Jam 5:13). Prayer for the sick, and anointing with oil, are prescribed (Jam 5:1”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 101: the promise annexed to it given us on the same condition. The promise of which they vaunt so much in unction, as we have clearly demonstrated, and they themselves show by experience, has not been given to us. The ceremony behoved to be used only by those who had been endued with the gift of healing, not by those murderers, who do more by slaying and butchering than by curing. 21. Even were it granted that this precept of unction, which has nothing to do with the present age, were perfectly adapted to it, they 2638 will not even th”
- James (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on James 5:14: 5:14 The elders of the church were responsible for the well-being of a local assembly of Christians. Elders were selected because of their relative age and their qualifications as Christian leaders (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; 1 Pet 5:1-4; cp. 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). • At this early stage in the development of the church (AD 40s; see James Book Introduction, “Date and Location of Writing”), the word church is apparently a non-technical term meaning “congregation, assembly” (cp. Matt 18:17). • The act of anointing . . . with oil symbolizes divine blessing and healing ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 101: no deeper mystery lay under this ceremony will easily be perceived by those who consider how great liberty both our Lord and his apostles used in those external things. 673 673 John 9:6 ; Mt. 9:29 ; Luke 18:42 ; Acts 3:6 ; 5:16; 19:12. Our Lord, when about to give sight to the blind man, spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle; some he cured by a touch, others by a word. In like manner the apostles cured some diseases by word only, others by touch, others by anointing. But it is probable that neither this anointing nor an”
- James (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on James 5 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO JAMES 5 In this chapter the apostle reproves the vices of rich men, and denounces the judgments of God upon them; exhorts the saints to patience under sufferings; warns them from vain and profane swearing, and presses to various duties and branches of religious worship, private and public, and to the performance of several good offices of love to one another. He represents the miseries of wicked rich men as just at hand, Jam 5:1 because they made no use of their riches, either for themselves, or others, and because of the trust they put in”