James 5:15-16

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And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

James 5:15-16 (NKJV)

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. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:15-16 (NIV)

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:15-16 (KJV)

Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

James 5:15-16 (NLT)

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James 5:15-16 (ESV)

And the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God — it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

James 5:15-16 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

New Covenant Meaning

The Lord Will Raise Him Up

James does not say the prayer of faith might heal the sick, or will heal some of the sick when conditions are right. He says the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. The language is declarative and certain. The mechanism is the prayer of faith offered by elders over the sick person, accompanied by anointing with oil. The promise is healing. The agent is the Lord. The faith is the channel. James is writing to a New Covenant community and treating healing through prayer as a normal, expected function of church life.

You Are the Righteous Person Whose Prayer Avails Much

Verse 16 closes with the famous statement: "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Many believers read that and think it refers to someone else: a more holy person, a more seasoned believer, a pastor with a special anointing. But 2 Corinthians 5:21 says you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Romans 5:1 says you are justified by faith. You are the righteous person James is describing. Your prayer has great power as it is working. This is not a promise for an elite category of Christians. It is the description of every New Covenant believer.

James connects healing and forgiveness in verse 15 just as Jesus did in Matthew 9:5 and as Psalm 103:3 does. The two go together because they come from the same source: the finished work of Christ. Jesus bore both sin and sickness (Isaiah 53:4-5). The prayer of faith for healing draws on the same redemptive work as the prayer of repentance for forgiveness. Both are available through the same cross.

Application for Your Life

Pray for the Sick With Confidence, Not Hope

James 5:15 is a promise, not a suggestion. When you pray for the sick in faith, you are standing on an apostolic declaration: the prayer of faith will save the sick. This does not mean every person will be healed in the way or timing you expect. It means you come to God for healing with the confidence of someone presenting a covenant right, not the timidity of someone hoping God will make an exception. Pray with expectation. Let the promise shape your posture.

Pray for One Another in Community

James addresses both individual prayer (the prayer of faith) and corporate prayer (pray for one another). The healing ministry is not reserved for specially gifted individuals. It is the normal activity of the believing community. You have the authority and the calling to lay hands on the sick and pray. The righteous person whose prayer avails much is you.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I come before You as a righteous person in Christ, whose prayer has great power and avails much. I pray the prayer of faith right now. I stand on Your Word that the prayer of faith will save the sick and You will raise them up. I am not hoping for an exception. I am claiming a covenant promise. Where there is sickness, I pray with confidence because the same Jesus who healed all who came to Him is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I present this prayer in faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.