The Holy Spirit and Physical Healing
The Holy Spirit Part 6
James 5:14-16
(From Steve Meenho Kang, Live by the Spirit (Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press, 2022)
Currently we are going through the message series, “The Holy Spirit.”
During this series, we are examining the work of the Holy Spirit.
First week, we talked about the person of the Holy Spirit.
Second week, we talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Third week, the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Fourth week, the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Fifth week, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
And today we will talk about the Holy Spirit and healing.
We are living in an imperfect, temporary, fallen world.
This is why every one of us will experience illnesses from time to time.
We catch colds, flus and infections.
And some will develop more serious illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer.
When we get sick, sometimes we become desperate.
We want to become healthy fast.
And when we don’t, we get depressed, frustrated, or angry.
This is why some listen to the people who claim to have special healing powers.
Are these people real?
Some people testify that they were healed by God.
Can we believe them?
What about the use of medicine?
Should we trust God alone for healing?
Today, we will talk about issues like these.
When I was a young Christian, I went to a revival meeting.
That place was so crowded that I had to sit in the balcony.
While the pastor was preaching, he pointed toward me and said, “God is healing someone in the balcony of his injured leg. Place your hand over it and pray for healing!”
When I was in junior high, I practiced Judo.
Once I partially separated my hip bone and I was never properly healed.
Whenever, I ran or walked a lot, I felt pain in my hip area.
I was like that for about seven years.
Therefore, I was thinking to myself.
“Is he talking about me? What the heck! If it is not me, I still have nothing to lose.”
Therefore, I placed my hand over my hip and prayed for healing.
It was not exactly a prayer of faith.
However, to my surprise, God healed me immediately.
When it comes to the healing of the Holy Spirit, many people have many different opinions.
Some people think that God still can heal us through the Holy Spirit.
But others think that He does not heal anymore.
What do you think?
More importantly, what does God think?
We can find the answers to these questions in the passage that we read today.
The author of the book, James, was the younger brother of Jesus.
He was an elder in the Jerusalem church.
And he wrote these about the healing of the Holy Spirit.
He said that in order to experience the healing of the Holy Spirit, we must follow these things.
I. We must take initiative to let others be aware of our illness (v. 14a).
Verse 14a says this.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church…
The Greek term for ‘sick’ used here means “without strength.”
It is the idea of being seriously sick.
Therefore, James is not talking about getting sick with the common cold.
He is talking about more serious illnesses.
However, James told us that being sick is normal… even for Christians.
We get sick sometimes… even seriously.
So, what does James recommend us to do when we get sick?
The one who is sick should take the initiative to let others, especially the leaders of the church, know about it.
There is no way anyone can know when we get sick unless we tell them.
And yet, many expect everyone to somehow know when they get sick.
And they feel bad when nobody visits them or calls them.
When we become seriously sick, our first step is to make others, especially the leaders of church, be aware of our illness.
However, so often the pastors or elders are the last to know when someone is sick.
Let me make it very clear.
Pastors or elders do not know everything about everyone.
Only way for leaders to know when someone is serious sick is for someone to communicate the need.
However, some people do not want to tell church leaders about their illnesses.
I know some people who have cancer, but they refuse to tell others, including their pastors and leaders.
Why?
There could be many reasons.
One reason is that some people have the wrong theology.
They think that being sick is a sign of God’s punishment.
Therefore, they are ashamed to admit that they are sick.
However, as James said, being sick from time to time is normal even for Christians.
Another reason may be because they do not actually believe that prayers really work.
They do not believe that the prayers of church leaders would make any difference.
Our God is all-powerful God and He has the power to heal us.
If we really believe that God can use others to heal us, we must let others, especially church leaders, know about our illnesses.
We must take initiative to let others be aware of our illness.
II. We must employ the necessary medical treatment (v. 14).
The NIV translation of verse 14 says this.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
However, a more accurate translation of this verse is this.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church to pray over him, having rubbed him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Therefore, James said that anointing with oil should precede the time spent in prayer.
Please bear with me.
You will understand the significance of this.
There are two words for “anoint” in Greek.
One always has a religious and ceremonial meaning.
The other has a practical reason.
David was anointed with oil before he became the king of Israel.
This was a ceremonial anointing, acknowledging that he was the chosen king.
However, we would never tell someone that we “anointed” our bicycle with oil because it was squeaking.
Such a procedure is practical.
It has no religious connotation at all.
Among these two words, it is the latter that is used here.
It is the practical reason.
Therefore, “anointing” is not really a good translation of the original term here.
“Rubbing” would be a better translation.
When the Good Samaritan took care of the man who had been beaten by robbers he poured oil and wine into the man’s wounds.
He “rubbed” those ingredients into the man’s wounds.
Therefore, “anoint” here refers to the practical application of proper medicine.
In today’s terms, it refers to “see your doctor and follow your doctor’s instructions.”
However, this does not mean that medical treatment is more important than spiritual treatment.
Rather it tells us that we must receive medical and spiritual help at the same time.
God sometimes uses medicine to heal us.
Other times, He uses prayers to heal us.
And still other times, God uses both to heal us.
However, some people make the mistakes in two different ways.
Some people who seek miracles from God often think that seeing a doctor is a sign of not trusting God.
However, according to this verse, it is not only unwise, but it is also unbiblical.
Back in ancient days, because there were so few medical doctors, the elders used to apply medicine.
Therefore, getting medical help is not an enemy of our faith.
It is not a sign of unbelief.
Second, some people seek medical help but do not pray at all, because they do not believe in the Holy Spirit’s healing.
However, both of these views are wrong.
God uses both medicine and the Holy Spirit to heal us.
I know this person.
He had cancer that had spread to many of his organs.
Everyone around him prayed for him.
Doctors first removed the cancer that was ruptured and bleeding.
After the surgery, they waited for the area to be healed.
And then they wanted to remove the rest of the cancer from other areas of his body.
But when they checked it, the cancer was gone.
It miraculously disappeared.
Medical assistance is imperative.
Regardless of the illness, seeking medical treatment is both wise and biblical.
We must employ the necessary medical treatment.
III. We must pray for physical healing in faith (vv. 14-16).
Verse 14 says this.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
The elders, pastors, or spiritual leaders of the church must do two things.
Frist, they must apply medicines.
Of course, nowadays we can let doctors, nurses, and pharmacists take care of this part.
Second, they must pray over the sick person.
These two are to be used together; neither to the exclusion of the other.
Asking others to pray for physical healing while ignoring proper medical treatment is not spiritual, it is foolish.
Applying medical treatment while ignoring to pray is also foolish.
Being people of faith, we must pray fervently in faith.
We must offer up strong, confident, and yet humble prayers to God for healing.
And the result?
Verse 15a says this.
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.
We must be careful not to take this statement out of its context and quote it alone.
Verses 14 and 15 must go together.
The elders must pray over this person in the name of the Lord—that is, invoking God’s will and blessing.
And the result?
Actually, it is in God’s hands.
We must leave the results in God’s hand.
When it is His sovereign will to bring healing, it will happen.
In that case, the sick person will be healed; the Lord will raise them up.
Then we must thank Him and give Him all the glory.
But what if God chooses not to heal us?
Sometimes it is His will not to heal us.
What should we do then?
We will talk about that next time.
Verse 15b says this.
If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
The word “if” tells us something very important.
It tells us that not all illnesses are caused by a specific sin.
Sometimes there is no relationship between personal sin and sickness.
We are living in a fallen world, and sickness and death are a part of our normal existence.
However, sometimes there is a direct relationship between personal sin and sickness.
Sickness can come as a result of that person’s sin.
And if that is the reason for the illness, there should be an admission of it in the process of the healing.
Verse 16 says this.
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.
This does not mean that the person must confess his or her sin to everyone in the church.
That is not the context.
If our sickness is a result of sin, we must admit it.
First, we must confess it to God, and ask for forgiveness.
Second, we must confess it to the person that we hurt, and ask for reconciliation.
Third, we must confess to the leaders of church and ask them to pray for us.
But when we pray for healing, we must pray with faith that God can heal us if He is willing.
And this faith refers to the faith of people who pray as well as the faith of people who receive prayer.
Then and only then, will we will see that the prayer of a righteous is powerful and effective.
We must pray for physical healing in faith.
Conclusion
Our God is all-powerful and all-knowing.
In His sovereign grace and power, God can heal us immediately.
Then we must praise Him for it.
We must not take credit for our healing.
We are not healed because we have better faith than others.
It is 100% His grace.
Also, we must not give credit for our healing to someone who prayed for us.
God alone is responsible for our healing.
God may use that person to heal us, however, ultimately, it is God who heals.
Therefore, when we get sick, we must let others know about it.
We must seek medical help.
We must pray for healing in faith.
And leave the result to God.
