Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

Universal Health Care

¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. ¹⁹My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Discussion Questions

-What are the three situations that people might find themselves in that are mentioned in verses 13 and 14? 

-In the non-Christian world, what are some ways that people might respond to these situations?

-How does James tell the church to respond to them?  Is there anything that these responses have in common?  How do they differ from what we mentioned earlier?

-Read verses 14 through 16 regarding what to do in the church in the case of illness. 

-God gives to the church people with the gift of healing (1 Cor. 12:9), but it is never mentioned as a qualification to be an elder.  Why do you think James wants them to ask the elders to pray?

-Where does the power to heal lie:  in the prayer, in the faith, or in the Lord? 

-This says that “the Lord will raise him up.”  Is this giving us a formula for prayer that guarantees God will do what we want? 

-If everybody eventually dies anyway, why would God choose to heal some of their diseases?

-What other issue comes up in these verses besides physical illness?  Why do you think James ties the two together so tightly?

-Verses 19 and 20 appear at first glance to go “off topic”.  Many translations create a new paragraph for it, but that isn’t necessary based on the original text.  Do you think this is an unrelated post-script to the letter, or does it have something to do with what we’ve been discussing?

-Given everything in this passage, what can we say about going beyond healing a sickness to achieving wellness in all aspects of life, now and forever?

Leaders' Guide

This lesson explores issues of prayer for people’s healing, but goes beyond that to ask how we can achieve wellness in our lives in a sense that is broader than just fixing a particular disease.

-What are the three situations that people might find themselves in that are mentioned in verses 13 and 14? 

            Being in trouble, being happy, and being sick are three situations that James mentions. 

-In the non-Christian world, what are some ways that people might respond to these situations?

            Just a discussion question—no right or wrong answers, obviously.  People could complain about trouble, or try to get out of it, or bear it stoically or whatever.  When happy, people could party or celebrate some other way.  If they’re sick, they would normally rely on whatever health care system is available to them. 

-How does James tell the church to respond to them?  Is there anything that these responses have in common?  How do they differ from what we mentioned earlier?

            To pray, sing songs of praise, and ask to be prayed for are the three responses James mentions.  All three put the focus on God.  That is the fundamental difference to the Christian response in any circumstance of life:  we are always turning our hearts toward God; whether for help in times of difficulty, or to give thanks when things are going well. This, of course, is very different from a non-Christian response which typically focuses on self—whether it is complaining about your problems or figuring out how you can get yourself out of them, or if it being self-congratulatory and self-indulgent when things go well. 

-Read verses 14 through 16 regarding what to do in the church in the case of illness. 

            What follows is a series of questions on the subject of divine healing based on these verses.

-God gives to the church people with the gift of healing (1 Cor. 12:9), but it is never mentioned as a qualification to be an elder.  Why do you think James wants them to ask the elders to pray?

            Reading through the entire passage, it is clear that the spiritual condition of the one who is sick is of paramount importance to James.  The gift of healing is not a pre-requisite to being an elder, but spiritual maturity is.  Clearly, James wants this situation to be an opportunity for spiritual leaders in the church to be able to give input into the sick person’s life.  Also, he knows that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  To James, your relationship to God and obedience to him is more important than a charismatic gift in regards to being able to tap into the resources God has available for the church. 

-Where does the power to heal lie:  in the prayer, in the faith, or in the Lord? 

            This passage makes it clear, as does the rest of Scripture, that power to heal lies entirely with God.  The prayer offered in faith is a means by which we gain access to that power, but make it very clear that no power lies in either the words of the prayer or the attitude of belief that we have.  This is a common and current heresy and must be avoided.

-This says that “the Lord will raise him up.”  Is this giving us a formula for prayer that guarantees God will do what we want? 

            Clearly, not everyone is healed when they are prayed for, and no guarantees are offered in Scripture.  Paul himself was not healed from his affliction in spite of his prayer (2 Cor. 12:7-10).  Christianity is not like pagan superstition—we don’t manipulate God through rituals and potions and formulaic prayers.  God is totally sovereign in this, as in all things, and we humble subordinate ourselves to his will.  We know that he can heal, but we also realize that only he knows if that is the best and most appropriate thing.

-If everybody eventually dies anyway, why would God choose to heal some of their diseases?

            This does not come from the text, but is here to remind us that no physical healing is permanent.  Therefore, since we cannot escape the ultimate effects of physical deterioration, God must have other reasons for answering our prayers for healing.  To show his power, to increase our faith, because he may have some other work for that person to do or may want to give them another opportunity to respond to his grace.  There may be many reasons, but the bottom line is we probably cannot know them with certainty.  At least we must confirm that it isn’t because we’re such righteous and awesome prayers.

-What other issue comes up in these verses besides physical illness?  Why do you think James ties the two together so tightly?

            Sin is the other issue that is intertwined into the topic of divine healing.  Forgiveness of sin and confession of sin are just as important to James, if not more so, than physical healing.  As we mentioned, that may be why the elders are called.  It could be that the illness is directly tied to someone’s sin, but that isn’t necessarily the case.  The “if” in verse 15 makes that very clear, so be certain to affirm for people that if they suffer, it isn’t necessarily their fault (although we know that some diseases are pretty directly related to personal sin).  The bottom line is that James is interested in healing the whole person, spiritually and physically.  Without spiritual healing and restoration of our relationship to God, if that is necessary, physical healing will ultimately have little value for us. The next question underscores this point.

-Verses 19 and 20 appear at first glance to go “off topic”.  Many translations create a new paragraph for it, but that isn’t necessary based on the original text.  Do you think this is an unrelated post-script to the letter, or does it have something to do with what we’ve been discussing?

            It is my opinion that James means for this to be a part of this discussion, not just an unrelated post-script.  Whether or not that is the case, it certainly has a bearing on what we just discussed:  not having a saving relationship to Jesus Christ creates the ultimate sickness: eternal death rather than eternal life.  That is the primary concern and this is a great opportunity to present that message to your group if there are any that need to hear it.  It also underscores how deliberate, intentional sin can turn us away from God and his healing power, forever if we don’t turn from sin and embrace the ultimate healing of his forgiveness.

-Given everything in this passage, what can we say about going beyond healing a sickness to achieving wellness in all aspects of life, now and forever?

            Turning to God in the good times and bad, dealing with sin, being certain of salvation, and relying on God and on the community in prayer paint a powerful picture of a life of wellness and wholeness lived in the presence of God through prayer and the church.