True Faith That Works: An Exhortation to Probity, Prayer, and Perseverance

“Labor together with one another, compete together, run together, suffer together, die together, rise up together, as God’s managers and assistants and servants. Please the one whom you serve as a soldier, from whom you also receive wages. Let none of you be found a deserter. Keep your baptism as weaponry, your faith as a helmet, your love as a spear, your endurance as a full set of armor. Let your works be your war-time deposits, so that you may receive your deserved savings. Be patient, therefore, with one another, in gentleness, as God is with you.”Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius sums up the ethos of James’ final exhortations to a struggling church: Probity, Prayer, and Perseverance. Probity is the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency. its another way of saying walk in integrity. Prayer is a source of strength for the church. And perseverance is the mark of genuine faith. All three exhortations are vital to the health of the church.

Three Final Exhortations for the Church:

Walk daily in Christ-centered Probity (James 5:12)

“The strength of a man’s virtue must not be measured by his efforts, but by his ordinary life.” Blaise Pascal

Pascal seems to hint at what James is conveying to us this morning when he exhorts the church to

James 5:12 ESV

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

With a great deal of concern, James says “above all, “meaning, this is of great importance, just let your yes be yes and your no be no. Do not add an oath, or swear, in God’s name. What does James mean?

When James says, “Do not swear,” he is not speaking of vulgar language, but he is speaking of using God’s name to invoke an oath. A brother to sister might be tempted to reinforce something they said; kind of like when we are trying to convince someone of something that might be outlandish and we say “I swear to you” or “I cross my heart hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” Someone also may be tempted to use God’s name to bind them to “act right” from now on. Say someone has a problem with stealing and they get caught red handed. The thief may say, “I swear to you, I will never steal again, so help God.”

James exhorts you to not swear an oath using God’s name. Let your yes and no be enough.

James is likely drawing on Jesus teaching in the Beatitudes, as he as done for most of his letter. If you turn to Matthew 5:34-37, you will see James’ exhortation is strikingly similar to Jesus’.

Matthew 5:34–37 (ESV)

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

In Jesus’ day, the rabbis abused oaths with a corrupt framework to determine if an oath was legitimate or not. If an oath was sworn by Jerusalem is was not binding. If it was swore toward Jerusalem it was binding. Once agin, if an oath was sworn by the temple, it was not binding, but it it was sworn by the temples gold, it was a binding oath. This system defeated the integrity of an oath, which ironically reveals why we need oaths.

Does this mean that we are to never invoke an oath?

Not necessarily. Paul invokes God’s name to validate the truth of what he says (Roman 1;9; 2 Cor 1:23; 11:11; Gal 1:20; Phi; 1:8; 1 Thess 2:5, 10). Also, the marriage covenant is an oath to be faithful to each other until death do you part. We call on our civic leaders to promise to lead with integrity. The oath assures us there is some accountability. Oaths are not ideal, but are necessary in a Genesis 3 broken world.

The need for an oath or a promise reveals that we are promise-breakers. We are not always reliable, or at least we do not have the sovereignty to control all of life’s circumstances. So, even if we have good intentions, we still cannot guarantee we can keep our promises. We must temper everything we plan or promises with “Lord willing” (James 4:13-15).

The main truth Jesus and James is teaching is,

“You should live your life with such integrity and probity that you do not need an oath. Your neighbors know without a doubt your “yes” means “yes” and your “no” means “no” and they do not feel obligated to solicit an oath.”’

In the movie Mary Poppins, the two children, Jane and Michael Banks, jumped into bed after their incredible first day with the amazing Mary Poppins. Jane asked, “Mary Poppins, you won’t ever leave us, will you?” Michael, full of excitement, looked at his new nanny and added, “Will you stay if we promise to be good?” Mary looked at the two and as she tucked them in replied, “Look, that’s a pie-crust promise. Easily made, easily broken!

That is world by which we live. We are prone to make pie-crust promises which are easily made, easily broken. James, following the lead of Jesus, calls you to daily walk in a manner of Christ-centered probity. Live with such treasuring Spirit empowered integrity that your neighbors will have no need for a vow from you. The strength of your daily virtue will speak for itself.

Pray at all times sin -confessing, sickness healing, community minded prayers (James 5:13-18)

Prayer takes up the bulk of James’ attention in his final eight verses of his letter. He mentions prayer in every verse between verse 13-18.

Prayer is recognized as a source of strength.

You will notice in

James 5:13 (ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Again in verse

James 5:14 (ESV)

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:15 (ESV)

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.

James 5:16 (ESV)

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.

Suffering, sickness, and sin can weaken your resolve to faithfully love God and neighbor. James’ remedy for much of their internal problems is for the church to pray as a source of strength.

Prayer is a source of strength in three ways for the church.

Prayer is a source of strength for yourself (James 5:13)

James 5:13 (ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

James offers a spectrum of prayer for the individual believer in verse 13. He’a capturing the same idea as Paul when Paul exhorted the Ephesian church to

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

and to the Thessalonian church

1 Thessalonians 5:17–18 (ESV)

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

James offers the same idea with two contrasting situations. The first is when the believer is suffering misfortunes. He’s likely alluding to the motif of trials that has already been discussed in chapter 1 (James 1:2). The misfortunes could be the economic oppression the poor are suffering, the weakness of illness, or even the consequences of foolish decision making. James says to the suffering believer that prayer is a source of strength.

The other end of the spectrum is when the believer is in a season of joy or happiness. The word he uses here for cheerful conveys a peace of mind. Paul uses the same word in a similar sense in Acts 27:22, when a storm threatened to tear apart the ship. He told the passengers to have a peace of mind, God will spare every life on board the ship. And they ate bread and were encouraged; (Acts 27:36).

The point is this, when you are cheerful, or encouraged, or when your mind is at peace with life, it is still a good time to pray.

Why does James call on you to pray when life is good?

When life is good we tend to forget God.

Moses warned Israel not to forget God when he brought into the land of milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 6:10–12 (ESV)

“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers.. to give you—with great and good cities..., and houses full of all good things... and cisterns..., and vineyards and olive trees...—and when you eat and are full,

then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...”

Essentially, when God satisfies your longing for rest with good material things in this world, take care lest you forget the Lord your God. A good life can lead to heart hardening complacency and self-satisfaction. Complacency and satisfaction can, as Douglas Moo notes, kill your prayer life. Your heart forgets how much it needs the grace of God daily.

François Fénelon, a seventeenth-century Roman Catholic Frenchman, provides the right perspective on praying at all times. He said,

“Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and others.” François Fénelon

In every circumstance, whether in suffering or cheerful, James says to the believer, pray. There are times, however, you are not to pray only by yourself. God has given you a church family who will pray on your behalf. Moreover, he has given you under shepherds to pray over you when you are suffering sickness.

Prayer is a source of strength from the Elders (James 5:14-15)

I want you to notice two assumptions in verse 14-15 that we cannot take for granted. First, James assumes we understand who the elders are in verse 14.

Plurality of Elders

The elders are pastors who oversee the church. You’ll notice the plural, which is how elders are normally written in scripture. Scripture contends that mature men are to be elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7). Therefore, elders are a group of God appointed and Holy Spirit anointed men who oversee and shepherd the church.

As the churches shepherds, they are to care for the needs of the sheep. Benjamin Merkle notes, sheep get injured and need assistance. It is therefore important for the elders to attend to the needs of those in the congregation. They need to visit not only those who are spiritually sick or weak but also those who are physically sick. It is is a plurality of men who are the elders who oversee and shepherd the church.

Commitment to Church Community

Secondly, James assumes everyone who is a believer is commited to church community, unity, and fellowship. Meaning that the congregation is made up of committed believers who actively engage their time, talent, and tithe to joyfully advancing the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus until the church, community, and home joyfully abide in Jesus. The elders of the church must know whom they are responsible for ministering to, and the believer must be engaged enough to call upon the elders.

How is the prayer of the elders a source of strength?

James calls for the elders to come and pray over the sick or weak. Some have argued that James is speaking of spiritual infirmities, not physical one. They argue this because the reality is, not everyone who is prayed for is healed. The problem is that is not what James says in the text.

The word he uses for sickness is often used for physical ailments (Matt 10:8;25:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40; John 4:46; 5:3, 7; 6:2, 11:1; Acts 9:37). There is also the idea of a physical recovery as a result of answered prayer, not salvation or spiritual renewal.

The prayer of the elders sets the sick apart for a special anointing of God.

The elders are to pray over the sick and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. The anointing, as Douglas Moo notes, is a physical action with a symbolic significance.

The anointing of oil is a symbolic gesture that sets the sick apart for consecration. Although olive oil had some medicinal purposes, those purposes would not serve this kind of sickness. The consecration was meant to set the believer apart for special intercession to the Lord on their behalf.

The prayer of the elders helps the sick spiritually discern and confess habitual sin in their life.

James makes a connection between sin and sickness. James is not saying all sin leads to sickness, but he is saying there are times that your suffering is connected to sin. When Jesus healed the paralytic man that was lowered down by his friends, he said to him, son your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:1-12). Paul guarded the communion table in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, because some believers sinned by being careless with it. Their carelessness. Paul says, 1 Cor 11:30

1 Corinthians 11:30 ESV

That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

James recognizes there is a possibility that sin is the cause of the illness. He exhorts the believer and the elders to deal with the sin with confession and prayer. The prayer must be done, however by faith.

James 5:15 ESV

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.

Of course, some will look at this like a formula. If I confess my sin and pray God heal me of my disease. If God does not heal you, according to the health wealth and prosperity gospel teachers like Joyce Myers, Kenneth Copeland, and Joel Olsteen, then you do not have enough faith.

This is not only heresy but it is a burden a believer should never carry. Being deathly sick is already hard enough. Why would anyone add guilt over having a lack of faith onto a suffering brother or sister? And James puts the burden on the elders, not the sufferer. Look closely at James 5:14. The elders are the ones praying over the sick. Their prayer of faith James is speaking to in the text. In this way the, elders are helping the sick discern and confess sin in their life that may lead to healing.

The prayer of the elders helps the sick rest in the sovereignty of God

A more fruitful way of looking at this situation is through the lens of the sovereignty of God, which James has already brought up in chapter 4; “Lord willing.” We know that it is God who governs our days (Psalm 139). We know that God is sovereign over every maverick cell, bacteria, and virus we may encounter. We also know that God uses the prayers of his people to accomplish his will.

A prayer for healing is qualified by the sovereign will of God. There are times when God’s will is for the disease to remain or the cancer to run its course. Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh. Each time God said no. The thorn serves my sovereign purpose (2 Cor 12:7-9). And yet the book of Acts, and the Gospel are filled with examples of when Jesus miraculous and graciously healed to the fullest broken sinners.

In his work, The Miracles of Jesus volume 9, H. Van der Loos wisely says,

“Faith, forgiveness and healing are all three in essence dispensations of the grace of God. This implies that the relations between these three are not governed by the law of causality but by the will and intention of God.” H. Van der Loos

We pray. We confess. We trust God’s sovereign good will. In this way prayer is a source of strength in our weakness. The elders are spiritually mature men who help the sick rest in God’s sovereign goodness.

Prayer is a source of strength for the community (James 5:16)

Notice how all of this is taking place in the context of community. When we are saved, God gives us a new covenant, a new identity, and a new covenant family. James shifts from the elders to brothers and sisters we fellowship with. There are two parts to his shift.

First, James says you are to confess your sins to one another. Narrowly speaking, this could be a confession to specific people you have hurt or sinned against. Broadly speaking, it can also go as far as public confession.

Second, the shift from the elders to the church also emphasizes the intimacy of fellowship the church to have within the community. The church as a whole carries the burden to pray for each other. The believer within the church carries the burden of letting the church be that involved in their life.

There is no way you will have the confidence and peace of mind to confess your sins to strangers. The community and fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ is a source of strength for you when you are weak and sick.

In 2004, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day wrote a song called “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” In it, Armstrong sings,

“I walk a lonely road The only one that I have ever known Don't know where it goes But it's home to me, and I walk alone...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me 'Til then, I walk alone” (“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” Green Day, 2004)

Christian, this is not your song. This is not what Jesus has provided for you through his death, resurrection, and ascension. When he ascended into heaven he promised to pour out his Spirit upon everyone who believes. His Spirit unites you to His church in divine fellowship, a fellowship that is eternal. Jesus has the capacity to save people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, who have absolutely nothing in common and unite them in His love and fellowship.

It is so disheartening and unhealthy to remain on the periphery of church community and fellowship, to keep your brothers and sisters at arms length. Choosing to not connect to the community forfeit a source of strength that God has provided for you in Christ; which might explain why some of you are not flourishing in your faith. You are not meant to walk a lonely road. Your shadow is not the only one that walks beside you you. Christ and His bride walk beside you, one on each arm being a source of strength for you. You need to pray. You need teh elders to pray over you. And you need your brothers and sister to pray for you. Why? Because there is power in the prayer of the righteous, says James.

The prayer of the the righteous: Elijah (James 5:17-18)

James give Elijah as an example of the power of the prayers of the righteous. You may be tempted to think that Elijah was a power prophet. Of course God listened to him. James reminds you that Elijah was just a man, with a human nature, just like you and I. But he prayed by faith for it to not rain for three years. There was not rain. And then he prayed for it to rain, and god answered his prayer. The point is, the prayer of the righteous has great power.

Jesus has made every believer his righteousness. Jesus has given every believer access to God’s throne to enter boldly to receive mercy and grace in their time of need. The Bible says God hears the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29). When the church gathers together to pray for each other, God joyfully hears his children’s prayers and answers them according to his sovereign good will. Thomas A Kempis once said,

“Humble prayer pierces the heavens, disarms the anger of God, obtains his mercies, and makes the snares of the evil one of no avail.” Thomas A. Kempis

Church, if we believe that God hears and and answers the prayers of those whom He has made righteous with all of our hearts, the gates of hell could not prevail against the power of God in our church the the revival he would bring in our community. Furthermore, we would also be an instrument of grace to bring wander saints back home.

Plead with wandering brothers and sisters to persevere in the faith (James 5:19-20)

Robert Robinson wrote the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” in 1758. He came to Christ under the preaching of George Whitfield. In the third stanza he wrote a line that would be somewhat prophetic of his faith; “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love...”

Some years after he wrote the hymn, his life became characterized by lapses into sin, unstableness, and an involvement with the doctrines of Unitarianism. Robinson felt tension every believer wrestles with in their walk with Christ; the tension between the kingdom of God and the the kingdom of the world. James notes in verse 19, we are prone to wander from the truth, to leave the we love.

God has placed the church in your life to be a safeguard to help you not wander from the faith.

James 5:19 (ESV)

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

The someone who brings you back is another believer who knows you, been walking the road of faith with you, who has been praying for you in your hour of need. That someone is not only apart of the Catholic (universal church) but likely goes to church with you.

We are obligated as a community to call each other to persevere in the faith (James 5:20)

James 5:20 (ESV)

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Whoever turns back a sinner reflect an effort to bring a straying believer back to an authentic Christian faith and lifestyle. Cover a multitude of sins probably refers to God’s forgiveness (see Ps 32:1; 85:2).

Psalm 32:1 ESV

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psalm 85:2 ESV

You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah

Jesus has given us a mission: joyfully advance his kingdom by making, making much of Jesus until the church, community, and home joyfully abide in Jesus. John 15 teaches us that abiding in Jesus is remaining in Jesus. Perseverance is being steadfast in the faith. You must endure, even through opposition, until the end. Only those who endure until the end receive the crown of life.

James 1:12 (ESV)

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

We are living in the age of deconstruction. Deconstruction is a term used to describe people who were deeply committed to the church, but are walking away, deconstructing their faith. They are those whom John said we never part of us. Perseverance is the mark of genuine faith. God has given you his Spirit and truth to persevere, prayer as a source of strength to persevere, and his church to help carry your burdens so that you can persevere. The church then is commissioned to, calls sinners and wandering saints to come home and hold fast.

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