Healing

Was James referring to faith-healers in James 5:15? : Though there are many references to healing in the New Testament, this passage in James 5 is the only passage that tells a Christian what to do when he is sick. All the other passages that mention healing tell us what was done (by Jesus, and the Apostles and their helpers) and not what should be done by us. In other words, they are historical references (not instructional passages) and are therefore found mostly in the historical books of the New Testament (ie, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles).

This passage describes a bed-ridden Christian who is too sick to go to church. He desires his spiritual family (ie, the church) to pray for him. However, since it is too inconvenient for the whole church to go to his house, he calls for the elders of the church (v.14) - who represent the church. Sick Christians are not told to seek a famous faith-healer to go to, but to ask their own church to pray for them.

Since the bed-ridden man is lying in bed, the elders pray over him (v.14). After praying, they anoint him with oil (v.14), ie, they massage the aching, stiff muscles of the bed-ridden person with oil. Oil has been used for medical purposes from ancient times and was one of the few medicines available in those days (LUK 10:34). In fact, we still use it for massaging aching muscles. It has no mystical spiritual power.

If the elders had only prayed for the sick man and not massaged him, it might appear that they did not really care for him. Such behavior is condemned in James 2:15-16. We must not be so "spiritual" that we refuse to use non-spiritual methods. Christians must pray as if everything depended on it and then work as if everything depended on it. Faith in God, does not eliminate the need for us to seek legitimate means (eg. seeking medical treatment).

The elders massaged their brother in the name of the Lord (v.14), ie, as representatives of the Lord. In other words, they performed this service not in their individual capacities but as servants of the Lord.

The prayer of faith (v.15) of the church is God's prescribed method by which we Christians seek healing. He assures us that if we do so, He will hear our prayer and we shall save the sick (v.15). A prayer of faith is one that that trusts God and believes that His will is best. It is very different from a faith-healer's claim that he can command illness to go away. The former is a humble dependence, the latter presumptuous arrogance.

In summary, this passage teaches us that seriously ill Christians should ask the whole church to pray for them, and that representatives of the church should visit them and minister to them (by prayer and ministering to their physical needs). In the entire New Testament, we find no instructions telling us to seek for faith-healers who claim miraculous healing powers.

The offer of healing is the main attraction of most religions: Throughout history, the main attraction of most religions is their promise of healing. The Roman Catholic Church has led the way in claiming the power to heal. They have claimed that the bones of John the Baptist, fragments of the Cross, or even vials of Mary's breast milk have healed millions. Lourdes, a Catholic shrine in France has supposedly been the site of countless miracles. Medjugorge, in Yugoslavia, has attracted tens of millions in the past twenty years.

Filipino faith-healers perform "bloodless surgery" regularly. Witch doctors even claim to be able to raise the dead. Many pagan temples are famed for their supposed powers of healing. Eastern religions offer breathing techniques and yogic postures that promise better health. However, the Charismatic movement, the newcomer in the religious faith-healing scene, has upstaged all the others. Each new Charismatic faith-healing "star" seems to have a "Can you beat this?" mentality toward healing. Miracle-handkerchiefs and holy oil are frequently offered on televised religious show (especially in America) for a suggested donation. Well-known faith-healers claim that "in the morning God tells me how many cancers, heart-problems and migraines will be cured at this evening's service." Crowds then flock to their services and hope to be the "lucky" winner in this "health-sweepstakes"! Of course, offerings are collected after the people are warned that the size of their offering is an evidence of their faith.

The main attraction of the Gospel is Christ crucified (JOH 12:32)

If faith-healer's claims are false, why are so many people convinced that they are healed? :
To understand this phenomenon of healing, we must first understand some simple medical facts. An illness can result from three basic causes, ie, organic, functional or psychogenic. An organic illness is one where the organ is diseased, physically impaired or dead (eg. a fractured leg). A functional illness is one in which a perfectly good organ does not function properly (eg. a sore leg). A psychogenic illness is one in which a person who has a perfectly good leg thinks that he has a problem in his leg.

Faith-healers never cure organic illnesses. For example, we have never heard of a faith-healer restoring the fractured leg of a man involved in a road-accident. However, it is possible for faith-healers (or doctors, or psychologists, or a wise person) to use the power of suggestion to relieve the symptoms of a sore leg, or the fears of a person who thinks that he has a sore leg. The body has great powers to relieve and heal itself (through the autonomic nervous system) - and these powers are greatly enhanced through the powers of suggestion.

Doctors use these powers of suggestion as a vital part of their treatment. The American Medical Association did a study that showed that 75% of patients felt better after leaving the doctor's consultation-room (even before they took their first dose of medication). Doctors routinely tell their patients "You'll feel better about 4 hours after taking this medicine." This suggestion is a vital part in the healing process in functional and psychogenic illnesses and most patients, if they trust the doctor, will feel much better after four hours (even if a placebo is used). For most layman, a relieve in symptoms is usually equated with a cure.

A study by the British Medical Association on faith-healers concluded that there was no proven evidence of organic cures, and that their rate of success with functional and psychogenic illnesses was no better than that obtained by clinical psychologists.

If these facts are true and freely available, why do so many intelligent rational people believe in faith- healers? The likeliest reason is that sickness drives people to believe things they would not normally believe and do things they would not normally do. Satan knows this and said: "….all that a man hath will he give for his life" (JOB 2:4).

How do we account for all the faith-healings that have been reported? :
(1) A patient's perception of his own illness is usually exaggerated. Furthermore, because he is so happy to be "cured" he often uses exaggerated language when describing it.

(2) Doctors, when they see an impressive recovery, also often use exaggerated language. They often say "It's a miracle" without meaning it in a scientific sense. The patient in their testimonies then quotes them.

(3) Spontaneous remissions are not uncommon in many illnesses, including cancers. To the laymen, these periods of relief are equated with a cure. It is common for a person to say that his wife was cured of cancer by the faith-healer, though she died a year later.

(4) The power of suggestion gives quick temporary relief. It is not uncommon for a migraine sufferer to feel better after the faith-healer has "cured" him, only to have the migraine return shortly after leaving the meeting. A grateful patient will still claim that the faith-healer healed him, for a short period.

Why do Christians get sick? :
(1) Some sickness comes from God (EXO 4:11). It is hard to understand why God makes us sick, but His "ways are higher than our ways" and He knows what is best.
(2) Some sickness comes from Satan (LUK 13:11-13, JOB 1)
(3) Some sickness is chastening for sin (DEU 28:20-22).
We must not assume that all sicknesses are the direct result of sin - or we will be like Job's three friends.

What should we do when we get sick? :
(1) acknowledge God's sovereignty
(2) check ourselves for unconfessed sin
(3) pray for God to heal, or if serious, request the church to pray
(4) thank God (not for the illness) but the lessons that may be learned
(5) ask for grace to glorify God, and to learn lessons from the illness
(6) continue to pray till we are healed or until we are clearly shown that God will not heal.

Conclusion: God is still healing today, but the biblical gift of healing ceased after the apostolic age.