A suggested meaning of "anointing with oil in the name of Lord" in James 5:13-16

James 5:13-16 (NASB) "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins,they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Introduction:  

Today's post will consider the actual command of anointing with oil and tracking out how it is to operate from beginning to end. James' was the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh. His epistle or letter represents the earliest material in the New Testament with respect to practices and doctrine. The practice of anointing with oil is prescribed by James in James 5:13-16. The chief question before us, as with any part of God's word is: "what does it mean?" As we comment through James 5:13-16, applications for today's Christian and the local church will be offered. 

1. How the command to be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord is to be carried out in the church. James 5:14 

Commentary: 

James 5:14a The sick congregant must submit to the Elders and leadership of the church. To make such a request is an act of humility. Humility before the Lord positions that person to be acted upon by God for emotional, spiritual and of course, physical healing. (see 1 Peter 5:6). Whichever remedy or combination occurs is up to God's purpose. James then writes "let them offer a purposeful prayer". Quite literally, the "Elders" (actual ordained men or some form of representative leadership) are being commanded to fulfill the request of the sick congregant and come to pray with and over that person.

James 5:14b As the Elders met to pray with the sick congregant, there had to be an attending physical act. The physical act in this instance would be a sign corresponding to both their expression of faith and the One to whom they're appealing. The sign mentioned here in James' text is that of anointing oil. Standard word-study references explain the word translated "anointing" as referring to the application of oil by anointing with a household remedy. In addition to James 5:14, we see the following pattern set by Jesus and the disciples in Mark 6:13 - "And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."

The use of oil in the scriptures often signifies the Holy Spirit and the power and favor of God being bestowed on that individual (Exodus 30; 1 John 2:20,27). One reference work discusses how in ancient Greece, anointing oil was used for rubbing sore muscles in gymnasts or athletes. This background may be partly informing James 5:14, suggesting the picture of Elders administering the oil to the person in a rubbing or topical application. They would accompany their anointing with the prayers, doing everything in the name of the Lord.  

2. The manner of the provision of healing promised in the act of anointing with oil. James 5:15

Commentary: James 5:15a This particular verse is perhaps the most scrutinized and disagreed upon sentence in James 5:13-16. At issue is how much certainty of healing is promised in the passage. James 5:15a could be rendered: "and the prayer from faith will save the one who is severely ill and the Lord will raise Him up. The phrase translated "severely ill" refers to somebody who is in a continual state of illness or hopeless sickness. Another reference work points to a similar meaning of the person having fallen under some type of illness. 

In these verses, the prescription of anointing with oil is for those who are experiencing perhaps more common and non-terminal illnesses (James 5:14 i.e - "is anyone sick among you") all the way to those in the worse condition (James 5:15 "severely ill"). 

Closing thoughts for today:

The question before the reader is of course how much certainty of healing is promised in the verbs translated "will save" and "will raise"? Let's note three observations:

1. First of all, in terms of the definitions of "will save" and "will raise", some interpreters have tried to make "will save" a term referring to spiritual healing, since the verb is often used in contexts describing salvation. However, there are numerous passages referenced by others that show this verb as referring specifically to saving or freeing from disease (Mt 9:22a; Mk 5:34; 10:52; Lk 8:48; 17:19; 18:42 compared to James 5:15). One way of rendering this verb to bring out its meaning could be "restore". 

The second verb translated "to raise" or "will raise" can also be legitimately translated "to restore to health" in James 5:15. (BAG 214) Thus when we consider that God is offering the opportunity for physical restoration, the provision promised within this setting is specified and made definite. As to whether there is an immediate restoration/healing or progressive restoration/healing at a later time cannot be determined from the passage.

2. Secondly, both verbs are in the future tense. As the name of the tense suggests, both verbs are referring to a state or reality that is not current in the writing of the speaker or the experience of the readers. 

3. Thirdly, James appears to be prescribing a remedy for those in the church who are suffering. In general terms, the outcome of healing should never be doubted. As was stated already, the only thing we are not told in the text is how long of time could pass between the administering of the anointing oil and the healing performed by the Lord.

Biblically understanding Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed employees and employers

Ephesians 6:5-9 "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing thatwhatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him."

Introduction
These last couple of days we have considered how the Spirit-filled life produces necessary consequences for daily living. We've explored Spirit-filled church life and Spirit-filled families. Today's post considers the Spirit-filled workplace. One of the reasons Paul is writing these words is to help readers to apply the central truth of Christ's all-sufficiency and Lordship to matters pertaining to family, to child-rearing and then of course the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". The Spirit-filled life is key to being a Spirit-filled employee or boss. One related area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

When we talk about the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are referring to the overflow of His power and presence in our lives. One cannot expect to walk in the overflow of the Spirit unless they are filled or influenced by Him. 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate mighty movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

Such ability to not only model but be the presence of God in the work place derives from the spiritual authority delegated by God to the Christian.  The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian that results in them having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. The filling of the Holy Spirit links together the Spirit's indwelling ministry on the inside to the anointing He does in taking what is on the inside and blessing others on the outside. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). Thus for example in the Old Testament, we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has so-called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. When we regularly are filled with the Spirit, as commanded in Ephesians 5:18, we will be equipped to delight in doing for God and for others. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts
Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. The working of the Spirit's anointing is directly connected to the Spirit's filling ministry. We could say on a practical level - one cannot truly operate in the anointing and not be Spirit-filled, since both ministries are intertwined with one another. If we were to assign a theme verse to Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed employees and employers, it would be Romans 14:7-8. Notice what Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

God's greatness shown by the Holy Spirit empowers evangelism

Acts 1:8 "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Introduction:

Yesterday we began considering how God's greatness is the drawing power of the great commission. In all reality, God's greatness is the mission of the church. We labored yesterday to understand how God's greatness is revealed in the Son, Jesus Christ, and how He stated repeatedly in John's Gospel that if He be lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. Matthew Henry in his great commentary explains the importance of Jesus' words - "The great design of our Lord Jesus, which was to draw all men to him, not the Jews only, who had been long in profession as people near to God, but the Gentiles also, who had been afar off. For He was to be the desire of all nations (Haggai 2:7), and to Him must the gathering of the people be.  Henry later adds - "Observe how Christ is all in all in the conversion of the soul. First, It is Christ that draws: 'I will draw'. It is sometimes ascribed to the Father (John 6:44), but here to the Son, who is the arm of the Lord. He does not drive by force, but draws with cords of a man (Hosea 11:4; Jeremiah 31:3), draws as the loadstone (a magnetic stone). The soul is made willing, but it is in a day of power. Secondly, it is to Christ that we are drawn." Then Henry finally adds - "Christ was now going to heaven, and he would draw men's hearts to him thither." Hence it is God's greatness in Jesus Christ that is the power of the Gospel. (Romans 1:16) Today we conclude this short series of posts by noting how this same power of Deity is expressed through the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

The Greatness of God draws sinners to saving faith by the Holy Spirit

In the opening verse of today's post, it is made clear by Jesus that the church would not be able to achieve the great commission without the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is equal in authority, glory and power to the Father and the Son. (John 14:23; Acts 5:4-5; 1 Corinthians 3:16) When we speak of the greatness of God, we speak equally of how the One Divine essence that defines the Oneness of God is expressed equally and totally by each Person of the Godhead, with our focus here on the Holy Spirit.

Scripture asserts that the Spirit works in evangelism to point the way to the Greatness of God, since He as the Third Person of the Trinity shares in that same, undivided Divine essence with the Father and the Son. Without a doubt, the greatness of God through the Person of the Holy Spirit is credited in the scriptures for the success of the early church's evangelistic efforts. Acts 2:4-6 states - "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language." It quickly must be noted that the "tongues" spoken on the day of Pentecost was not some type of escatic speech or prayer language as advocated by groups today, but rather literal languages previously unlearned by the speakers. The Spirit gave them the ability to preach the Gospel to over a dozen nationalities. What was the message and thrust? Acts 2:11b explains - "we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” The Holy Spirit is the Person in the Godhead who chooses to shine the spotlight on the other Two Persons - the Father and the Son. His role is to get the sinner to go from being manward and inward to being transformed into someone by faith who focuses outward and Godward. 

The greatness of God was the draw proclaimed by the early church, all thanks of course to the power and Person of the Holy Spirit. Acts 16:14 indicates that the Lord (in this instance, the Person of the Holy Spirit) had opened up the heart of a woman to receive the goodnews of Jesus Christ, believe and be saved. Paul prays in Ephesians 1:16-18 - "do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." The Holy Spirit's work of continuing to make known the greatness of God to believers enables them to be motivated to make such Greatness known to others. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 about the Spirit's work in the scriptures - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words."

Henceforth we cannot expect to proclaim the Gospel from the scriptures nor share how great God is in a convincing way apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit labors to make known the greatness of God revealed in Jesus Christ as His chief mission, we must therefore see it to be our chief aim. This is why God's greatness is the drawing power of the Great commission, because the Person of the Spirit labors through us and in the hearts of sinners to respond, believe and be saved. 

Tied together in the Spirit

Philippians 1:27 Only conduct yourselves in a mannerworthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Philippians 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Introduction to the idea of "tied together in the Spirit"

There is an interesting phenomenon that I have experienced over the course of my Christian life and ministry - a unique work wrought by the Spirit of God whereby He ties two or more people together in unity - a phenomena that I call "tied together in the Spirit". It amazes me how I will on rare occassions run across a man of God, regardless of station or social standing in life, I have never met, that within minutes we become "tied together" in a life long ministry friendship. 

The Lord over the years has given me such Godly men, such "ties", whereby that man and me are as David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:17 "Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life." As you scan the scriptures, you witness other such "tyings": Jesus and the Apostle John, Paul and Silas, Paul and Timothy, Peter and Mark. 

When the Spirit of God brings together God's people in this fashion, it is a ministry partnership that is never broken by time nor distance. Sometimes the "tying together" expresses itself as a brotherhood, a spiritual father and spiritual son in the faith (Like Paul and Timothy). You and I cannot manufacture nor predict when nor how the Spirit of God will do it. In my life, He has placed me in contact with men whose personality differed greatly from my own, and yet we meshed like gears in a clock. 

Personal examples of how the Spirit of God has "tied me" to other believers over the years

At times when I have needed spiritual parenting in my life, God has placed an older couple in my life. One such couple, whose names will remain anonymous, function in such a capacity. I can call upon them to pray for me, and they do. Its as if we have never apart when I call. At other times God has placed men of God who have been like a big brother to me. A dear pastor friend, whose word and bond and advice has helped me see my blind spots, is the closest thing I have to a big brother (apart from Jesus in the flesh, my "Elder Brother").

There is one man of God who functions for me like a mentor of sorts. His personality is different from mine, and yet we have a bond that can only be explained as a "tying together in the Spirit". 

There is another man of God, a younger man, whom I look at as a younger brother in the faith. He and I can talk about the things of God, give a big bear hug and intuitively know whenever God is prompting one another to pray for the other man. 

I could go on and on. This work of the Spirit of God is a work that only He can do. I cannot predict when or how He will do it. All I know is that this is His working, not my own, and I thank Him for it. 

When a church is "tied together in the Spirit"

Now imagine such a work operating at a church wide level. Whenever Paul writes what he does in Philippians 1:27 and 2:2 above, I believe he is speaking of an entire church-body being "tied-together" in the Spirit. I have only ever witnessed this reality on a handful of occassions. 

To see an entire church operating as "one-person" is something which no man, no organization, no society can replicate. When a church is tied together in the fashion described by Paul, the bond is virtually indestrucible. The ministry level of that church will exceed size and geographical limitations. If that church body is committed to loving one another as Jesus prescribed in John 13:34-35 and if they are all about the Gospel, not grieving the Spirit and intercession for one another, the said phenomena of "tied together in the Spirit" will occur. The boyhood church at which I was saved was one such church. What unity. What fervency for God and genuine concern for one another. I could tell of a handfull of other churches I have seen over the years, but I must hasten. 

Such a reality in the Christian world is desired, and even commanded (as we see here in Philippians). But it comes at a very high cost, one of which many of us is unwilling to pay? The cost? Self. Lest we die to our agendas, ourselves - we will never witness what it means to be "tied together in the Spirit" across churches, denominations or as a people of God. When the wonderous life of the Risen Christ, His Word, His Spirit exceeds whatever life we perceive we need to make for ourselves, only then can the Spirit of God have free course to mend fences, heal hearts and purge us of fear.  May we strive and pray for God to "knit us together", "tie us together".

The Christian operating by the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the everyday world

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we got into the three callings God gives to the believer in Jesus Christ: the calling of salvation, sanctification (i.e holiness) and vocation (i.e work). We ended yesterday talking about the last calling, and the desire today is to dive a little bit further into the subject of vocation. Certainly what Paul has to write here in Colossians 3:22-4:1 deals with the matter of the work place. As I wrote a couple of days ago, the appropriate way to apply the statements made about "slaves and masters" is to view them in the modern day categories of "employee" and "employer". One of the reasons Paul is writing these words is to help readers to apply the central truth of Christ's all-sufficiency and Lordship to matters pertaining to family, to child-rearing and then of course the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". One area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate might movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

Such ability to not only model but be the presence of God in the work place derives from the spiritual authority delegated by God to the Christian.  The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian that results in them having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). Thus for example in the Old Testament, we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has so-called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. As Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."