Answered Prayer (16-18): James invites the rest of the church to take part in mutual confession and prayer for healing. The church is to have spiritual men and women who live righteously (that is, in the “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” [Rom. 14:17]), who can minister with effective prayer for those who have sinned and are under the discipline of the Lord. James then deals more generally with prayer. God positively hears the prayers of those who abide in Christ,[1] who seek His will and not their own pleasures (4:3). Answered prayer is for all believers who walk with the Lord. May the Lord shape us into a church where our prayers are effective and accomplish much!

Restoration (17-20): A healthy church also knows how to restore a sinner back to the Lord. Even as a healthy physical body can fight off infections and viruses, so a healthy church effectively deals with sin within the camp. The Lord’s command for the church was to confront a sinning brother (Matt. 18:15) and to restore such a one “in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1). Mature members do not gossip about sins of others[2] but bring back lost sheep to faithfulness to Christ (Matt. 18:12-14; 1 Pet. 2:25; Jude 1:22-23). Sin destroys lives and separates sinners from God. In the church of God, we are all to live a lifestyle consistent with God’s truth.[3] If any in our ranks wanders into a life of sin,[4] we pursue them with the heart of Christ[5] and turn them back to Him.

[1] This was the promise the Lord gave us: John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15.

[2] Cf. 1:26; 3:8-9; Prov. 20:19; Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 12:20; 2 Tim. 3:2-3. Cf. also Matt. 7:12; Eph. 4:29.

[3] The truth of God is meant to be practiced: 1:22; John 3:21; Phil. 4:8-9; Col. 3:9-10; 1 John 1:6; 3:22.

[4] At times, some in the church fall into a life of sin and are called to repentance: Rev. 2:5, 16, 21; 3:3, 19; Heb. 3:12-14. God’s desire for these is that they be restored to fellowship with God through repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

[5] Cf. Luke 5:32; 19:10. Consider also the three parables about restoring the lost (Luke 15:6-7, 9-10, 32).