Elders Anoint and Heal the Sick

James 5:12; 12. Swear not] See Commentary I, pp. 225-227; Hebrews 6:10-20; Hebrews 7:18-22.

James 5:14; 14. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray] We must do all we can ourselves to merit the receipt of the Lord's blessings. Before we seek the united faith of others, before we call in the elders to administer to us, before all else—we ourselves importune at the throne of grace, pleading in faith and thanksgiving for health and well-being, pleading for an outpouring of the healing power of the Lord upon us as individuals, pleading for strength and wisdom and guidance according to our needs and circumstances.

James 5:14; Is any merry?] "If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving." (D&C 136:28.)

James 5:14-16; 14-16. "These words of James aptly summarize the practice of the Church in all ages where administrations are concerned. (D&C 42:43-44; D&C 66:9; Mark 5:23; Mark 6:5; Mark 16:18; Luke 4:40-41; Luke 13:11-13; Acts 28:8.) Administrations are of two parts: anointings and sealings; both performances are accompanied by the laying on of hands.

James 5:14-16; "It is the policy of the Church that administering to the sick should be done at the request of the sick person or someone vitally concerned, so that it will be done in answer to faith. Those called to perform the ordinance should encourage the sick person to rely on the Lord's promise, 'Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.' (Moroni 7:26.) If need be the sick person should be encouraged to keep the commandments so that he can have faith and be entitled to the blessings of the Lord.

James 5:14-16; "In the performance of the administration, one of the elders should anoint the sick person with oil on or near the crown of the head, for the restoration of his health. Ordinarily he should not seal the anointing. Pure olive oil which has been consecrated for the anointing and healing of the sick in the household of faith should be used. Taking consecrated oil internally, or using it for anointing or rubbing afflicted parts of the body, is not part of the ordinance of administering to the sick.

James 5:14-16; "After the anointing two or more elders should lay their hands on the head of the sick person, and with one of them acting as voice, seal the anointing. The one speaking should offer such prayers, pronounce such blessings, give such promises, say such things, and rebuke the affliction—all as the Spirit of the Lord may dictate.

James 5:14-16; "Ordinarily one administration is sufficient for one illness, although in serious cases, or where other circumstances seem to dictate the propriety of such, a sick person may be administered to several times during one illness. It is also the common practice, if a sick person has recently been anointed, for those performing a second administration merely to give the sick person a blessing in the authority of the priesthood. In an emergency, where only one elder is present or available, he may either give the sick person a blessing or he can both anoint and seal in a formal administration.

James 5:14-16; "Ordinances of administration with actual healings resulting therefrom are one of the evidences of the divinity of the Lord's work. Where these are, there is God's kingdom; where these are not, there God's kingdom is not. Sincere investigators must necessarily beware of the devil's substitutes of the true ordinances." (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 22-23.)

James 5:15; 15. If he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him] This is part—indeed, the most glorious part of the ordinance of administering to the sick. The following explanation sets forth how this principle operates: "It is an axiomatic gospel verity that the Spirit of the Lord will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Mosiah 2:37; Alma 7:21; Alma 34:36; Helaman 4:24.) The Spirit will not come to a man unless and until he is prepared by personal righteousness to have the companionship of that member of the Godhead. Thus to be worthy of baptism men must 'witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins' (D&C 20:37), and precisely the same thing is involved in their preparation to partake of the sacrament. In other words, as a result of worthy baptism men stand clean before him if they fulfil the full law involved in partaking of the sacrament, for in each instance they are rewarded with the companionship of the Spirit, which companionship they cannot have unless they are cleansed and purified from sin.

James 5:15; "There are also other sacred occasions on which men are privileged to ascend to those spiritual heights where they gain the justifying approval of the Spirit for their conduct and as a consequence are forgiven of their sins. James named the ordinance of administration to the sick as one of these. . . . That is, the person who by faith, devotion, righteousness, and personal worthiness, is in a position to be healed, is also in a position to have the justifying approval of the Spirit for his course of life, and his sins are forgiven him, as witnessed by the fact that he receives the companionship of the Spirit, which he could not have if he were unworthy.

James 5:15; "In principle, what is here stated with reference to the sacrament and the ordinance of administration to the sick, applies to any other course of spiritual preparation which persons undergo, if that course of life is such as to get them in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord. One of the beauties of this doctrine is that in and through it repeated opportunities are given to sinners—and all men are sinners to a greater or lesser degree, whether they are in the Church or out of into repent and get their lives in such accord with the divine will that they may become heirs of salvation.

James 5:15; "In the final analysis, men are not saved unless they have struggled and labored through repentance and the attainment of forgiveness to the point that they stand clean and spotless before the judgment bar, for 'no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven.' (Alma 11:27.)" (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 297-295.)

James 5:16; 16. Confess your faults one to another] Not a promiscuous recitation of one's sins and shortcomings; men should, in wisdom, keep their own faults to themselves; but an organized system of confession as part of the law of forgiveness.

James 5:16; "To gain forgiveness all sins must be confessed to the Lord. The sinner must open his heart to the Almighty and with godly sorrow admit the error of his ways and plead for grace. 'I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness, who have not sinned unto death.' (D&C 64:7.)

James 5:16; "Further, those sins which involve moral turpitude—meaning serious sins for which the court procedures of the Church could be instituted so that a person's fellowship or membership might be called in question—such sins must be confessed to the proper church officer. 'To whom should confession be made?' President Stephen L Richards asked. "To the Lord, of course, whose law has been violated. To the aggrieved person or persons, as an essential in making due retribution if that is necessary. And then certainly to the Lord's representative, his appointed judge in Israel, under whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction the offender lives and holds membership in the kingdom.

James 5:16; "'Is the offender justified in bypassing his immediate church authority and judge, and going to those who do not know him so well to make his confession? Almost universally, I think the answer should be No, for the local tribunals are in position to know the individual, his history and environs far better than those who have not had close contact with him, and in consequence the local authorities have a background which will enable them to pass judgment with more justice, and also mercy, than might be reasonably expected from any other source. It follows that it is the order of the Church for confession to be made to the bishop, which entails heavy and exacting responsibilities on the part of the bishop, the first of which is that every confession should be received and held in the utmost confidence. A bishop who violates such a sacred confidence is himself guilty of an offense before God and the Church. Where it becomes necessary to take counselors into his confidence, as it frequently does, and where it is necessary to organize tribunals, the bishop should inform the confessor, and if possible obtain his permission so to do.

James 5:16; "'Why is confession essential? First, because the Lord has commanded it, and secondly, because the offender cannot live and participate in the kingdom of God, to receive the blessings therefrom, with a lie in his heart.

James 5:16; "'Now the confessed offender is not left without hope, for he can obtain forgiveness by following the course outlined, and by forsaking sins comparable to that committed, as well as all other sin, and living before the Church and the Lord in such manner as to win approbation of both. The offender who has brought stigma and affront to the ward, the stake or the mission should seek the forgiveness of those he has thus offended. That may be had at times through the presiding authorities of the various divisions of the Church. At other times it may be appropriate and quite necessary to make amends for public offenses and seek forgiveness before organizations of the people. The judges of Israel will determine this matter.' (Conf. Rep., Apr., 1954, pp. 10-13.)

James 5:16; "It should be clear that bishops and other church officers, when confessions are made to them, do not forgive sins except in the sense that they forgive them as far as the Church is concerned; they remit any penalty which the Church on earth might impose; they adjudge that repentant persons are worthy of full fellowship in the earthly kingdom.

James 5:16; "Normally a period of probation is involved before the earthly agent determines to refrain from instituting the procedures whereunder church penalties are imposed. 'This probation serves a double purpose,' President Richards says. 'First, and perhaps most important, it enables the offender to determine for himself whether he has been able to so master himself as to trust himself in the face of ever-recurring temptation; and secondly, to enable the judges to make a more reliable appraisement of the genuineness of repentance and worthiness for restored confidence.' (Conf. Rep., Apr., 1954, p. 12.)

"Actual and ultimate forgiveness comes only from the Lord in heaven. He of course on occasions forgave sins during his ministry (Matthew 9:2-8), and he has by revelation in modern times announced that certain persons were free from sin. (D&C 29:3; D&C 31:5; D&C 36:1; D&C 50:36; D&C 60:7.) The Prophet Enos received a personal revelation telling him his sins were forgiven. (Enos 4-8.) Similar revelations might come at any time to the Lord's earthly agents, in which instances they could and would remit the sins of the repentant persons. But in the true sense it would be the Lord forgiving the sins, though he acted through the agency of his servants the prophets. (D&C 132:46-47; John 20:23.)

James 5:16; "Unless practiced and regulated in strict harmony with the divine will, the gospel requirement of confession can easily degenerate into a system which has the practical effect of inviting and enticing men to commit sin. By leaving the impression in men's minds that mere vocal recitation of past sins to the appointed church officer—without the attendant contrition of heart and the future righteousness of life—will suffice to cleanse the sinner, it is obvious that many persons will not be restrained from the commission of sin. Further, this true doctrine and law of confession stands in sharp contrast to the customs and practices found in the world in which churches say to their adherents, as Moroni expressed it: 'Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.' (Mormon 8:32.)" (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 292-294.)

James 5:16; Pray for one another, that ye may be healed] The saints pray in faith for their own health and well-being (verses 12-13); they call in the elders of the Church for the prayers and blessings incident to the formal ordinance of administration (verses 14-15); and they also, now and always, pray for one another. It is not just a matter of a formal recitation of prayer-type words, or the mere ritual of administering to the sick; blessings come by faith; and continuing, fervent, pleading prayers increase one's faith and open the door to healings and miracles of all kinds.

James 5:17; 17. Elias . . . prayed] The Old Testament account does not say that Elijah prayed, but such is implicit in the miraculous events that attended his word. (I Kings 17 and I Kings 18.) The fact is that faith and prayer and mighty pleading with the Lord are the usual and normal accompaniment of miracles.

James 5:19-20; 19-20. By reclaiming an erring brother, we save both him and ourselves. Our sins are hidden (remitted) because we ministered for the salvation and blessing of another member of the kingdom. In principle this special reward for Christ's ministers applies also to those who preach the gospel and bring souls into the kingdom. The minister is rewarded with salvation and, of necessity, in the process, is freed from his own sins. (D&C 4:1-4.)