THE subject of healing is a very general one in Scripture, and it appears to be connected with God’s testimony on the one hand, and with the display of His mercy on the other, while the body as well as the soul shares in the blessing of this mercy as shown by God.
The subject as now before us may perhaps be sufficiently considered, in order that we may notice certain important principles helpful towards the healing of any spiritual disorder, or disease, existing and working among the Lord’s people today.
The fifth chapter of James presents fairly the case of bodily healing, united, as it may be, with recovery of the soul from a bad state caused by committed sins.
We first have the general but careful inquiry, “Is any sick among you?” (ver. 14). And this is of Him who exercises His purchase right in looking after the state of the body, as Saviour of it, as well as the soul, ready to answer to any condition where the granting of His mercy might be to His glory.
Sickness and affliction in general bring us to face the realities of life and of death. But more than this, they are often meant to produce in the soul the sense of the reality of having to do with God. And it is a solemn, yet wonderful thing to thus be brought to have to do with God directly―it may be in the matter of the soul or of the body, or both.
But here an appeal is made to God concerning the body in the sense of utter helplessness, only to hope in His mercy. Still direct dealing with the soul may be an accompaniment, as often we observe the blessing, or otherwise, of the one to be intimately associated with the other.
The sick person was to call for the elders of the Church in keeping with God’s order, when such order could be observed according to His appointment. Faith unquestionably was in exercise in such a call, and as we might reasonably expect the beginning, at least, of an exercise as to one’s state of soul before God.
The elders then were to pray over, or intercede with God in behalf of the sick, anointing with oil in the Lord’s name―happy emblem of healing and blessing from God, and speaking, as it may, of the fresh and living energy of the Spirit.
The Lord directly undertakes in behalf of the sick one and raises him up, but whether such action is immediate, or otherwise, we are not told. God Himself had come in, and was about to work in mercy, and this would leave the soul in peace to abide His time as waiting upon Him.
Deep and thorough exercise of soul doubtless had a large place here, and God would be free to reveal to one what might have grieved Him, as the soul continued in exercise to wait upon Him. And this would bring the soul, in its communion, still nearer to God, and in turn would give it the happy liberty of confessing to others in all the confidence of brotherly love. And thus such confession would prove helpful in exciting further and more urgent prayer. And this in turn would not fail to move God than showing mercy, perhaps more speedily than otherwise He would be free to do.
The prayer of faith would bring God in as One ready to strengthen and bless, and this, united with confession, would tend to remove from before Him what might hinder such blessing. For it may be needful in order for such blessing that one be not only right with God, but also right with fellow-brethren — if, indeed, love has lost its proper place and exercise with such (see Job 42:1010And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)).
We may now briefly consider these principles in their relation to spiritual and more general healing and restoration.
There is in all God’s ways in creation and with men the undeniable law of cause and effect.
We may say that sin, either directly or indirectly, is the cause of all ruin, and of that which is ruinous both to men and to God’s testimony on earth. The causes of all the disorders and irregularities in the house of God are multifold. But sin in some form or other has made them possible.
Yet it is useless and unprofitable to seek to charge the responsibility of the existing sorrow and confusion, as the effects of sin, upon any except ourselves. We are guilty, and self-judgment becomes those in a general ruin.
Responsibility rests upon us all, but also the manifest hand of God in judgment, as having failed in that responsibility and sinned. If the sense of such failure were felt deeply and individually enough that it became a real conviction, it would doubtless work repentance and end in mutual and more general confession and blessing.
But with this conviction, any true-hearted children of God, alike in ruin and owning it, might feel led to come together to offer up to God “the prayer of faith” which He would hear. The ground for this would be one of common sin and shame, to take a common ground before God in repentance and confession. The step could hardly be considered a premature one nor lacking in consistency with holiness. If all were guilty, or could take that place, then all could righteously take such a ground as being only the fulfillment of righteousness.
Conviction comes by the soul’s being in God’s presence, repentance from the sense and knowledge of His goodness, while confession finds its liberty only in the sense and enjoyment of God’s love and of confidence in Him.
Therefore confession to one another of sins and wrongs committed may never be looked for apart from love and confidence being restored among the children of God. And how shall this confidence be restored among any except there be profound humiliation wrought within by a sense and conviction of guilt, and then, in our common shame and need, refuse not to seek together the throne of grace.
Holiness unto the Lord may be freely granted as the desire of every sincere, loyal-hearted believer today. And if the brethren of Christ love one another in a way worthy of Him, true holiness will characterize their ways and works, without any undue pressure from one upon another.
Love is pre-eminently holy as being of God, and it ever seeks, in the spirit of lowliness, the good of others, apart from evil as not thinking of it. And it is the lovely and becoming activity of this love that makes way for confession among brethren.
Now true conviction of evil would lead to brokenness and humiliation. And with this there might be a desire most becoming, and an effort to come together with the sincere or pure hearted to own our state before God, and to seek His face with the “prayer of faith” for one another, as for all saints.
And in such a coming together we have yet to discover what might be regarded as scripturally defiling, or inconsistent with true holiness.
Conviction as to a general state is one thing, and conviction as to causes past or present, in any or all of us, of the ruin and sorrow, is quite another.
Shall we not best leave this latter conviction with God to bring home to us all and arouse in us all, as He may lead us on?
But to require a determination of causes and a renouncing judgment upon the same from our fellow-Christians, as a first essential, before we can come together in the deep sense of our failure and need, over-reaches true righteousness, fails of the grace of God, and ties up the situation as forever impossible to be remedied or healed.
But God has His way of dealing with His erring people, and grace brings us into His presence humbled and in quest of blessing, allowing Him, and counting upon Him to still work in souls by His grace, deepening by further conviction and confession, if need be, the work He has already begun.
G. B. E.