It is the same kind of thing. Popery has turned governmental forgiveness into absolute forgiveness. Absolute forgiveness is so little known, even among Evangelicals.
Ques. Could such a case as in James 5 occur now?
Yes, it might happen; only you cannot call them elders of the church in any official sense now.
Ques. Would you use oil?
If they asked for it, not else. Oil was a sign, that is all. It is the prayer of faith that saves, not the oil; the faith of the elders.
Elias teaches us another thing; that was a public act, in faith, and there is not a word about praying in the narrative. John 15 is connection with Christ on earth. Judas was a branch. It is not members of the body of Christ.
You cannot say that Ananias and Sapphira were not converted, for God came in.
Ques. What might he be "sick" for?
I do not know. Paul got his chastening to hinder him from sinning. It may be to correct carelessness, or a thousand things. Once, flesh was the only I, and now I do not own it as "I." Then what is "I"? Christ is I.
" Keepeth himself" is, you must be living in the power of the new life objectively. You must have Christ for object.
In the Garden of Eden, there was nothing for Satan to act upon but the fact of man's obedience.
Man got turned out of Paradise into a world of sin; but Christ came out of Paradise into a world of sin.
The relationships in which God Himself has set people, He maintains; though sin has come in and spoiled it all; and natural affections have suffered, though they are all right. Still, it is only nature; and if I am with God He owns this, and He has brought in a power which lifts you above them; so that you cannot act rightly in them only when you are out of them.
With Christ before me, if anything would come in between me and Christ, the more horror I have of it.
Law is the measure of the responsibility of the first man.
" We know," is the expression of common Christian knowledge; we Christians know that as a part of Christianity.
Water, blood, and Spirit, in verse 6, are historical, and the water was shown in His life; but " came by water " refers to His death.