Lesson for November 4, 2026 — The Book of James

The Book of James – Chapter 5:7-20

Verse 7-8

The previous verses referred to the rich who ruined another believer’s life by failing to pay their workers their wages. Therefore, be patient means to endure until the Rapture of the Church, when all will be set right by the Lord. In biblical days, the concept of a farmer was understood, since they lived in an agricultural society. The farmer waits with expectation for the valuable production of his land. This illustrates a spiritually mature believer using their time on earth for the Lord while waiting for the Rapture of the Church. So, the precious produce is an illustration of divine production.

Every day is a day in which we can invest our time for the Lord. So, while we have some time left on earth, we are to invest in eternal rewards by means of divine production. Strengthen your hearts means to stabilize your mind through the consistent study and application of accurate Bible doctrine. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Verse 9

The Greek word for complain is “stenazo,” which means to criticize, to malign, or to slander. The word judged means to be disciplined for the sins of the tongue. James was exhorting and warning his readers to avoid divine discipline from God by not acting like a reversionistic believer. The Judge is Jesus Christ and He may return at any time. If you are being critical of others, you will have to face the Judge.

Verse 10-11

James now gave an illustration of believers in the Old Testament who were spiritually mature, not reversionistic. God’s prophets often faced great adversity. So, they applied doctrine in the adversity, and when they applied doctrine in adversity they are able to share the happiness of God.

You have heard of the endurance of Job. As Jews, James’ readers would have related to this illustration – the story of Job. In the past, they had obviously studied the book of Job (you have heard). When Job was tested, He applied doctrine. And, as long as he did, he was able to handle the testing. But Job’s three friends began to work on him in a negative way, and he stopped applying doctrine and began listening to them. God finally told his three friends, who were in reversionism, they had better listen to Job and get him to pray for them. Job did pray for them and they were restored. Then God poured out blessings on Job that were fantastic because he endured the testing by applying doctrine. Job was a doer of the Word and not a hearer only!

Verse 12

Swear means to make a promise with an oath to cover a lie. In order to make the lie appear as the truth, a person makes some kind of a solemn oath with it like “As God is my witness, so and so is true.” That is using God in an attempt to confirm a lie. God is absolute truth and therefore if someone wants to make a lie sound more impressive, they mention the fact that God is the witness that they are telling the truth. Reversionism is a life of shame, of pretense, and of fabrication. Let your yes be yes; your no, no is an idiom. People try to change the meaning of someone’s words or actions by invoking a trustworthy name. So “let your yes be yes and your no, no” demands honesty. Not falling under judgment refers to divine discipline.

Verse 13

Suffering is the Greek word “kakopaqeo,” which means to suffer affliction or adversity. We have just seen a reversionistic believer expressing the verbal sins of criticism, slander, maligning, or gossiping, and suffer divine discipline for it. Now we see how a spiritually maturing person handles this kind of suffering. Prayer is going to be used by James as an expression of blessing and happiness and seen as great power for believers.

Once a believer reaches spiritual maturity, they have learned how to pray for their own needs. The life of a spiritually mature believer is a life of being spiritually self-sustaining by applying accurate Bible doctrine. When prayer is expressed according to God’s will, it can stabilize a believer in times of suffering, so they can recall the appropriate Problem-Solving Device. During pressure, disaster, or catastrophe, prayer can be effective and powerful.

Cheerful is the Greek word “euqumeo,” which refers to a spiritually mature believer who is happy, regardless of the circumstances. Singing doctrinally correct songs is an expression of happiness in your soul. God wants every believer to have a happiness that is beyond human description, and the only way for that to occur is the application of God’s Word.

Verse 14-15

James was referring to a believer who was sick due to reversionism and was about to commit the sin unto death, according to James 5:20. The Greek word for sick is “astheneo,” and means to be made weak or feeble. So, the sickness was physical weakness that resulted from spiritual weakness (not thinking divine viewpoint). The Word of God does not teach that all physical illness is necessarily the direct consequence of personal sin, but divine discipline may include physical illness.

The Greek word for anointing is “aleipho,” which means to use medication. It is used in Luke 10:34 and in Mark 6:13. This is a specific reference to the function of medicine, not to the function of a pastor. A pastor offers prayer not anointing with oil. The other Greek word for anointing is “chrio,” which is a ceremonial anointing with oil, as of Christ, the Anointed of God, in Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27, 10:38; and Hebrews 1:9.

Then he must call for the elders of the church. The Greek word for call is “proskaleo,” which means to call in someone who has spiritual authority like the pastor-teacher. Authority is the principle involved at this particular point and is the issue in dying the sin unto death. Why does God eventually take a believer and place him under the sin unto death? Because they have rejected God and His Word continually and God removes them from the earth, according to His own purpose.

The call for the pastor is the first sign of positive volition. When the pastor (elder) comes there is something he can do for this man. This person cannot be taught the whole realm of doctrine in a couple of minutes, so the pastor comes and prays for this person. The content of this prayer is specifically for the restoration of a dying reversionist to fellowship with God.

This person was very ill and dying. First, he called in a doctor. The doctor came in and used medication. However, the medical function did not succeed in this case because this person was under divine discipline. He was in reversionism, having ignored Bible doctrine. Once he realized he was dying, he asked for help from pastors. Instead of medication, the pastor offered prayer. Reversionism is beyond the help of medicine but never beyond the help of prayer. As long as a believer is still alive there is hope. However, this passage does not reject medicine.

In the name of the Lord indicates the basis on which the pastors approached the dying subject. They approached spiritually, offering prayer. And the prayer offered of faith will restore the one who is sick. The Greek word for faith is “pistis,” meaning what is believed. “Pistis” with a definite article doesn’t refer to believing, it refers to what is believed; it refers to Bible doctrine. It refers to the pastors who had Bible doctrine in their souls and were using that doctrine to offer a doctrinal prayer.

Restore is the Greek word “sozo,” meaning to deliver. That is the basic meaning of the word; it only means salvation in a spiritual sense when referring to salvation by means of faith in Jesus Christ. The prayer of the doctrinal pastors produces the action, not the faith of the sick person, not the therapy from medicine. Therefore, the sick person under divine discipline for reversionism is delivered, in answer to the pastor’s prayer. It is not the pastor who delivers, but God respects the authority which He has given to the pastor.

The Lord shall raise him [the reversionist] up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him means to be brought back from a desperate situation and the Lord restored them to health. They had continued to sin to the point of “the sin unto death.” Part of the recovery is when the reversionist uses Rebound. If a reversionist recovers, they can know that their sins are forgiven and that they are able to resume their spiritual lives.

Verse 16

The healing in this verse does not refer to physical healing, but restoration among believers who have offended one another in some way. This is not to be done in a congregational setting. Restoration is always a private matter between the two believers involved. In context, this refers to a reversionistic believer who has most likely done a lot offending along his journey into reversionism. The goal is harmony in the body of Christ. The righteous person is one who is living their spiritual life and maturing in their faith.

The Bible gives us direct rules on Who is the recipient of prayer. Prayer is not addressed to “Dear Jesus” or “Oh Holy Ghost.” Neither the Second Person of the Trinity nor the third Person of the Trinity are to be the recipient of prayer. Prayer is always addressed to God the Father (Ephesians 3:14); in the name of Jesus, because He is our High priest, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, because He is the power in prayer. (Ephesians 6:18) Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit offer prayer to the Father. (Hebrews 7; Romans 8:26-27) Prayer should include, confessing our sins (I John 1:9), thanksgiving for God’s blessings (Ephesians 5:20), intercession for others (Ephesians 6:18), and petition for your own needs (Hebrews 4:16).

Verses 17-18

Elijah was a strong, courageous believer. He was the man who made it possible for Israel to be delivered from the fifth cycle of discipline (destruction). Elijah’s prayer was intended to get the attention of the nation, who were suffering from a drought for their rebellion against God.

Elijah was a prophet who knew how to offer the proper prayer. Elijah was a spiritual hero, a patriot, he loved his country, he loved God, and he interceded for Israel, as the nation faced severe divine discipline (a drought). The nation was on the verge of the fifth cycle of discipline, so he prayed for his nation for three and a half years that God would not destroy it. At the end of that time, he prayed again and it rained, as a sign that God had spared the nation of Israel from certain destruction because of Elijah’s prayers.

Verse 19-20

Turning a sinner from the error of his way refers to a spiritually mature believer who “turns around” a reversionistic believer, called here “a sinner.” They can be restored if a spiritually mature believer shares doctrinal truth with them and the reversionist accepts the truth and acts on it by using the Rebound Technique.

The word for strays refers to one who deviates from the plan of God, after salvation. Therefore, it refers to a reversionist. Remember, reversionism is the condition of a believer who is negative toward Bible doctrine and has stopped growing spiritually. It is failure to follow God’s plan of living the Christian Way of Life. A reversionist is a believer in perpetual carnality, out of fellowship with God, and controlled by their sin nature. If you are not advancing toward spiritual maturity as a Christian, you are retreating into reversionism.