Verse of the Day (May 6, 2020)

Verse of the Day (May 6, 2020) #BMSeminary – James exhorts us to praise the Lord for every blessing and petition him in every sorrow. In serious illness, we confess our sins and call the elders. He promises that, “the prayer of faith will save” the sick “and the Lord will raise him up” (probably an intentional double meaning, using resurrection language in reference to healing). That may happen in this life or in the next (v. 15). Elders are “righteous” men with powerful prayers. James teaches us to doubt our righteousness, but the Lord grants and imputes righteousness by faith. So James cites Elijah, a prophet who prayed effectively even though he had “a nature like ours,” stumbling as we do (vv. 17–18). James concludes pastorally, with a call to restore “anyone” who “wanders from the truth” (v. 19). From a human perspective, we “save” such a person’s “soul from death,” but from God’s perspective we participate in the work of Christ, who covers sin and defeats it (v. 20). (Gospel Transformation Study Bible)