Estudo de Tiago 5:15 – Comentado e Explicado

A oração da fé salvará o enfermo e o Senhor o restabelecerá. Se ele cometeu pecados, ser-lhe-ão perdoados.
Tiago 5:15

Comentário de Albert Barnes

And the prayer of faith – The prayer offered in faith, or in the exercise of confidence in God. It is not said that the particular form of the faith exercised shall be that the sick man will certainly recover; but there is to be unwavering confidence in God, a belief that he will do what is best, and a cheerful committing of the cause into his hands. We express our earnest wish, and leave the case with him. The prayer of faith is to accompany the use of means, for all means would be ineffectual without the blessing of God.

Shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up – This must be understood, as such promises are everywhere, with this restriction, that they will be restored to health if it shall be the will of God; if he shall deem it for the best. It cannot be taken in the absolute and unconditional sense, for then, if these means were used, the sick person would always recover, no matter how often he might be sick, and he need never die. The design is to encourage them to the use of these means with a strong hope that it would be effectual. It may fairly be inferred from this statement:

(1)that there would be cases in large numbers where these means would be attended with this happy result; e,

(2)that there was so much encouragement to do it that it would be proper in any case of sickness so make use of these means.

It may be added, that no one can demonstrate that this promise has not been in numerous instances fulfilled. There are instances, not a few, where recovery from sickness seems to be in direct answer to prayer, and no one can prove that it is not so. Compare the case of Hezekiah, in Isaiah 38:1-5 .

And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him – Perhaps there may be a particular allusion here to sins which may have brought on the sickness as a punishment. In that case the removal of the disease in answer to prayer would be an evidence that the sin was pardoned. Compare Matthew 9:2 . But the promise may be understood in a more general sense as denoting that such sickness would be the means of bringing the sins of the past life to remembrance, especially if the one who was sick had been unfaithful to his Christian vows; and that the sickness in connection with the prayers offered would bring him to true repentance, and would recover him from his wanderings. On backsliding and erring Christians sickness often has this effect; and the subsequent life is so devoted and consistent as to show that the past unfaithfulness of him who has been afflicted is forgiven.

This passage James 5:14-15 is important, not only for the counsel which it gives to the sick, but because it has been employed by the Roman Catholic communion as almost the only portion of the Bible referred to to sustain one of the peculiar rites of their religion – that of “extreme unction” – a “sacrament,” as they suppose, to be administered to those who are dying. It is of importance, therefore, to inquire more particularly into its meaning. There can be but three views taken of the passage:

I. That it refers to a miraculous healing by the apostles, or by other early ministers of religion who were endowed with the power of healing diseases in this manner. This is the interpretation of Doddridge, Macknight, Benson, and others. But to this view the objections seem to me to be insuperable.

(a) Nothing of this kind is said by the apostle, and this is not necessary to be supposed in order to a fair interpretation of the passage.

(b) The reference, as already observed, is clearly not to the apostles, but to the ordinary officers of the church – for such a reference would be naturally understood by the word presbyters; and to suppose that this refers to miracles, would be to suppose that this was a common endowment of the ordinary ministers of religion. But there was no promise of this, and there is no evidence that they possessed it. In regard to the extent of the promise, “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover,” see the notes at Mark 16:17-18 .

(c) If this referred to the power of working miracles, and if the promise was absolute, then death would not have occurred at all among the early disciples. It would have been easy to secure a restoration to health in any instance where a minister of religion was at hand,

II It is supposed by the Roman Catholics to give sanction to the practice of “extreme unction,” and to prove that this was practiced in the primitive church. But the objections to this are still more obvious.

(a) It was not to be performed at death, or in the immediate prospect of death, but in sickness at any time. There is no hint that it was to be only when the patient was past all hope of recovery, or in view of the fact that he was to die. But “extreme unction,” from its very nature, is to be practiced only where the patient is past all hope of recovery.

(b) It was not with a view to his death, but to his living, that it was to be practiced at all. It was not that he might be prepared to die, but that he might be restored to health – “and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” But “extreme unction” can be with no such reference, and no such hope. It is only with the expectation that the patient is about to die; and if there were any expectation that he would be raised up even by this ordinance, it could not be administered as “extreme unction.”

(c) The ordinance practiced as “extreme unction” is a rite wholly unauthorized in the Scriptures, unless it be by this passage. There are instances indeed of persons being embalmed after death. It was a fact also that the Saviour said of Mary, when she poured ointment on his body, that she “did it for his burial,” or with reference to his burial, (Notes, Matthew 26:12 ) but the Saviour did not say that it was with reference to his death or was designed in any way to prepare him to die, nor is there any instance in the Bible in which such a rite is mentioned. The ceremony of extreme unction has its foundation in two things: first, in superstition, in the desire of something that shall operate as a charm, or that shall possess physical efficiency in calming the apprehensions of a troubled conscience, and in preparing the guilty to die; and, second, in the fact that it gives immense power to the priesthood. Nothing is better adapted to impart such power than a prevalent belief that a minister of religion holds in his hands the ability to alleviate the pangs of the dying, and to furnish a sure passport to a world of bliss. There is deep philosophy in that which has led to the belief of this doctrine – for the dying look around for consolation and support, and they grasp at anything which will promise ease to a troubled conscience, and the hope of heaven. The gospel has made arrangements to meet this state of mind in a better way – in the evidence which the guilty may have that by repentance and faith their sins are blotted out through the blood of the cross.

III The remaining supposition, therefore, and, as it seems to me, the true one, is, that the anointing with oil was, in accordance with a common custom, regarded as medicinal, and that a blessing was to be invoked on this as a means of restoration to health. Besides what has been already said, the following suggestions may be made in addition:

(a)This was, as we have seen, a common usage in the East, and is to this day.

(b)This interpretation meets all that is demanded to a fair understanding of what is said by the apostle.

(c)Everything thus directed is rational and proper.

It is proper to call in the ministers of religion in time of sickness, and to ask their counsels and their prayers. It is proper to make use of the ordinary means of restoration to health. It was proper then, as it is now, to do this “in the name of the Lord;” that is, believing that it is in accordance with his benevolent arrangements, and making use of means which he has appointed. And it was proper then, as it is now, having made use of those means, to implore the divine blessing on them, and to feel that their efficacy depends wholly on him. Thus used, there was ground of hope and of faith in regard to the recovery of the sufferer; and no one can show that in thousands of instances in the apostles” day, and since, the prayer of faith, accompanying the proper use of means, may not have raised up those who were on the borders of the grave, and who but for these means would have died.

Comentário de E.W. Bullinger

oração App-134.

fé . App-150.

doente . Grego. Kamno. Ver Hebreus 12: 3 . Não é a mesma palavra que Tiago 5:14 .

levantar . . . para cima . App-178.

e se Grego. kan ( kai, com App-118. b).

pecados . App-128.

Comentário de John Calvin

15 Mas deve-se observar que ele conecta uma promessa à oração, para que não seja feita sem fé. Pois quem duvida, como quem não invoca corretamente a Deus, é indigno de obter alguma coisa, como vimos em Tiago 1: 5 . Quem quer que realmente seja ouvido, deve estar totalmente convencido de que não ora em vão.

Como James traz diante de nós esse presente especial, ao qual o rito externo era apenas um complemento, aprendemos, portanto, que o óleo não poderia ter sido usado corretamente sem fé. Mas, como parece que os papistas não têm certeza sobre sua unção, como é manifesto que eles não têm o dom, é evidente que sua unção é espúria.

E se ele cometeu pecados . Isso não se acrescenta apenas para amplificar, como se ele dissesse, que Deus daria algo mais aos enfermos do que à saúde do corpo; mas porque as doenças eram muitas vezes infligidas por causa dos pecados; e, falando da remissão deles, ele sugere que a causa do mal seria removida. E de fato vemos que Davi, quando afligido por doenças e buscando alívio, estava totalmente empenhado em pedir o perdão de seus pecados. Por que ele fez isso, exceto que, embora reconhecesse o efeito de suas falhas em sua punição, ele considerou que não havia outro remédio, mas que o Senhor deixaria de imputar-lhe seus pecados?

Os profetas estão cheios dessa doutrina, de que os homens são aliviados de seus males quando são libertados da culpa de suas iniqüidades. Vamos então saber que é o único remédio adequado para as nossas doenças e outras calamidades, quando examinamos cuidadosamente a nós mesmos, sendo solícitos em nos reconciliarmos com Deus e obter o perdão de nossos pecados.

Comentário de Adam Clarke

E a oração da fé; salvará os enfermos – isto é, Deus fará com que estes sejam os meios de recuperação do enfermo; mas muitas vezes há casos em que fé e oração são ineficazes, porque Deus vê que será prejudicial que a salvação do paciente seja restaurada; e, portanto, toda fé e oração nessas ocasiões deve ser exercida com base neste argumento: “Se for mais para a tua glória e o bem eterno da alma deste homem, restaure-o; se não, Senhor, perdoe, purifique-o, e leve-o para a tua glória. ”

O Senhor o ressuscitará – Não os anciãos, com que fidelidade e fervor, tanto quanto eles oraram.

E se ele cometeu pecados – Para ter ocasionado sua doença atual, eles serão perdoados; por ser a causa da aflição, é natural concluir que, se o efeito cessar, a causa deve ser removida. Descobrimos que na milagrosa restauração da saúde, sob a mão poderosa de Cristo, geralmente se diz que o pecado da parte é perdoado, e isso também antes do milagre ter sido feito no corpo: portanto, havia uma máxima entre os judeus, e parece estar fundamentado no senso comum e na razão, que Deus nunca restaura milagrosamente a saúde de um homem até que ele tenha perdoado seus pecados; porque seria incongruente Deus exercer seu poder milagroso em salvar um corpo, cuja alma estava em estado de condenação à morte eterna, por causa dos crimes que cometera contra seu Criador e Juiz. Aqui, então, é Deus que remete o pecado, não em referência à unção, mas em referência à cura do corpo, que ele é milagrosamente efetuado.

Comentário de Thomas Coke

Tiago 5:15 . A oração da fé salvará, etc. – Pela oração da fé deve ser entendida aqui, uma oração procedente de uma firme persuasão da mente, de que Deus os ajudaria milagrosamente a curar a pessoa doente. Nem os apóstolos, os anciãos, nem qualquer outro cristão puderam fazer milagres, mas quando o Espírito julgou apropriado, e por um impulso os intimava. Por essa razão, encontramos estranhos que às vezes eram curados, enquanto alguns cristãos continuavam a trabalhar sob doenças e outros grandes distúrbios corporais. Filipenses 2: 26-27 . 1 Timóteo 5:23 . 2 Timóteo 4:20 . Mas quando eles tinham a oração da fé, podiam com segurança proceder a um milagre; e tais curas milagrosas, embora trabalhassem com cristãos, eram meios muito prováveis ??de converter judeus ou pagãos, além de confirmar e estabelecer em sua fé mais santa, como já havia acreditado. A frase deve ou salvará os enfermos, significa “prevalecerá com Deus para curar a pessoa doente”. Ver Gênesis 21: 7 . A salvação aqui mencionada não foi a salvação eterna , mas a salvação milagrosa de, ou a cura de alguma desordem corporal específica: – e isso é explicado no próximo versículo: Ore um pelo outro, para que sejais curados. Não é dito aqui que a unção com óleo ou a imposição de mãos os curaria; nem está sugerido que os anciãos possam efetivar a cura; mas, mediante a oração da fé, o Senhor o ressuscitará, sendo o milagre cuidadosamente atribuído ao poder de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. A palavra ?a?, renderizado e se, na próxima cláusula, pode ser renderizado de maneira mais adequada ; pois o apóstolo não fala disso como algo duvidoso, tenha cometido um pecado ou não, mas parece evidentemente continuar o tempo todo supondo que ele cometeu alguns ou mais grandes crimes, que ocasionaram essa desordem em particular. . Ver Deuteronômio 28:15 ; Deuteronômio 28:68 . João 9: 2 . 1 Coríntios 11: 29-32 . 1 João 5: 16-17 . A doutrina popista da necessidade de absolvição de um padre, a fim de remissão dos pecados de pessoas privadas e sua obtenção de salvação eterna, não tem mais fundamento aqui do que seu sacrifício fictício de extrema-unção. Veja em 1 Coríntios 12: 9 .

Comentário de John Wesley

E a oração da fé salvará os enfermos, e o Senhor o levantará; e se ele cometeu pecados, eles serão perdoados.

E a oração feita com fé salvará os enfermos – de sua doença; e se algum pecado for a ocasião de sua doença, será perdoado.