Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

the last sickness will precipitate our death. Conversely, of course, it may and
should always be cheerfully remembered that just as our death will usher us
into the glory and joy of spiritual perfection, so it spells the transition toward
the same glory and joy of a perfect body (Phil. 3:21). A terminal sickness,
therefore, for whatever reason, is for the true believer not a tragic ending.
Rather it is the glorious beginning of a perfect end!
In James 5:16 the author adds a new dimension, an additional issue of
vital significance to his earlier teaching. It calls for confession, the voicing of
our sorrowful conviction and full agreement in the inner recesses of the soul
pertaining to the biblical diagnosis of our transgressions, that is “coming totally
clean,” as an integral part of mortification on man’s part and the indispensable
way to pardon from God’s perspective. Here it is placed in the context
of restoration to health and forgiveness (Burdick, 183).
There is a clear-cut correlation between confession and forgiveness (Ps.
32:5; 51:3; 119:26; Prov. 28:13; Jer. 3:13; 1 John 1:9) (Manton, 457). Confession,
of course, is necessary when we have been offensive to God or man
(Mk. 1:5; Mt. 3:6; Acts 19:18). Hearts that have melted under the convicting
power of the Holy Spirit, are eager to deal with estrangement, to make the
necessary amends and so to heal the breach (Mt. 5:23-24). But such confession
becomes an especially urgent matter, when God strikes us with sickness
as a result of our offense (Zodhiates, III, 141, with reference to 1 Cor. 11:30).
It even might preclude death. So, it better be done before one’s condition becomes
incurable (Manton, 460). Furthermore, in instances of offense and confrontation
confession must be elicited (Mt. 18:15ff; Lk. 17:3). Also, biblical
confession, whether from member to elder, or member to member, should
neither be meaninglessly general nor harmfully detailed. When done properly,
it is part of a “cleansing” process that culminates in freedom from guilt,
restoration of joy and renewal of life under the smile of God. From that perspective
it has graphically and appropriately been called “the vomit of the
soul” (Curtis Vaughan, quoted in Keddie, 178-179). Once it is out in the
open, it gives instantaneous relief.
However, all this does not exhaust James’ counsel! In this context there
is the additional dimension of ongoing (Martin, 210), communal (Mitton,
203-205), “quantitative” (Zodhiates, III, 150) confession, beyond the mere
circle of the elders. Most commentators agree that in this setting James has a
much more “ambitious,” a more “startling” (Johnson, 334) objective than
what is required in 1 John 1:9 or Luke 17:3-4.
First, James 5:16, in line with James 5:15, implies that the circle of involved
parties is wider than either the elders or the offended parties. The elders
ought to enter into the picture, but not to the exclusion of congregational
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