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Genesis 41:9,10
Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: …

2 Samuel 19:19
And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.

Matthew 3:6
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

pray.

Colossians 1:9
For this cause we also, since the day we heardit, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

1 Thessalonians 5:17,23,25
Pray without ceasing…

Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

that.

Genesis 20:17
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they barechildren.

2 Chronicles 30:20
And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

Luke 9:6
And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

The effectual.

Genesis 18:23-32
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? …

Genesis 19:29
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

Genesis 20:7,17
Now therefore restore the manhis wife; for heis a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restoreher not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all thatare thine…

a righteous.

Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Hebrews 11:4,7
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh…

and pray for each other
Prayer is a fundamental aspect of Christian life, serving as a means of communication with God and a way to support one another. The early church, as seen inActs 2:42, was devoted to prayer, which was central to their fellowship. Praying for each other strengthens the bonds within the community and aligns with the biblical principle of bearing one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2). This mutual intercession is a reflection of Christ's own intercessory role (Hebrews 7:25).

so that you may be healed.
Healing in this context can be understood both physically and spiritually. The early church witnessed miraculous healings, as recorded in Acts, but the emphasis here is also on spiritual restoration. Confession and prayer lead to healing by removing the barriers of sin that hinder one's relationship with God and others. This aligns with the promise in2 Chronicles 7:14, where God promises healing to those who humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways.

The prayer of a righteous man
Righteousness in the biblical sense refers to being in right standing with God, often associated with faith and obedience. The "righteous man" is one who lives according to God's will, as exemplified by figures like Elijah, who is mentioned later inJames 5:17-18. This righteousness is not self-derived but is a result of faith in Christ, as seen inRomans 3:22. The effectiveness of prayer is linked to the character and faith of the one praying.

has great power to prevail.
This phrase underscores the efficacy of prayer when offered by someone living in accordance with God's will. The power of prayer is not in the words themselves but in the faith and righteousness of the one praying. This is illustrated in the story of Elijah, whose prayers led to significant events, demonstrating that God responds to the fervent prayers of His people. The prevailing power of prayer is a testament to God's faithfulness and His desire to work through His people to accomplish His purposes.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other” (James 5:16) calls believers into transparent fellowship.

• Confession is humble agreement with God and with one another about our wrongdoing (1 John 1:9).

• It breaks secrecy, the breeding ground of sin (Proverbs 28:13).

• Mutual confession strengthens unity; when we own our faults, the body of Christ “bears one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).

• This is not public spectacle but wisely chosen accountability among trusted brothers and sisters, following Jesus’ teaching on reconciliation (Matthew 18:15).

The verse continues, “and pray for each other.” Intercessory prayer is the natural companion to confession.

• Prayer shifts focus from failure to God’s restoring power (Ephesians 6:18).

• It invites the Spirit’s comfort and guidance for the repentant (2 Corinthians 1:11).

• The apostle Paul urged “supplications, prayers, intercessions…for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1), showing that believers never walk alone.

• Genuine prayer keeps confession from becoming mere talk; it places the need before the throne where real change happens (Hebrews 4:16).

“so that you may be healed” highlights God’s desired outcome.

• Healing can be physical, as in earlier verses about calling the elders (James 5:14-15) and in examples like Hezekiah’s recovery (2 Kings 20:5).

• It is also spiritual—restoration from the wounds sin inflicts on soul and relationships (Psalm 103:2-3).

• God links repentance and healing: “Return…that times of refreshing may come” (Acts 3:19).

• Whether the ailment is body, mind, or fellowship, obedient confession and prayer open the channel for God’s wholeness (2 Chronicles 7:14).

James concludes, “The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”

• “Righteous” points to those walking in trusting obedience—Noah, Daniel, Job (Ezekiel 14:14) and every believer clothed in Christ’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

• God “listens to the righteous” (1 Peter 3:12), so their prayers are effective.

• Elijah, cited in the next verses, illustrates prevailing prayer that stops rain and starts it again (James 5:17-18).

• Such prayer is not magic but persistent, faith-filled communion aligned with God’s will (John 15:7).

• Expectant prayer unleashes God’s power in everyday situations—family needs, church crises, cultural challenges—because “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

James 5:16 weaves together confession, intercession, healing, and powerful prayer. Honest admission of sin to trusted believers, coupled with earnest prayer, positions us for God’s restorative work. When the righteous pray, God acts, bringing wholeness to bodies, souls, and communities.

Not that all Roman Catholic divines, indeed, have thus read the injunction. Some of the ablest and greatest have admitted "that we cannot certainly affirm sacramental confession to have been meant or spoken of in this place" (Hooker). How then did the gradual perversion take hold of men's minds? The most laborious investigation of history and theology will alone answer the question properly; and here only a briefresume is possible. There can be little doubt that, strictly consonant with the apostolic charge, open confession was the custom of old. Offenders hastened to some minister of God, and in words, by which all present in the congregation might take notice of the fault, declared their guilt; convenient remedies were as publicly prescribed, and then all present joined in prayer to God. But after awhile, for many patent reasons, this plain talk about sins was rightly judged to be a cause of mischief to the young and innocent; and such confessions were relegated to a private hearing. The change was in most ways beneficial, and hardly suspected of being a step in a completely new doctrine. It needed years--centuries, in fact--to develop into the hard system of compulsory individual bondage which cost Europe untold blood and treasure to break asunder. A salutary practice in the case of some unhappy creatures, weakened by their vices into a habit of continual sin, was scarcely to be conceived as a rule thrust upon all the Christian world. Yet such it was, and "at length auricular confession, followed by absolution and satisfaction, was elevated to the full dignity of a necessary sacrament. The Council of Trent anathematises all who deny it to be truly and properly a sacrament instituted by Christ Himself, and necessary to salvation (jure divino); or who say that the method of confessing secretly to the priest alone . . . is alien to Christ's institution, and of human invention" (Harold Browne). Marvellous perversity of acute brains and worthy sentiment, showing only how steep is the way of error; and how for Christian as for Jew the danger of tradition is perilous indeed. "To conclude," in the words of Hooker, "we everywhere find the use of confession, especially public, allowed of, and commended by the fathers; but that extreme and rigorous necessity of auricular and private confession, which is at this day so mightily upheld by the Church of Rome, we find not. It was not then the faith and doctrine of God's Church, as of the Papacy at this present--(1) that the only remedy for sin after baptism is sacramental penitency; (2) that confession in secret is an essential part thereof; (3) that God Himself cannot now forgive sins without the priest; (4) that because forgiveness at the hands of the priests must arise from confession in the offender, therefore to confess unto him is a matter of such necessity as, being not either in deed, or, at the least, in desire, performed, excludeth utterly from all pardon, and must consequently in Scripture be commanded wheresoever any promise of forgiveness is made. No, no; these opinions have youth in their countenance. Antiquity knew them not; it never thought nor dreamed of them" (E. P., vi. iv. 14).

"As for private confession," says Jewel in hisApology, "abuses and errors set apart, we condemn it not, but leave it at liberty." Such must be the teaching of any Church which, in the epigram of Bishop Ken, "stands distinguished from all papal and puritan innovations," resting upon God's Word, and the earliest, holiest, simplest, best traditions of the Apostles of His dear Son. And if an ancient custom has become a universal practice in the Latin communion, presumed to be of sacramental virtue, scholars will tell us that the notion has never been absent altogether from any branch of the Catholic Church; and that in some shape or form, it lives in most of those societies which sprang into existence at the Reformation largely from abhorrence of the tyranny and misuse of confession.

The effectual fervent prayer . . .--Better,The prayer of a righteous man availeth much in its working. It moves the hand of Him Who moves the world.

"What are men better than sheep, or goats,

That nourish a blind life within the brain,

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer--

Both for themselves, and those who call them friend?

For so the whole round earth is, every way,

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God." . . .