I am not apt to criticize other’s beliefs. I am only using this post as an example of a common teaching that I believe is incorrect. I figure the Ryrie Study Bible can take it. After all, it’s a good study Bible (although written from a cessationist’s point of view). See also – On the Cessation of the Charismata – Ruthven
The passage of scripture in question is taken from James Chapter 5, and the context is physical healing. The Bible text reads as follows:
Is anyone among you sick? {Then} he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. James 5:14-15
The text plainly says that ‘the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick.’ The portion of the Ryrie note concerning this text reads: (the full note is shown in the graphic to the right)
“Prayers of faith are answered not simply because they are prayed in faith but only if they are prayed in the will of God.” Ryrie Study Bible
First, let me say that I share his sentiment that answered prayer must align with the will of God. Of course this must be the case. My issue, rather, is with the notion that one is able to have true Bible faith and still be outside the will of God. I find this a significant misunderstanding of faith. He is saying that faith alone is not enough; that faith must have something added to it to be fully functioning. And what must be added is the will of God.
He seems to be making a distinction between the general, or moral, will of God and the specific will of God for that individual. He appears to be saying, ‘God’s general will is to heal but He may not heal individually all the time. It is dependent on the individual and the circumstance.’ To this, I would agree. But true Bible faith is not based on the general will of God, it is based on the specific will of God – for that individual. Furthermore, faith is not only specific to the individual but it is also specific to the situation. Hope is based on the general will of God. One receives hope by reading a promise in the word of God. For faith to come alive concerning this hope, the promise must be planted in the heart and the individual must meet the conditions of the promise. It is only then that the reality of the promise comes alive in the heart. When this happens, the promise becomes the will of God for that individual. Faith is then imparted to the heart for the ‘things hoped for.’ The reality of faith in one’s heart is based on the reality of the will of God for that individual.
How then can someone have true Bible faith and still be outside the will of God? They simply cannot. Faith is not a strong personal confidence or one’s own willful decision to believe. It is a direct impartation (hearing) from God. It is a heart received sanction by the Sovereign of Heaven, given the moment His will has been met. This sanction is the ‘evidence of things not (yet) seen.’ Faith is the sign that (1) God’s will is known, (2) that His will has been met, and (3) that an acknowledgment (hearing) of His approval has been received. That is why faith alone is sufficient for God’s response, or as Martin Luther would say, ‘Faith alone, plus nothing.’
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 King James Version
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Hebrews 11:1 Holman Christian Standard Bible
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 King James Version
The reality of things hoped for, comes from a message that is heard, a message that is heard from the spoken word of Christ. Romans 10:17 My version
It is interesting that he also mentions the Catholic Church’s sacrament of Extreme Unction. This sacrament began as a church sanctioned prayer to raise individuals from the dead. But because there was so little success, it transformed over time into what we refer to today as ‘Last Rites.’ I don’t know his point here except maybe that the Roman Catholic ‘view’ changed from initial belief in the will of God to heal to one that allows death. This has nothing to do with the will of God. It has everything to do with faith (or the lack thereof) to raise the dead. Faith in God is the requirement for miracles, not a church sanction. See also – Martin Luther’s Call for the Faith Healer
Comments
Great post! I recently bought a Charles Ryrie Study Bible as the best on offer at my city Christian bookstore. While I respect and admire the love of the Word of God Charles Ryrie clearly had, he does not go nearly deep enough when it comes to the Holy Spirt or the Power of God. It,s back to faith teaching for me!
Tony – Yeah, I agree. I ended up getting the NASB Note-Takers Bible with wide margins and no notes whatsoever. The fancy leather bound Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries Edition. Not because of him but it was the very best one. It is huge but wonderful.
I have Olive Tree bible software on my phone and I use the various translations (20 or so) and the greek commentaries. I love Kenneth Wuest and Marvin Vincents. I have A.T Roberston on my tablet but you have to really watch him. He is dead set against anything faith and Holy Spirit. He won’t even comment on any verse that has a faith context.
I liked the post, but would like to expand it a little.
After reading it looks like what you are saying is that, if you have true faith, you are in Gods will. So if I pray to have someone “healed” and they are not, then I can deduce that I am not in Gods will and do not have true faith (strawman agrument, I know).
In this I do not agree. We can have faith, believe in God and His eternal promise by what Christ did for us on the cross and still not have a prayer of healing answered.
I am not going to speak for Ryrie but the way I look at what he is saying is that we must pray Gods will over the individual, not necessarily what we want. If it is Gods will, then they can be miraculously healed.
“The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick” does this refer to a physical or spiritual healing? We know that the Lord is more concerned with our spiritual health and not our physical health. The word study for this passage needs to focus on the word restore.
Brandon,
Thank you for the comment. You are correct, the core issue is the relationship between faith and the will of God. The requirement for God’s intervention is either: Faith + Will of God = Miracle, Or, Faith (alone) = Miracle.
My contention is the latter because in my view the existence of true Bible faith is the indication that the requirements of the promise of God have been met, and therefore, the answer is the will of God.
I will respond directly to your individual statements below:
I liked the post, but would like to expand it a little. After reading it looks like what you are saying is that, if you have true faith, you are in Gods will. So if I pray to have someone “healed” and they are not, then I can deduce that I am not in Gods will and do not have true faith (strawman agrument, I know).
To have true faith you must me in the will of God. If someone is not healed it does not necessarily mean that it was not the will of God for them to be healed. It may be that the will of God for them to be healed was not sufficiently known and believed. It was His will but they could not take advantage of that fact because of a lack of faith. A mature faith in the word of God concerning a particular issue, in this case, healing, takes time to grow.
I believe it is always the will of God to healed. I challenge you to go to the Gospels and find a passage where someone did not get healed where anything other than doubt or unbelief is mentioned as a reason. I do not know of any. Also, I believe it is interesting to note that Jesus never mentioned the will of God as a reason someone would or would not be blessed. Faith, or the lack thereof, is the only criteria directly mentioned. The ‘if’ always pertains to whether one has faith or not. Like in Paul’s writings, the Gospels show that, ‘the promises of God are always yes and amen, in Christ Jesus (II Cor 1:20).
Jesus only prayed a prayer with an ‘if’ in it once, and it concerned His seeking the will of God. He never used an ‘if’ when praying about things (cursing fig trees) or people (healings, raisings from the dead) or actions (calming the seas). Again, Jesus never uttered, “If it be God’s will, you will be healed.”
In this I do not agree. We can have faith, believe in God and His eternal promise by what Christ did for us on the cross and still not have a prayer of healing answered.
What scriptures do you base this viewpoint on? Does faith come from God? I believe it does. We ‘hear’ from God and faith comes (Rom 10:17). I believe this ‘hearing’ is the coming alive of the written promise of God to our heart -the moment the seed of the word becomes harvest. It is at this time that the ‘things hoped for’ become reality (Heb 11:1). If faith in the known will of God is not absolute then what is it? What good is it? Faith by definition must be absolute, especially if it is based on the heard word of the Lord. How can one stand if it is not sure? How can one really be sure of anything from God?
If faith comes from God, then how can we have faith outside of His will? It is either “Faith Alone Plus Nothing,” as Luther would say, or Faith plus something. I believe it is faith alone because faith is the indication that all is there and has been ‘witnessed’ to by God (Heb 11:2). When Jesus looked out over a crowd He did not have to know everything about each individual (of course He could have), all He needed to know is their faith level. It represents all else.
I am not going to speak for Ryrie but the way I look at what he is saying is that we must pray Gods will over the individual, not necessarily what we want. If it is Gods will, then they can be miraculously healed.
Yes, we must pray God’s will, but that will must be established prior to praying, not after. Otherwise, prayer becomes a way of just throwing things up against the wall to see what sticks. The Bible tells us to be perseverant and steadfast in prayer. How can we do this if take the attitude ‘if it happens it is God, and if it doesn’t happen it is not God?’ How does one know whether to fight on or let go? We must seek God prior to the prayer so that we know that we are praying the will of God and we know that we Will receive the answer (I John 5:14, 15). What other meaning can there be for, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and THEY WILL BE GRANTED YOU” (Mark 11:24?
The interesting issue here is, ‘does God’s will always happen?’ Before you immediately say, ‘yes of course,’ think about all the scriptures that tell us that we must pray for God’s will. If it just happened then why pray for it. We would only have to say a ‘if it be thy will’ prayer, and go on our way.
“The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick” does this refer to a physical or spiritual healing? We know that the Lord is more concerned with our spiritual health and not our physical health. The word study for this passage needs to focus on the word restore.
I am sorry but I really disagree with your statement. It minimizes the miracles of Jesus. The majority of the miracles were physical in nature. The physical miracles of Jesus were not an add-on or side issue. They were not meant to authenticate His ministry, but rather they were a core part of His message and mission – to undue the effects of sin and pain. Acts says that, “Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.” That is spirit, soul, and body.
Yes, I would rather someone die of sickness than be healed and then go to hell, but that is not the point. It is not an either/or proposition. The Lord is concerned with the whole man. He is touched with our pain, both spiritual and physical. I believe the context is about physical healing. Other translations use the following words: “will cure them,” “make the sick person well,” “save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up..” The physical benefits of the Gospel must not be minimized.
I hope my answer did not overwhelm you or your comment. It just poured out of me..
God Bless,