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Should We Anoint the Sick with Oil Today?

Written by Harold D. Dinsmore

“Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14, HCSB

While some pastors may not see anointing with oil as a practice for today’s church, I believe we are missing a wonderful ministry opportunity for both individuals who need prayer as well as the families of the sick. In fact, I believe that anointing with oil is allowed and encouraged in James 5:14 and has biblical precedent in that we encounter the anointing with oil and perfume throughout the Scripture.

A House of Prayer: Prayer Ministries in Your Church

Samuel anoints David with oil in 1 Samuel 16:13 as are other Kings representing God’s favor and selection. In John 12:3 Mary anointed Jesus with fragrant oil and when Judas objects, “Jesus answered, ‘Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.’” (John 12:7-8, HCSB)

I think anointing with oil is a biblical aspect of pastoral ministry that we overlook in our churches today. If you choose to do this, here are a few things to consider. My five points make the acrostic S.P.E.A.K.

1. Suggest.
Look for opportunities to suggest this to the sick to their family. During a time of duress they may not think of the instruction to, “call for the elders of the church,” so they can “pray over him after anointing him with olive oil” (James 5:14). In addition, they may not be aware that you are willing to do this.

2. Prepare.
Become familiar with the types of oil and containers available from your local Christian bookstore (click here to find a LifeWay Store near you). Traditionally, olive oil is used for anointing. Lead a training session with your deacons through which you can introduce their responsibility to pray for the sick and to anoint them with oil.

The Bible does not specify a method for anointing the sick person with the oil. I recommend that you put a dab of the oil on your finger and press your finger with the oil on the forehead or make the sign of the cross.

3. Educate.
Take time to educate your congregation about this important ministry of the church. You might preach a message on prayer and the prayer for the sick.

4. Administer.
I believe we should take the lead as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and administer the anointing of oil and prayer. I thank God for many families of the ill or dying who have commented how meaningful the anointing of oil and prayer was for their loved ones.

Don’t allow your fears of failure keep you from being the representative God has called you to be. Administer the anointing of oil with confidence, with faith believing (Matthew 21:21-23) and according to God’s will. God is the one who determines healing or not. You are his spokesperson here on earth.

5. Knowledge.
Keep fresh by studies concerning prayer and anointing with oil. Read what others have to say about prayer for the sick. Become knowledgeable of the subject and keep up with what others are writing about it.

Editor’s note: We would love to know where you stand on this subject. Do you have a different view of the James 5:14 passage? Feel free to comment but please do not denigrate individuals. You will need to sign in to comment.

Pastor Harold D. Dinsmore, MDiv, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, served the Northland Baptist Church in Kansas City as pastor for 15 years. He is currently the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Kansas City and is a North American Mission Board endorsed Hospice Chaplain. He and his wife Anita have been married for 27 years and have two grown sons, Joshua and Thomas.

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Reader Comments:

Thank you for posting this article. In my opinion, for fear of making some kind of mistake (how bad can it be to follow a biblical example when sincerely praying for someone?), we have ignored an obvious instruction from the Word. When we obediently pray for healing, it is always the Lord, not our method or style, that delivers the healing or the blessing. Let's be people of the Book, especially when it comes to prayer! Phil Miglioratti Illinois Baptist Prayer Ministries

By: ibsaprayer On: 7/19/2008 9:17:21 PM Note to editors: I should add, that I hold a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southwestern Seminary, have been a regular Adult Sunday School curriculum writer for LifeWay for more than 12 years, served more than 21 years overseas, and taught the subject of Pastoral Ministry at Baptist Theological Seminary in Singapore for several years. David Packer

By: dlplife On: 7/21/2008 8:41:09 AM James 5:14-15 says 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Too bad they don't offer me the option the rating of 5 negative stars I would have given that. When we adopt practices that are tied closely to other groups’ theology, we confuse our people and the watching world. His technique of making the sign of the cross with the oil is associated with Catholics. The practice of anointing the sick with oil is closely associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic belief of divine healing in every case. Is he implying he is in agreement with the theologies behind these two practices? The verse Pastor Dinsmore uses as a basis for his practice is followed by the statement that “the prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up….” Pastor Dinsmore then refers to Matthew 21:21-23 where Jesus tells the apostles, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer,” while at the same time saying it is up to God who He heals. Nothing in Matthew 21 or in James implies only those prayers we offer according to God’s will, will be answered. Why utilize a practice that implies guaranteed divine healing while admitting that whether the person is healed or not is up to God? He quotes 1 Samuel 16:13 where Samuel anoints David as King and then John 12:3 where Mary anoints Jesus’ body looking forward to His death and burial. What do these verses have to do with anointing the sick with oil? I would think a better passage would be Luke 10 where the “good Samaritan” anointed the man’s wounds with oil. Here it is not connected in anyway with a prayer to heal, but simply the method of ministering to the discomfort of the patient. Of course, this would destroy the Biblical basis for the practice. As for using a single verse as the basis for a religious practice, I wonder if he also follows 1 Corinthians 15:29? I am not sure what discourages me more that a Southern Baptist Pastor trained in a Southern Baptist supported seminary would put this forward as solid Biblical instruction or that Lifeway would publish it. Charlie McClelland, Pastor Mill Creek Baptist Church 6290 Hwy 99 Wamego KS 66547 785-456-2018

By: charliemac On: 7/21/2008 9:19:08 AM I'm glad to see someone writing on this important practice. It is a command and good hermeneutics requires its ongoing relevance in the church today. I am a bit concerned over the methodology presented, however -- the text clearly states to call the "elders" of the church. Why, then, would the author disregard this specific instruction in favor of deacons performing the work of the elders? Other than that, it's a pretty good piece, and I'm glad to have found it.

By: reaganmarsh On: 7/21/2008 10:19:28 AM I suggest that all who believe in annoiting with oil read the commentary nof this passaje by Dr. Spiros Zhodiates (Faith Love Hope, AMG Publishers). According to him the verb translated annoint is "aleiphoo" which is a secular word, not sacramental or ceremonial, meaning "to rub with oil". For this reason, this scripture is not a reference to a ceremonial or "spiritual" use of oil but to a medicinal use of it. The whole letter of James is about faith and work. What he wants to communicate is the idea that when someone calls us to help him we should ceertaninly pray for him, but also do something for him. In our days, we would say we should pray for him and give him an "aspirin" or take him to the doctor, Not only pray and thën "good by".

By: tony1018 On: 7/21/2008 10:24:22 AM Thanks for your article and your encouragement. I agree with you on the Biblical practice of anointing the sick with oil. The practice is rare among Baptists but I think your article might help turn that toward the right way. I pastor in Dayton, TN at Clear Creek Baptist Church and have participated in anointing with oil a couple of times.

By: mdlackey On: 7/21/2008 5:18:31 PM I appreciate Bro. Dinsmore's courage to address this issue. I have used this practice from time to time in my ministry to the sick. I have also had good Baptists to annoint me with oil when I had brain surgery a few years ago. I think Bro. Dinsmore hit on an important issue when he wrote that we should educate. The people should understand that there is no "magical" powers in the annointing itself. It is the prayer of faith that saves the sick. It is up to the Sovereign will of God to heal. I believe the annointing of oil is symbolic of the healing power of God. We should be more concerned about giving a sick person hope than we are about whether people will compare us with other religious groups. If a sick person or thier family asks for the ritual to be performed then by all means annoint them! It is all about ministry in the Name of Jesus!

By: shepherdman55 On: 7/22/2008 6:54:53 AM Before we jump on the "anointing the sick with oil" bandwagon, we should ask some questions. First, does the NT require anointing with oil as an aid/prerequisite for healing? Second, did Jesus anoint with oil? Third, can healing occur wihout anointing with oil? The first two questions are answered with no. The third, with yes. If we should anoint with oil, then, based on John 9.1-7, we should "anoint" blind eyes with mud made with spit in order for blindness to be healed. The Good Samaritan "anointed" with "olive oil and wine." He simply was practicing 1st century medicine. If someone wishes to anoint with oil, they are free to do so. What must be understood is the oil has no power at all.

By: ezed85 On: 7/22/2008 8:43:30 AM Although I have no problem with the use of oil, I too have come to believe this verse was referring to making prayer a part of the healing process rather than the use of oil as part of the healing process. I am also concerned that the oil may be seen as the instrument of healing as opposed to God alone being the source of all healing.

By: kentuckybeliever On: 7/22/2008 11:56:42 AM I concur that this is a helpful article on an important subject. When we anoint with oil in our church, it is always in a worship service with the elders gathering to pray. Each time I explain to the congregation the role of prayer in healing, that we are to pray confidently but that God is sovereign and nothing we can say or do can manipulate Him, nor should we try. Steve Long, Pastor Tender Mercy Baptist Church

By: s7long On: 7/22/2008 5:30:58 PM I appreciate the article being written and posted; we should be discussing this issue. I don't have a problem with this practice being performed by a church which views it as helpful (or even commanded), but I do have a problem with this being performed by deacons, as the author suggests. The verse in James is as clear as can be: "call the ELDERS of the church." Why invite and allow deacons to be part of this ministry when it should be elders/pastors doing this? If a church doesn't have elders (people responsible for caring for the sheep), it should consider appointing some. If the name "elder" isn't acceptable, then call them something else, but please not deacons . . . it is misleading.

By: FrederickKelly On: 7/23/2008 9:50:41 AM Indeed, anointing the sick with oil seems to have Biblical grounds, and so I wonder why the pastors and deacons of the SBC churches I've belonged to do not practice it. It seems like it would be something distinct and meaningful to the sick believer and his or her family, and another good way to facilitate the use of scripture during the bed-side visit. Thank you, Bro. Dinsmore, for this helpful and thought-provoking article.

By: oswgeo On: 7/21/2008 4:12:37 PM I should also add that BDAG doesn't define "aleiphw" as narrowly as Dr. Zhodiates. This is the same word that is used in Mar 6.13 describing casting out demons and anointing sick people with oil and in Luk 7.38 & Joh 12.3 for the anointing of Jesus. Steve Long, Pastor, Tender Mercy Baptist Church.

By: s7long On: 7/22/2008 5:34:40 PM Some caution is advisable in this matter of anointing the sick with oil. The verse mentioned in the article is lifted out of the context of the passage and there are some benefits gained by word study. First, the word used for anointing in James 5 is "aleipho" and not "chrio." "Aleipho" had a more generic idea of putting an oil or an ointment upon a person. "Chrio" had a more limited use and was confined to sacred and symbolic anointings, and is a where we get the word "Christ" or the Anointed One. Many conservative scholars have understood this phrase in James 5 as referring to applying medicine, not as representative of some religious act. The Christian faith differs greatly from the superstitious beliefs of other religions that seek to impress a distant deity with a religious charms, actions, and ceremonies. Roman Catholicism has embraced a doctrine of sacramentality, that believes in the spiritual efficacy of physical things, but this is very far from the Evangelical understanding that God works and moves by His truth and through His Spirit. The context of the passage also says that it is the "prayer of faith" that moves God to act, not the ritual. In general practice, anointing the sick with oil may seem like a harmless thing to some, after serving more than 20 years in overseas missions, I can say that it is a dangerous practice to introduce, for very quickly people will put their faith in the oil or the making the sign of the cross and not in the Lord. If this is a command that we should obey, whether we understand it or not (and as my thoughts above would indicate, there are reasonable grounds to believe it is not a command for all Christians), then we should keep it to the most simple form and leave as many ritualistic aspects out of it as possible. I should add that I have seen God heal the sick, and everytime it has been in answer to the prayer of faith and not to the anointing with oil. I would caution against following the advice of Pastor Dinsmore.

By: dlplife On: 7/21/2008 8:37:08 AM I think it's past time for us to get back to Biblical ways of service as pastors. I do not always carry anointing oil with me. I do take it with me when I am on call as an adjunct chaplain for my local hospital. I think we've modernized and programmed our ministry to death. I feel anointing is an example that Jesus gave us as a way of serving others.

By: longview205 On: 7/21/2008 10:12:05 AM Just a personal reflection on the practice of anointing with oil. I have had Crohn's disease for 16 years. On mission trip to Zimbabwe, where I preached at a church in Bulawayo, the pastor took me back in his study for complete privacy and anointed me with oil for the purpose of healing my disease. He did this with such love and with such spiritual discernment, it made a huge impact on my life. I was not healed physically, but the fact that this brother prayed over me and did this for me, provided me a great deal of spiritual and emotional healing. Like most things spiritual, motive is everything. This brother did this with the right motive and did it the right way.

By: mrtundra63 On: 7/25/2008 10:50:44 AM